Will the long-term commitment and resources match the White Paper rhetoric?
Since Angela Rayner spoke about a Devolution Revolution in her first days as Secretary of State in the newly returned Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), there’s been a fervent desire to demonstrate that the Government are dreaming big when it comes to regional Combined Authorities.
Though on first glance back in July much of what Rayner said was an echo of the previous Government’s Levelling Up Bill, as the conversation has developed, we’re seeing a more radical desire to tie a wider range of public services and policy levers to regional Mayors. She calls it her ‘Devolution Revolution’, and it means major changes in the balance of power around the country. Under Labour’s latest plans, Mayors will play a much more prominent role across a range of public services.
The White Paper in December talked of a ‘devolution first’ approach, requiring central government to consider whether any or all new powers should be held locally. It also empowers Mayors to ask for additional powers for their Combined Authorities, with the expectation that the answer from Government will be ‘yes’. That is set to be quite a game changer, in what is currently the most centralised economy and democracy in the western world.
Government’s ‘Public Service Reform’ agenda demands that Mayors and Councils look hard at ways to make services more joined up and efficient, putting the Mayor at the helm of leading new partnerships and collaborations to make that happen. Policing, Fire and Health services will increasingly come under their purview.
The White Paper also proposed a radical shakeup of Council structures, with everyone required to move to a ‘unitary’ model, and no more small District Councils. Some would argue that these changes are long overdue, and that the current complicated and multi-layered system isn’t fit for purpose.
As things stand in these multi-tiered areas, one Local Authority (District) plans the new housing estates, but a totally different one (County) has to deliver the infrastructure that new residents need, like roads, or schools. Meanwhile, another different one (Integrated Care System) is responsible for the health services. All have different and sometimes competing priorities, and they don’t talk to each other properly.
One Authority (District) manages social housing, but a totally different one (County) delivers social care in that same housing, without any power to access or adapt it to meet the needs of residents. You’d never design a system like this.
That said, the changes also present significant risk and challenge. The scale of it is massive, and incredibly complicated. Nobody can afford to be drawn away from supporting vulnerable people in care, for example, in favour of working on admin, structure and governance. Meanwhile, the kick back against these plans has already begun from many District Councils, who are furious that their Authorities look set to be dissolved. There will be significant political pressure; particularly because the majority of Councils and Councillors are Labour. Almost the entire Labour group at Broxtowe Borough Council (Nottinghamshire) quit the Labour Party last week in protest against the Government, including the Council Leader.
As the Devolution White Paper develops into legislation and then gets on to the Statute Book through 2025, we’ll see whether the early radical rhetoric is able to survive the tests that will be thrown at it; the financial cost of the changes, the political fallout, the lack of existing capacity in emerging Combined Authorities, and more. It’s not plain sailing.
These changes will mean a new and different list of people you need to influence to get things done. It will mean new opportunities for investment in key priorities, and for those who can demonstrate that they’re delivering what Mayors want to see.
Mayors will develop their different local goals and priorities, that aren’t necessarily the same as their neighbours. They’ll be asking for your input, and looking for opportunities to get things done.
There’s plenty going on in the world of devolution, and lots of new opportunities on the horizon for those who are able to effectively track it all and engage with the right people at the right times. With our well-connected regional teams and extensive experience of working in these regional authorities, Cavendish is well placed to make sure that you’re part of the conversation. Contact us here.
