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Who guards the Metro Kings?
Summer reading… before you head to the sun lounger…
Our Metro mayors’ super powers are soon to be turbocharged. A new breed of political celebrity has been born with some Labour Mayors enjoying media profiles and influencer status beyond the dreams of many a government minister. This is probably healthy for democracy and for Labour’s street cred in some areas but with more powered-up, full-fat Mayors on the horizon who is going to be left in charge of these Metro Kings?
One Year Of Labour: Full-Fat or Semi-Skimmed Devolution?
Either way, devolution is the agency of change.
One year on and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment bill landed in my in box.
With full-fat devolution now on the table, I wonder if this bill will define Starmerism? AND Will this Prime Minister be remembered for rewiring the country OR simply renaming the plugs?
Universities under the hammer - Can devolved funding power-up the engines of growth in our regions?
The health of our higher education system isn’t solely about graduates or degrees. It’s about place. And if we want every part of Britain to thrive, we need to rethink how universities are funded, structured and supported. That means radical reforms such as embracing technology to cut costs, simplifying regulation, and allowing universities to earn and reinvest through more flexible revenue models. Public money alone won’t fix this. But with the right rules and incentives, we can build a system that is both financially sustainable and locally transformative.
What do Mayors want?
Whilst Mayors have the potential to deliver great things and real change, that doesn’t mean things can’t go wrong. It surely cannot be sustainable in the long term for Metro Mayors to be solely accountable to a Secretary of State? For the Government’s transformational Devolution Bill to succeed it must give some thought for how it plans to tick the accountability box - something which is currently missing from the list.
The North needs the BIG WIN to get moving, will the Chancellor ‘let go’ for growth?
Regional investment creates greater opportunity, realises ambitions and unlocks potential. With proper vision, collaboration and trust, Rachel Reeves can re-grow the economy, evaporate the debt and help the North go further and faster. In terms of what they can deliver for the Chancellor the North’s Metro Mayors deserve a better exchange rate.
What does full fat devolution mean for the North of England
Launching Devo North in Manchester, Devo Agency hosted its inaugural northern network and asked, ‘What does full fat devolution mean for the North of England?’
Mayors can do many things but they can’t stop small boats!
Devo Agency co-founder Gill Morris shares her thoughts on the rise of Reform UK, what the 2025 local elections really tell us and why now is the moment to double down on devolution, not retreat from it…
Devolution: A New Prescription?
Labour’s decision to abolish the world’s biggest quango, NHS England, is more than just another Whitehall restructuring. It’s a deliberate attempt to redraw the architecture of the health service…
The power to do things differently
If there is to be a devolution revolution there needs to be an agency which will inform and shape debate, one which understands what good devolution looks like, what it means, what it’s for and why devolution is the agency of change. That’s us!