Labour promised as it came into government that it would bring in a ‘Take Back Control’ Bill to return power from Whitehall and Westminster to local communities across England. If it actually moves in that direction, it will deserve heartfelt support from Liberal Democrats. But the indications of what is intended provided in the King’s Speech debate and the accompanying Briefing Note are not encouraging.
The English Devolution Bill, we are told, defines local leaders as mayors of Combined and Combined County Authorities. ‘Mayors are critical to delivering economic growth and will be vital partners’ with central government. The Bill will put ‘a more ambitious standardised devolution framework into legislation’, modelled on the devolution deals negotiated with existing metro mayors in Manchester, Birmingham and elsewhere. And ‘the Government will establish a new council of the nations and regions’, in which ‘the mayors of combined authorities’ will represent English interests.
‘New powers for mayoral combined authorities’ may be a step forward from micro-management of regional and local government from the Treasury and other Whitehall Departments. But it’s not democratic local government as Liberals understand it, nor would it provide the regional counterweight to London which we have long called for. Labour appear to be following their Conservative predecessors in wanting to replace democratic local government, within reach of the people whom it serves, with strong mayors with limited democratic scrutiny while in office who will carry out centrally-funded strategies within tight national guidelines.
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