Devolution

The devolved state we are in!

After decades of oppressive centralisation, many of us have welcomed the promise of a ‘devolution revolution’ for our cities and Local Authorities. We have been expectant, that this will herald a new local municipalism of economic success and social inclusion. However, with ongoing global economic issues, Brexit, the Treasury’s economic model and the endless yoke of local authority austerity, we may need to seriously downgrade our expectations.

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  • Devo Question Time: Connecting the North - HS3 and Beyond

    01 Jan. 2017

  • Victoria Bettany

    Senior Researcher

  • BULLETIN

    Devolution: Beyond the rhetoric

    22nd November 2016
    911.0kB     .pdf
    'Devolution: Beyond the rhetoric’ is a six-point think piece that challenges the Government narrative on devolution. It explores...

  • Devolution: Beyond the rhetoric

    22 Nov. 2016

    • Putting the social into a progressive devolution

    Devolution needs to get social. For too long the poor, low-paid and unemployed have been seen as a cost, with successive national policies seeking to reduce welfare budgets and cut spending on community activity. This is folly. Investing in the poor and society should be seen as investment in economic potential and productive capacity. Moving forward, this inversion of thinking and action has to be a key part of devolution.

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    We need a real devolution deal

    Devolution is a great opportunity. After years of oppressive centralisation, devolution deals offer local and combined authorities a chance to break free and forge their own distinctive economic and social destiny. Devolution is not, however, without significant risks and challenges. Our new joint paper ‘The Real Deal: Pushing the parameters of devolution deals’, a collaboration between the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) and the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI), explores the restrictions in the current devolution agenda, and presents ideas for new types of deals, heralding a more progressive devolution.

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