New report calls for more mayoral devolution

A new report into devolution by think tank Onward has called for more mayors and more financial control for the regions.

Greater local powers recommended in the Give Back Control paper include an increased share of income tax that would equate to £6 billion across the UK.

Endorsed by a cross-party coalition of politicians including Andy Burnham, George Osborne and Sadiq Khan, the paper makes 25 recommendations for change, including calling on the Treasury to hand mayors control of 1p in every £1 raised from income tax in their areas. This is equivalent to £6 billion a year.

In return, mayors would have greater responsibility for running local services including local transport, digital and energy infrastructure.

The report argues:

"As well as being underpowered, regional and local government is also underfunded compared to international counterparts. In the West Midlands the mayor controls just 0.4% of day-to-day public spending, while 84% is still controlled from Whitehall. In the North West, just 3.5% of capital spending is controlled by the Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region mayors collectively, while 74.3% is decided by Whitehall departments."

The Rt Hon Lord Michael Heseltine, Former Deputy Prime Minister, stated:

“I strongly endorse the thrust of this argument. I have myself made very similar proposals to government. It is so sad that the devolution agenda has lost all sense of urgency or direction.”

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said:

“This report is a timely reminder of the benefits that Mayors have brought and the need for the Government to deliver on its rhetoric – not just expanding the Mayoral system to new places, but deepening and strengthening the role of Mayors where they already exist.”

The report, which also recommends the formation of a National Mayors Association, is authored by Onward director Adam Hawksbee, who was previously Head of Policy at the West Midlands Combined Authority, advising Mayor Andy Street.

He has also worked with US Mayors as a Research Fellow at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations.