Over the summer, the Government published its statement on Rewiring the State, and we now expect a white paper in the autumn that will further develop its vision for devolution in England.
The LGA has long called for greater devolution, including fiscal devolution, from central to local government.
Successive devolution agreements have shown that when local leaders are treated as equal partners, trusted with real powers, communities thrive – unlocking growth in every postcode, tackling skills gaps, building more affordable homes, strengthening and modernising public services, and ensuring every resident can share in opportunity.
In its own three-point plan for the future of devolution, the LGA is clear that areas ready for devolution should not have to wait for local government reorganisation– now on hold pending a government review.
Councils, strategic authorities, Westminster and Whitehall should work together to ensure genuine devolution gives local areas the fiscal powers, tools and capacity to shape their own futures, including a sustainable financial model for local government.
Another key area facing reform is adult social care. I was delighted to welcome Baroness Louise Casey, Chair of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, to my own council, Bury, as she develops its proposals and promotes its Big Conversation on Care.
I used the visit to reiterate the LGA’s offers, on behalf of local government, to support the commission’s work by helping build cross-party consensus among local leaders, supporting an effective national conversation with the public, and shaping the commission’s planned local ‘deep dives’ into delivery on the ground.
Much of this builds on the LGA’s Care Where We Live engagement, which found strong support for a system that is locally led, nationally supported, and rooted in prevention and people’s lived experience.
It was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate, in practice, why councils must be treated as partners in this once-in-a-generation reform, not just contributors of evidence.