July12,20155:31pm

Devolutioncanonlyadvancewhenbasic
rightsareclear
VernonBogdanor

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Thewelfarestatewasfoundedsobenefitsaredistributedonneed,not
geography,writesVernonBogdanor

Dreamstime

Salfordquays:TenlocalauthoritiesinGreaterManchesterhavecombinedinordertogaingreaterautonomy

avidCameronwantshisgovernmenttoberememberedasaOneNation
administration.Thatmeanscuringthelongstandingeconomicimbalancebetween
Londonandthenorth.Inhisfirstmajorspeechasprimeministerin2010,MrCameron
declaredthisimbalancetobefundamentallyunstableandwasteful.Buttheremedy
involvesmorethaneconomicrejuvenation.Itmeansalsogivingnortherncitiesthepolitical
clouttomatchtheireconomicpotential.
ThatistherationaleforthepolicyoftheNorthernPowerhouse,spearheadedbyGeorge
Osborne,thefirstchancellortorepresentanorthofEnglandconstituencysinceDenis
Healeyinthe1970s.LastNovember,MrOsbornesignedacitydealwith10localauthority
leadersfromGreaterManchester,who,inreturnforagreeingtoformacombinedauthority

underadirectlyelectedmayor,wouldgainfarreachingpowersovereconomicdevelopment,
transport,skills,health,socialcareandthepolice.TheCitiesandLocalGovernment
Devolutionbill,currentlybeforeparliament,providesforsimilardealstobemadeavailable
toanyothercityregionpreparedtoreformitsgovernancearrangements.Thispolicyhasthe
potentialtoradicallyreshapeanddecentralisetheBritishstate.Devolutiontothenations
oftheUnitedKingdomiswellestablished,thechancellordeclaredinhisBudgetspeech.In
myview,devolutionwithinEnglandhasonlyjustbegun.
Thecasefordevolutionisthestimulusitgivestolocal
patriotismandprideinthedevelopmentofservices.Butgenuinedevolutionrequiresfiscal
autonomy.Potentialinvestorswillasknotonlywhetheralocalauthorityhasanelected
mayor,butalsowhetheritcanoffertaxincentives.Withoutthem,localpowersover
economicregenerationwillnotamounttomuch.
LocalauthoritiesinEngland,however,areinthewordsofLondonsmayor,BorisJohnson,
fiscallyinfantilised.Theyrelyonafrailsourceofrevenue,thecounciltax,basedon
propertyvaluationsthathavenotbeenalteredsince1991.Itisforthisreason,nodoubt,that
MrOsborneproposedinhisMarchBudgetthatGreaterManchesterandCheshireEast
shouldbeenabledtoretain100percentofanygrowthinbusinessrates.Suchfiscal
devolutionshouldalsobeavailabletoothercityregions,andthereisacasealsofor
devolutionofstampdutylandtaxasadvocatedforthecapitalbytheLondonFinance
Commissionin2013.
Butthereisadeeperconcern.Dothepoliticiansreallybelieveindevolution?
ThediariesofPaddyAshdown,theformerLiberalDemocratleader,revealthathewas
rebukedbyTonyBlairin1999whentheLiberalDemocratsinScotlandwerepressingfora
moregenerouspolicyonstudentsupportthaninEngland.YoucanthaveScotlanddoing
somethingdifferentfromtherestofBritain,theprimeministerofthetimecomplained.
Then,youshouldnthavegiventheScotsdevolution,MrAshdownretorted,specifically,
thepowertobedifferentonthisissue.MrBlairlaughedandreplied:Yes,thatisa
problem.Iambeginningtoseethedefectsinallthisdevolutionstuff.
MrBlairhadsurrenderedthepowertodeterminestudentfeesinScotland.Whatpowersis
MrOsbornepreparedtosurrender?Onesuspectsthatacityregionthatwantedtodo
somethingcentralgovernmentdidnotlike,suchasbuildinganewgrammarschoolor
chargingforavisittothedoctor,wouldgetshortshrift.Yetgenuinedevolutionmeansthe
freedomtoactinsuchaway.
MrBlairsworry,however,drawsattentiontoaconflictbetweentwoprinciplesdevolution
andterritorialequality.Thewelfarestate,afterall,wasfoundedonthebasisthatbenefits
andburdensshouldbedistributedonthegroundsofneed,notgeography.Thatiswhyin
1946AneurinBevaninsisteduponaNationalHealthService,ratherthanEnglish,Scottish,
WelshandNorthernIrishservices.

TheunityoftheUnitedKingdomhasasocialandeconomicdimensionaswellasa
constitutionalone.Butwehavenotreflectedsufficientlyonwhatfunctionsarebasictothe
welfarestateasexemplifyingourfundamentalsocialandeconomicrights.Suchfunctions
oughtnottobedevolved.Thereis,therefore,acrucialconstraintuponthescopeandextent
ofdevolution.
Webadlyneedastatementofwhatthesebasicsocialandeconomicrightsactuallyare.Such
astatementwouldbebestembodiedinaconstitutionbut,shortofthat,thereneedstobea
concordatbetweencentralgovernmentandlocalauthoritiesdistinguishingthosepowers
thatcanlegitimatelybedevolvedfromthosethatembodythefundamentalbasisofour
citizenship.
Thewriterisprofessorofgovernment,KingsCollege,London.HisbooksincludeTheNew
BritishConstitution
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