Government Announces ‘Devolution By Default’ To Create New Era Of Local Power

Significant plans to make devolution the default setting across a range of government policy areas, as part of the English Devolution White Paper, have been announced by the Deputy Prime Minister.

In a speech to an audience of regional mayors, local government and business leaders, the Deputy Prime Minister said that the proposals in the English Devolution White Paper will put England’s regions centre stage and deliver on the government’s mission to grow the economy and our milestone of building 1.5 million homes and will boost opportunity across the country.

Measures include plans for new powers for mayors across strategic planning – giving them the ability to guide infrastructure and development projects across areas, housing, transport and skills.

This is part of the government’s longstanding commitment to devolution – pushing more powers out of Westminster and into the hands of people with skin in the game, who know their areas best.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner said: “Our English Devolution White Paper will be a turning point when we finally see communities, people and places across England begin to take back control over the things that matter to them.

“When our proud towns and cities are once again given the powers they need to drive growth and raise living standards as part of our Plan for Change.

“It’s a plan for putting more money in people’s pockets, putting politics back in the service of working people and a plan for stability, investment and reform, not chaos, austerity and decline, that will deliver a decade of national renewal. 

“Devolution will no longer be agreed at the whim of a Minister in Whitehall, but embedded in the fabric of the country, becoming the default position of government.”

Assistant Director of Healthy Lives at the Health Foundation, Katherine Merrifield, said,: “Devolving more power to local areas is an opportunity to build healthier, thriving communities. Combined Authorities and local councils hold many of the levers to take action on the building blocks of health, such as people’s access to good quality work, transport and housing.”

“We are therefore pleased to see the introduction of a new duty in relation to health improvement and health inequalities and the commitment to give the newly named Strategic Authorities the powers and levers they need to deliver on the health inequalities element of the health mission. We are also glad to see a focus on making prevention the default setting and a new outcomes framework to improve accountability.”

“There is much to commend in this White Paper, but as always, the devil will be in the detail. The government will need to deliver quickly on the commitment to fairer funding and work through the new powers and levers to improve health. Crucially, the government needs to work in a different, more joined-up way to deliver on the commitment for Whitehall to think “devolution by default”.

“In particular, the government must provide sustainable local funding that meets the current population’s needs, ensures financial stability for councils to invest in improving health, and restores the public health grant to its 2015/16 value. Additionally, with 60% of local authority funding spent on children’s and adult social care, the lack of a sustainable funding solution for social care must be addressed and done so urgently.”