Mayors Should Gain Control Over Public Services, Says Devolution Expert
Mayors in England should be granted authority over a broad range of public services, including social care, childcare, and skills development, according to a paper authored by JP Spencer, head of devolution policy at the thinktank ThinkLabour. Spencer, who has been advising Andy Burnham on his devolution agenda, outlines proposals that suggest how the likely next prime minister might decentralize power from Whitehall.
Spencer is among several advisors who have recently contributed ideas to Burnham, the Makerfield MP, as he refines his policy platform ahead of a potential prime ministerial bid later this month.
Earlier this week, Burnham announced plans to enhance regional autonomy, cautioning that
“The days of Whitehall fighting the devolution of power into the regions and nations are over, for good.”
England faces significant regional disparities, with seven of the ten poorest regions in northern Europe located within the country. Many experts attribute this to England's highly centralized political system.
Spencer commented,
“National command and control systems have proved insufficient to tackling our more complex problems.”
His paper advocates for
“a radical reshaping of the state around local democratic boundaries at local or strategic authority level supported by a central state that encourages rather than controls.”
Proposed Powers and Structural Changes
Under Spencer’s proposals, mayors would have the authority to appoint health and education commissioners responsible for overseeing local schools, general practitioners, and childcare providers, functioning similarly to police and crime commissioners.
Mayors would also assume direct control over sixth-form colleges and the government’s skills agenda, potentially managing over £4 billion from the growth and skills levy to fund these responsibilities.
Health commissioners appointed by mayors would oversee public health and primary care services.
Regarding policing, Spencer supports Shabana Mahmood’s proposal to reduce the number of police forces but suggests aligning these forces with mayoral areas and granting mayors the role of police and crime commissioners, a position some already hold.
Burnham has expressed support for Mahmood’s plans, which aim to consolidate 43 police forces in England and Wales into between 12 and 20 larger regional constabularies. Aligning these forces with mayoral and strategic authority boundaries could address concerns about accountability in larger police forces.
Political Responses and Future Prospects
Spencer’s ideas have received backing from Steve Reed, the current housing and local government secretary, although ministers have opted not to extend beyond the existing devolution bill, which permits mayors to request new powers.
Reed told ,
“This country is being pulled apart by regional economic inequality. The answer to that is to go further on devolution.”
Meanwhile, Angela Rayner, Reed’s predecessor at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, is scheduled to deliver a speech on Wednesday evening reaffirming her commitment to advancing devolution. Rayner has been mentioned as a potential successor to Reed in a Burnham-led government.
However, some Labour members express reservations about rapidly transferring power from Whitehall. For example, some MPs in Kent reportedly oppose the establishment of a mayor for their county, fearing the position could be filled by a representative of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
Darren Jones, chief secretary to Keir Starmer, cautioned on Wednesday that devolution efforts must be accompanied by reductions in Whitehall’s role.
He stated at Restate’s Remaking the State conference,
“In the past, we’ve gone down the path of replicating checks both in the regions and in Westminster, creating more state rather than more power in those regions. So for this to truly work, Westminster must trust local leaders to make the right decisions.”
