Key facts
- A paper by JP Spencer, head of devolution policy at ThinkLabour, advocates for mayors to control social care, childcare, and skills.
- The proposals aim to address regional inequality in England by decentralizing power from Whitehall.
- Mayors would appoint health and education commissioners to oversee local services.
- The plan suggests mayors could manage the government's skills agenda and receive over £4bn from the growth and skills levy.
- The ideas align with Andy Burnham's vision for greater regional power and potential relocation of some Downing Street operations to Manchester.
A paper authored by JP Spencer, head of devolution policy at the thinktank ThinkLabour, proposes granting English mayors extensive new powers over public services, including social care, childcare, and skills. Spencer, who has been advising Andy Burnham on his devolution plans, argues that national command and control systems are insufficient for tackling complex problems and advocates for a radical reshaping of the state around local democratic boundaries.
Under the proposed model, mayors would be empowered to appoint health and education commissioners to oversee local schools, GPs, and childcare providers, similar to the role of police and crime commissioners. The plan also suggests mayors could directly control sixth-form colleges and the government's skills agenda, potentially managing over £4 billion from the growth and skills levy. On policing, Spencer supports Shabana Mahmood's proposals to reduce the number of police forces, recommending their alignment with mayoral areas, which could address concerns about accountability in larger regional constabularies.
These ideas emerge as Andy Burnham, the Makerfield MP, actively hones his policy platform, having recently unveiled plans to move parts of the Downing Street operation to Manchester and stating that "the days of Whitehall fighting the devolution of power into the regions and nations are over." The proposals aim to combat England's significant regional inequality, with seven of the ten poorest regions in northern Europe being in England, a situation often attributed to the country's centralized politics.
Steve Reed, the current housing and local government secretary, expressed his enthusiasm for further devolution, stating, "This country is being pulled apart by regional economic inequality. The answer to that is to go further on devolution." Angela Rayner, Reed's predecessor, is also set to deliver a speech emphasizing her commitment to increased devolution. However, some within the Labour party, such as Darren Jones, chief secretary to Keir Starmer, have cautioned that the push for devolved power must be accompanied by cuts to Whitehall to avoid duplicating checks and creating more state rather than empowering regions. Concerns have also been raised by some MPs, particularly in Kent, about the prospect of mayors representing parties like Reform UK.