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New Local response: English Devolution White Paper

December 16, 2024  

The English Devolution White Paper promises to decentralise power in England. Read New Local’s response:

England is uniquely centralised and the White Paper published today is an important step towards addressing this by shifting power out of Westminster. A new devolution framework which builds on and extends the growth-related powers for mayoral and new “strategic authorities” will enable more responsive regional strategies. 

The emphasis on locally-led partnership to drive cross-sector public service reform for prevention is welcome. Centrally-managed funding across agencies is too often misaligned to the varying needs of places. The White Paper recognises the merits of previous initiatives such as Total Place – there is real potential to develop these aspirations further, with the active participation of communities, to increase the impact of existing public spending across places.  

The White Paper is realistic about the systemic financial challenges facing local government, and the commitments to stabilise funding and reform the use of funding pots are a necessary step towards longer term recovery. We would welcome stronger commitments to how local governments are resourced including through more ambitious fiscal devolution. 

In this context of constrained resource, it will be important that as plans for reorganisation in two-tier areas proceed, scarce capacity is not deflected away from communities. Reform needs to be purpose-driven, rather than simply structures-driven.  Local government needs to have the powers and resources to support communities to thrive, through responsive local services and ongoing democratic engagement – ultimately, the test of any new structures will be how they enable this.    

Across all regional and local governing institutions, rewiring how funding flows for impact, enabling new ways of working and ensuring communities can participate in decisions that affect them are all imperative to restoring trust in our national system. New Local looks forward to engaging with the ambition and the detail of the White Paper in months to come as plans take shape.  


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