How Do We Make Devolution Work Better?

Devolution to nations, regions and cities has been a feature of British politics since 1997 - to the nations of the UK, Greater London and more recently to other English counties and city regions. It has led in some cases to significant change and the rise of powerful national institutions and city leaders, but it has also been a messy, incomplete process that has produced inequalities of power between different parts of the UK. Not all areas have seen substantive devolution, devolved authorities have different powers, considerable power is still hoarded in the central UK state, and the consequences of devolution for the constitution of the UK, and relations between its constituent nations, remain fraught and contested. Some argue that England should be formally recognised as a partner nation in the UK; others that devolution has gone too far. How has devolution worked in practice? What should the next government do? What can places ask for? Can we move from an overly centralised state to one where true power rests with elected representatives and local communities? Should we consider a federal future for the UK? In this IPR panel discussion, Zoë Billingham (IPPR North), joins Michael Kenny (Bennett Institute for Public Policy, Cambridge), Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, and Hannah White (Institute for Government). Hosted by Nick Pearce, Director of the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) and Professor of Public Policy. This discussion took place on 27 February 2024 and was hosted with Bristol Ideas.