The most powerful thing a powerful person can do is to give that power away. Andy Haldane (Opinion, January 12) hits the nail on the head in identifying the greatest challenge to devolution: transferring actual decision-making powers.
The election of mayors in England’s largest cities and regions was a significant achievement, but their real powers are still very limited. The ability of metro mayors (including the mayor of London) to develop and deliver economic development policies is still overly dependent on central government decisions and funding. Most European cities and regions have much greater powers to raise taxes and to decide where money should be spent. The mayor of New York, a city the size of London and one of its global competitors, can even pass local laws. England needs to go much further.
But giving power away is not easy for several reasons. First, political leaders with strong ideas want to ensure their policies are followed through, not reversed by another government. Would a future Labour government, after being in opposition for over a decade, really be willing to share power with local leaders?
Second, in a highly centralised country, the civil service still concentrates a fair share of the capacity and skills to develop and deliver effective public policies and programmes. Governments are often reluctant to transfer decision-making powers to less-resourced authorities (even though experience tells us that, following “growing pains”, more decentralised systems tend to produce better results). Finally, there is the personal ambition of those in power and their desire for influence and recognition.
True devolution, with an effective transfer of decision-making powers, is as important as it is difficult to deliver. It needs a strong and forward-looking national leadership, prepared to do things differently, but also to compromise where needed. It requires humility and a significant commitment to the most democratic solutions, which may not be one’s own. It demands trust in people and in local institutions. Above all, it requires courage to move forward and test new models (and to embrace the potential for failure). Without it, though, we will never achieve the economic prosperity this country urgently needs.
José Pedro Reis
Head of Strategy and Opportunity Development, Opportunity London, London N1, UK
