Power to communities? Realising the potential of Devolution to serve the most disadvantaged places in England
Devolution is entering a new phase, with more powers and funding moving from Whitehall to England’s Strategic Authorities. Many of the towns and neighbourhoods most affected by deindustrialisation are already represented by Metro Mayors. The question now is whether devolution will change their economic prospects and give residents a stake in regional growth.
This paper draws on new public polling and an analysis of dozens of economic growth, transport and skills strategies developed by Strategic Authorities. We find a majority (52%) of the public support giving Mayors greater powers, alongside a clear public preference for prioritising disadvantaged places and industrial heartlands. We find many good examples of Mayors working to deliver for the most disadvantaged places they represent, yet we also identify a gap between commitments to tackling disadvantage and practical plans to connect residents to the jobs and industries that regional leaders hope to grow.
We are calling for the next stage of devolution to put the places that have been left behind front and centre. The test should be whether it changes the economic prospects of the towns and neighbourhoods that deindustrialisation left behind and centralisation made too easy to overlook.
Drawing on promising work already under way, the paper sets out a playbook for Mayors to deliver for their disadvantaged communities, including how they can engage with the Pride in Place Programme and build community capacity more broadly.
The paper also makes several recommendations for national government, joining the dots between the devolution agenda and the new Prime Minister's ambitions of "good growth in every postcode", and delivering genuine power to communities. The paper calls for a Neighbourhood Spending Lock to provide lasting investment in disadvantaged communities, and for Mayors to gain powers to offer targeted employer National Insurance and business rates relief. It also proposes making JobsPlus a permanent model of neighbourhood employment support, giving Strategic Authorities powers to integrate community transport into regional networks, and appointing a Cabinet-level Chief Secretary of the Nations and Regions to coordinate delivery across government.
Read the full publication
