Let the local authority clamour for more devolved power begin
Author: Steven Howell, Localis, in the Guardian Public Leaders Network |
With foot soldiers from all political parties up and down the country out knocking on doors, town halls are perhaps a little quieter than usual. But when all of the excitement, celebrations, and heartbreak of election night have died down, councillors will be thinking: what next for my area?
Some will be finding their feet with new forms of governance, with newly-elected mayors in Liverpool and Salford, while mayoral elections may appear on the horizon in other cities if residents vote yes in local referendums. The debate about directly elected mayors in England’s major cities has seen strong views from the for and against camps, but an active and engaging debate about what type of local governance suits a given area can only be a good thing from a localist’s point of view.
Directly electing mayors or not, many English cities will be clamouring for new powers and responsibilities to be devolved from government. Greater Manchester has already agreed the first city deal, with many others expected to follow. A number of possibilities are on the table: a single city-wide financial pot; transport commissioning powers; powers over skills provision; and Homes and Communities Agency spending and functions. There has never been a greater opportunity for local authorities to truly shape their locality.
In practice, this means that cities could do more themselves without relying on a complex web of partnerships, or bidding for central government funding allocations. A city that can guarantee development, investment and a skilled workforce makes for a far more attractive investment opportunity than one reliant on indicative funding agreements and informal partnership arrangements.
With private investment critical to future prosperity, cities will be doing all that they can to market themselves. The onus is shifting on to local authorities taking charge themselves; not regional or national institutions doing it all for them.
Of course, the majority of local authorities lie outside of the core cities and the current media spotlight. They will be unaffected by these changes in the short term, but will be watching developments with interest. With the provisions of the Localism Act now in force, such as the general power of competence, and a new local government finance system on the horizon, there is plenty for local authorities of all tiers, sizes and colours to get to grips with.
Will local authorities be freed to fix all of those local problems that they believe central bureaucracy has held back solutions to? Will this be “a major turning point in the balance of power in this country”, as Greg Clark described the introduction of the act’s provisions?
Arguably, it will depend on how far local authorities are able to visualise the possibilities and empower their communities, and how many more barriers are yet to be identified and overcome.
With the very nature of the central/local relationship under debate in the parliamentary and constitutional reform committee uniting MPs with council leaders and academics, it feels like the momentum is behind the localist movement – in the Westminster bubble at least.
The stakes, then, have been raised. With opportunity comes responsibility, and several hundred local authorities in England will need to consider exactly what this means for them, and just how far down the devolution rabbit hole they choose to go.
Steven Howell is a research fellow at the Localis think-tank.