1. Devolution and Regional Government

2. Introduction
The nature of territorial management varies between countries and across time
Countries invariably require more than one tier or level of government
Unitary, federal and confederal states
Centralised and decentralised unitary states
Political and administrative devolution

3. “When I say history, I mean the history of Britain, and when I say Britain, I mean England, and when I say England, I mean place not too far from London.” (Parson Thwackum, in ‘Tom Jones’ by Henry Fielding, 1740)
Regionalisation and devolution are not new, not confined to the UK. Many European states have been introducing political decentralisation.
Administrative devolution and regional governance are well-established and reflect policy uniformity with administrative diversity
Devolution is a peculiarly British conception of how power can be divided territorially in a state

4. Devolution in the United Kingdom
UK territorial management has always been distinctive reflecting the nature of the state
Defining the unit of analysis – what is the UK?
the UK is NOT the same as Great Britain or the British Isles
the UK is sometimes referred to as ‘Britain’
a multi-national unitary (‘union’) state
2 kingdoms (England and Scotland)
a principality (Wales)
a province (Northern Ireland)
EXCLUDES Isle of Man and Channel Islands

5. Crown Dependencies but not part of the UK Isle of Man Channel Islands

6. Ireland’s relationship to/within the UK and its component parts forged the overall settlement. Gladstone spoke of ‘local patriotism’ in the UK
Regional and national distinctiveness based on longstanding cultural, linguistic, economic, social, identity and administrative differences
Three attempts at overhauling UK territorial management ( , & 1997-now)
In future, leading alternative scenarios include:
Return to the status quo ante
Extension of devolution
Federalisation of the UK
Independence and break up of the UK

7. Arguments against devolution
National Unity
Uniformity
Equality
Prosperity
Bureaucratisation
Cost

8. Arguments for devolution
Participation
Responsiveness
Legitimacy
Liberty
Subsidiarity

9. There are party differences in how to handle ‘territorial management’
Liberal Democrats strongly pro-devolution and favour federalisation of the UK
Labour traditionally cautious but generally in favour today albeit within limits.
Conservatives traditionally against

10. Scottish Nationalists see devolution as a prelude to full independence for Scotland Welsh Nationalists see devolution as a way of preserving and protecting Welsh interests NI Unionists see devolution as a way of preserving the Union with Great Britain NI Nationalists/Republicans saw devolution as entrenching Unionist domination but now see it as a means of local power-sharing, pending ‘reunification’ of Ireland at a future date  

11. Since May 1997, the constitutional structure of the UK has been transformed into an asymmetric model of multi-level governance:
Scottish Parliament
Welsh Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly (sometimes!)
Greater London Authority
Rolling programme of regional government in England
New intergovernmental institutions required to broker and relations between Westminster and the devolved bodies and to adjudicate in disputes

12. Scotland/Alba

13. Devolution in Scotland
1603 – Union of English and Scottish Crowns
1707 – Parliamentary Union with England
1885 – Scottish Office created
1979 – Scottish referendum – no devolution
1997 – Scottish referendum
74.3% back Scottish parliament
63.5% back tax-varying powers
60.4% turnout.
1998 – Scotland Bill receives Royal Assent
1999 – Scottish Parliament elected with Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition

17. Scottish Parliament
Unicameral legislature
Not sovereign - subordinate to Westminster
Quadrennial elections
129 members – 73 constituency and 56 list MSPs
Additional member electoral system
Primary legislative power in all transferred matters
Fiscal power to vary basic level of income tax by 3 pence in the pound from the rest of the UK.
Evidence of high-profile policy divergences from UK government

18. Wales/Cymru

19. Devolution in Wales 1536 - Incorporated under English administration
Welsh Office created
1979 – Welsh referendum – no devolution
1979 – Scottish referendum – no devolution
1997 – Welsh referendum
50.3% back Welsh Assembly
50.1% turnout.
1998 – Government of Wales Bill receives Royal Assent
1999 – Welsh Assembly elected with minority Labour administration

22. Welsh Assembly
Unicameral assembly
Not sovereign - subordinate to Westminster
Quadrennial elections
60 members – 40 constituency and 20 list MSPs
Additional member electoral system
Secondary legislation in transferred matters
All primary legislation remains in London
No fiscal powers to levy taxation
Discretion over Welsh public expenditure
Evidence of high-profile policy divergences from UK government

23. Devolution in London 1986 - Abolition of Greater London
Reconstitution of Greater London as a political entity, with a Greater London Authority to consist of a Mayor and a 25 strong Assembly.
1998 – Referendum. 72% voted in favour of the GLA but on a turnout of only 34%
GLA – Budget of £3.3 billion; manages a range of pan-London functions such as Planning and Transport; and oversees agencies such as the London Development Agency and the Cultural Strategy Group for London.

24. Ken Livingstone The Mayor of London

25. England

26. Devolution & English Regions
Three types of governmental agencies in English region since 1994
Government Offices for the Regions
Regional Development Agencies
Regional Chambers since Labour’s White Paper on Regional Government (2002)
Regional Assemblies referendums in 3 regions of northern England (North East, North West, and Yorkshire & the Humber) planned for October 2004 but only one proceeded – and was defeated.
Major implications for local government

27. Impact at the Centre
Creation of new Cabinet Committees: Constitutional reform Policy (CRP) and Devolution Policy (DP); creation in most Whitehall departments of Devolution Units or Constitution Units to advise the rest of the department and liaise with devolved administrations
Creation of new intergovernmental machinery: Joint Ministerial Committee on Devolution; British-Irish Council; and British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference
‘Concordats’ regulate relations between centre and devolved governments
Scottish and Welsh Offices abolished in 1999 and replaced by the Scotland Office and Wales Office – in the long-run, all the territorial offices may merge.

28. The ‘West Lothian’ Question
Scottish MPs in Westminster vote on English policy when English MPs are excluded from voting on the same issues that, in Scotland, are the province of the Scottish parliament.
Alternatives are unjust or unworkable
Underweight representation of MPs from devolved territories
'in and out' option
an English parliament
devolved regional government in England
Nightmare scenario
Over representation

29. Labour for & against Devolution Donald Dewar / Tam Dalyell

30. Possible Problems
Clashes between the devolved assemblies and the Westminster Parliament – who prevails?
‘Blame London’ - tendency for devolved administrations to press for more powers and resources from London and to apportion blame
Asymmetrical devolution – calls for regularisation and equalisation of devolution
Fair shares? - Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each receive higher amounts of public funding per capita than England (under the Barnett Formula).

31. Clashes between first ministers and the residual Secretaries of State in the UK Cabinet
Snowball effect - devolution whets the appetite for more devolution and ultimate independence.
Disproportionate representation of Scots and Welsh MPs at Westminster – the West Lothian Q.
Dealings with Europe
Uniformity versus diversity – ‘national’ standards or local choice?
Devolution can entail local government losing powers upwards, thereby undermining local democracy

32. Conclusions
Internal and external pressures have shaped and accelerated regionalisation in the UK
Sovereignty is no longer a black and white issue but has been cast in terms of overlapping spheres of influence – multi-level governance
Regions and nations are seeking more control over their own destinies
Devolution is the UK’s preferred approach to the reform of its internal territorial management but remains a ‘process, not an event’.