The UK government’s ‘Devo Manc’ proposals represent centralisation on steroids

The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced on the 3 November 2014 that Greater Manchester will be given a directly elected mayor with authority over £1 billion of spending in areas such as transport and policing. Robin Hambleton writes that the plan, popularly referred to as ‘Devo Manc’, has been justified by the British government on the basis of decentralising power within England. He argues, however, that the proposals actually represent an extraordinary boost to top-down government in a state that is already one of the most centralised in the western world.

ESO: Background information: The decision of the majority of Scots to vote ‘No’ may result in even more radical constitutional change to the UK http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-decision-of-the-majority-of-scots-to-vote-no-may-result-in-even-more-radical-constitutional-change-to-the-uk/

openDemocracy: Our Kingdom, 06.11.14: Greater Manchester: a response https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/michael-dawson/greater-manchester-response

Campaign for the North: The Case for the North Northern Government: Devolution to the North of England https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/campaignforthenorth/pages/19/attachments/original/1412081370/campaign-for-the-north-the-case.pdf

Manchester Evening News, 06.11.14: Devo Manc: Will it be give and then take back, Chancellor? http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/news-opinion/devo-manc-give-take-back-8059435

United Kingdom: HM Treasury: Report: Devolution to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and transition to a directly elected mayor, November 2014 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/devolution-to-the-greater-manchester-combined-authority-and-transition-to-a-directly-elected-mayor

IPPR: IPPR North http://www.ippr.org/north/

UK: Parliament: House of Commons: Library: Devolution to local government in England - Commons Library Standard Note, November 2014 http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn07029.pdf

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