More power should go to Scotland’s cities and regions to help revive the economy and reconnect people with politics, according to a new report from think tank Our Scottish Future.
Wider, Deeper, Further, Faster: Devolution within Scotland, written by Professor Jim Gallagher, argues that the next stage of devolution must be within Scotland, with more powers and resources transferred from Edinburgh to Scotland’s cities and regions.
At the heart of the report is a call for strengthened City Regions, with greater regional powers and stronger regional accountability – including the option of a directly elected Mayor or Provost where it is wanted. This would give regions the freedom to develop economic strategies around their own strengths, while giving citizens more visible and accountable political leadership closer to home.
The Scottish economy has grown very little over the past two decades. This lies at the root of many of today’s problems – the cost of living, fewer well paid jobs and not enough tax income to support public services – despite the significant transfer of tax powers to the Scottish Parliament in the last decade. Economic performance and living standards vary dramatically between different parts of Scotland. At the same time, trust in the Scottish Government has fallen from more than 60% in 2014 to around 45% today.
Drawing on international comparisons and the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham’s plans for ‘Rewiring the State’ across English regions, the report argues that bringing decision-making closer to people could help address both problems.
Professor Jim Gallagher, Chair of Our Scottish Future and author of the report, said: “Since devolution in 1999, Scotland has gradually replaced one form of centralisation with another. The UK is hyper-centralised in London, but Scotland is increasingly over-centralised in Edinburgh. A government which tries to do everyone else’s job will ultimately fail to do its own. And with so many decisions taken centrally, local authorities and regional institutions cannot shape the economies and public services of their own areas.
“We need to bring power closer to the people – and we don’t need to start from scratch. Scotland’s existing City and Regional Growth Deals already provide a foundation on which to build more fiscal freedom and political accountability for Scotland’s regions to capitalise on their own strengths and deliver on these opportunities. In some regions, that could mean giving people the option of directly electing a Mayor or Provost to provide clear political leadership and accountability. In others, a different model may be more appropriate.
“Asymmetry is our friend here. Not a single model applied across Scotland but genuinely empowered regions that can shape their own economies and public services in ways that work for their communities.”
The report’s publication follows First Minister John Swinney’s announcement last week of a three-month intensive dialogue with local authorities on the future of local governance, including an acknowledgment of the need for a regional level of government alongside community empowerment.
The Our Scottish Future report argues that, rather than embarking on a disruptive reorganisation of local government, Scotland can build on existing City and Regional Growth Deals, which now cover all of Scotland and could be given greater powers and responsibilities, including more control over money as well as stronger local political representation.
Professor Gallagher added: “Our Scottish Future welcomes the recent Programme for Government’s acknowledgement of the need to rewire the state and build a regional level of government. If delivered, this has real potential to improve Scotland’s economy and public services. The recommendations in this report would take these ideas further and faster.
“The mood music is positive, but these reforms are urgent. There is an opportunity for both governments to work together to bring power closer to people and give Scotland’s regions the powers, resources and accountability they need to drive growth and improve the way they are governed.”
Our Scottish Future was launched by the former Prime Minister, Rt Hon Gordon Brown in 2019 to campaign for a prosperous and inclusive Scotland in the UK, supported by both UK and Scottish policies, and for change to make people’s lives better.
Read the full report here.
