UK Inquiry Tracker

Progress on devolution in England

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 9 Mar 2020 Closed: 2 Mar 2022 Parliament page

Relaunched inquiry: Progress of Devolution in England The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has relaunched its inquiry into progress on devolution in England. The inquiry will scrutinise the impact of recently agreed devolution agreements and ask if the transfer of further powers to England’s regions can boost local economies … Read more Relaunched inquiry: Progress of Devolution in England The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has relaunched its inquiry into progress on devolution in England. The inquiry will scrutinise the impact of recently agreed devolution agreements and ask if the transfer of further powers to England’s regions can boost local economies and provision of public services. Since 2014, cities and regions including Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Cornwall have successfully negotiated bespoke devolution deals with the Governments. London gained greater devolved powers following the establishment of an assembly in 2000. Each devolution deal involves its own arrangements for funding and increased responsibilities, but can include greater powers over areas including business support, planning, transport and health. London, and eight of the ten areas with newly agreed devolution deals, established directly elected mayors to oversee the implementation of new powers. The inquiry will examine the impact of devolving increased powers in the cities and regions where deals have been agreed, and consider how any benefits can be realised in more areas of the country. It will investigate the effectiveness of the current strategy of developing bespoke deals region by region, and ask if increasing available powers without wider systemic changes would produce similar benefits. The Committee will investigate the roles of directly elected mayors, quality of scrutiny in decision making and public accountability. Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Clive Betts MP commented: “The approach the Government has taken is to develop bespoke arrangements for different areas, both in terms of the powers devolved to them and the administrative systems to execute them. We have launched this inquiry to understand the impact of the current approach. Has tailoring devolution to each locality improved decision making, the local economy and public services? “Most importantly, we want to discover what opportunities there are for improving outcomes across the country. Notably in areas such as transport and health where provision doesn’t match existing local government structures, but also in improving the local economy, environment and infrastructure. We will be looking to see how improved devolution can boost cities and regions, and how it can be implemented more quickly.” Evidence received for the inquiry in the previous Parliament can be found here . Show less

22 Recommendations

1 Conclusion

1 Report

5 Oral sessions

2 Letters

5 Events

Activity timeline 9 events

1 Mar
2022

Report published

Progress on Devolution in England: Government response to the Select Committee report

1 Mar
2022

Correspondence

Letter from the Minister for Levelling Up, the Union and Constitution to the Chair dated 24 February 2022 concerning the Government's respo…

1 Oct
2021

Report published

Fourth Report - Progress on devolution in England

29 Jan
2021

Correspondence

Letter from the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government to the Chair dated 22 January 2021 providing an update on the Government'…

25 Jan
2021

Oral evidence

30 Nov
2020

Oral evidence

7 Sep
2020

Oral evidence

Evidence session; Oral evidence

22 Jun
2020

Oral evidence

Oral evidence; Oral Evidence

16 Mar
2020

Oral evidence

Progress on devolution in England

Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions

25 Jan 2021

View on parliament.uk

Oral evidence

Cllr James Jamieson · Local Government Association (LGA) Rt Hon Greg Clark The Lord Kerslake · UK2070 Commission

30 Nov 2020

View on parliament.uk

Oral evidence

Amy Harhoff · Durham County Council David Williams · Hertfordshire County Council James Palmer · Herbert Smith Freehills Jamie Driscoll · North of Tyne Combined Authority

7 Sep 2020

View on parliament.uk

Evidence session; Oral evidence

Andrew Carter · Centre for Cities Bill McCarthy · NHS England Guy Ware · London Councils Helen Charlesworth-May · Cornwall Council Kate Kennally · Cornwall Council Mr David Phillips · Institute for Fiscal Studies Sir Richard Leese CBE · Manchester City Council

22 Jun 2020

View on parliament.uk

Oral evidence; Oral Evidence

Abdool Kara · National Audit Office Andrew Walker · Local Government Information Unit Jim Hubbard · CBI Mike Short · UNISON Mr Ed Hammond · Centre for Public Scrutiny Simon Parkinson · Workers’ Education Association

16 Mar 2020

View on parliament.uk

Progress on devolution in England

Dr John Stanton · City, University of London Professor Colin Copus · De Montfort University Professor Francesca Gains · University of Manchester

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Fourth Report - Progress on devolution in England	HC 36	1 Oct 2021	23	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 results

3 Recommendation Accepted in Part

Fourth Report - Progress on devolu…

To embed devolution at the heart of central government the new Secretary of State for...

To embed devolution at the heart of central government the new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities should be responsible for vigorously driving forward English devolution and this should be explicitly stated as one of his responsibilities. … Read more

Government Response

The government established a new Levelling Up Cabinet Committee, chaired by the Secretary of State, to drive devolution. However, it does not intend to adopt the recommendation for local authorities to report on their interactions with government departments, referencing existing engagement groups instead of a new council.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

View details

8 Recommendation Accepted in Part

Fourth Report - Progress on devolu…

Financial devolution is necessary to ensure the success of devolution through giving devolved authorities greater...

Financial devolution is necessary to ensure the success of devolution through giving devolved authorities greater freedom from central government, enabling them to take longer-term decisions reflective of their strategic purpose, and enhancing their direct accountability to their electorates. It must … Read more

Government Response

The government commits to exploring further flexibilities for combined authorities to raise funding through the business rates system and will publish a policy consultation on an Online Sales Tax shortly. It also outlines plans to allow councils to charge double council tax on homes left empty for over a year.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

View details

20 Recommendation Accepted in Part

Fourth Report - Progress on devolu…

There is no consensus on the optimum structure for scrutiny in a devolved authority, including...

There is no consensus on the optimum structure for scrutiny in a devolved authority, including as to whether the London Assembly is superior to the existing combined authority structures. The new audit arrangements being introduced by the Government should consider … Read more

Government Response

The government commits to strengthening the local audit system and enhancing transparency, but explicitly states it has no current plans to change policy regarding the London Assembly's powers, such as receiving a forward plan, call-in powers, or veto rights over mayoral appointments.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

View details

Government Response AI assessment · 23 of 22 classified

Accepted 8

Accepted in Part 3

Deferred 2

Not Addressed 7

Rejected 3

Total 22 recs + 1 conclusion

Correspondence 2 letters

1 Mar 2022 To committee Letter from the Minister for Levelling Up, the Union and Constitution to the Chair dated 24 February 2022 concerning the Government's response to the Committee's report on Progress on Devolution in England

Parliament page

29 Jan 2021 To committee Letter from the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government to the Chair dated 22 January 2021 providing an update on the Government's devolution programme

Parliament page