Prof Katy Shaw’s Post

NEW report, out today! Our first big output from the Reimagining the Local State programme is now live. We explore the elements needed for a successful 'devolution revolution', and local systems equipped to succeed with powers at every scale. From levelling up to the ‘devolution revolution’, there is growing recognition that England is drastically overcentralised. Attempts are continuing to correct this, with devolution deals being offered to Combined Authorities at a more strategic, regional scale.   But this approach will not, in itself, be enough. For real regional governance, a far broader sweep of powers should be available to be devolved to combined authorities and the GLA by default. This would mean a deep effort to build the maturity and capacity of this emerging institutional scale.  Kick-starting stronger regionalism is a necessary, but not a sufficient, solution for the challenges faced in England. Indeed, without specific efforts, there is a risk that this new ‘layer’ will reinforce a top-heavy system that continues to marginalise the very communities it aims to empower.  There is also significant need, then, for local and hyper-local governance in England, with clear responsibilities and ways to effectively propose the drawing-down of powers from higher tiers when appropriate. For now, this smaller scale of local government is all but overlooked by the policy world.  At hyper-local scales, the state can operate very differently, fostering deep neighbourhood resilience and facilitating the activities and self-governance of communities themselves.  For devolution to work, all of these layers must be aligned, and each playing to its distinct strengths within the larger local system.  What powers where? Achieving the ‘devolution revolution’, kindly sponsored by Power to Change, is the first major policy report in Reform’s Reimagining the Local State programme. It sets out design principles for local systems, recommendations for whole regional systems to work together and distribute powers at every scale. It also sets out the notional distribution of powers for a much more devolved system.  'What powers where? Achieving the 'devolution revolution', from Simon Kaye, India Woodward, and Giorgia Vittorino, is available to download now! https://lnkd.in/e4w5qy3A

I am so excited to share the first major policy report of our workstream 'Reimagining the Local State', as well as my first ever published policy report! It is widely accepted that power is dramatically overcentralised, with the impacts being severe, systemic regional inequalities, an inefficient and complicated state (locally and centrally), and a 'one-size-fits-all' model that certainty does not fit all - if anyone. But it is also agreed that the centre should retain responsibility for certain issues. So what powers should sit where? How do we determine the best-placed tier of governance for each responsibility? How should our structures shift and change to become conducive to well organised governance? Our new report, 'What powers where?', explores just this, setting out design principles for local systems and recommendations for whole regional systems to work together and distribute powers at every scale. It also sets out the notional distribution of powers for a much more devolved system. If you would like to get in touch to discuss, please message me or the lead on this paper Simon Kaye! Thanks to Power to Change for supporting this paper 👏 https://lnkd.in/ep4zJGy9

On the day of the Kings Speech the initial stance of the new government is becoming clear: > competence and professionalism, > a methodical discovery, unpicking and communication of their inheritance, > growth at the heart of their legislative agenda, Alongside this, tentative but positive noises about devolution and adopting a more preventative approach (health and criminal justice flagged as early examples) Given the scale of challenge, this is unlikely to be sufficient. Moreover, there is a paradox – being ‘competent’ ‘measured’ ‘incremental’ ‘pragmatic’ are attributes not commonly associated with fast paced transformational change. Overcoming this tension is likely to be found in the conscious phasing of actions. We can learn from Councils that have overcome long term structural challenge. First it takes time – five to ten years on average and should be planned on this basis. Second, effort is usually delivered over three distinct stages: emergency recovery, some form of reset; and then deep transformation. Finally given the cross cutting and interdependent nature of changes required there is a need for co-ordination. A single controlling mind that can oversee the moving parts and knit together a cohesive management and political narrative. What is the equivalent for central government? A recognition of a phased approach either explicitly or implicitly. For example, a one-year financial settlement to stabilise government with a long-term transformation plan and a spending review to inform a second multi-year phase of change and delivery. We should also be looking at the appetite for cross department policy integration and action, including across tiers of government. To understand what this might in practice, look no further than this piece by my colleague Evie John in last week’s MJ that called for growth initiatives to be conceived from a place perspective with objectives that go explicitly beyond fiscal benefits: tackling inequality and social cohesion and the democratic deficit. Achieving this will require structural reform. Today we will get an opportunity to see whether this government can will the means to deliver it Inner Circle Consulting Ben Glover https://lnkd.in/eERS5c8T

PR is generally not my strong point, but I wrote a short article about why I set up Consolidate. If you're interested in what we're doing or fancy reading a slightly morbid analysis of the last 15 years of British politics, give it a read. TLDR: democracy only works when it's well-informed, and currently, it neither works nor is well-informed. Part of the solution is better quality data. https://lnkd.in/ezzErPHR

REPORT 📄 | We're pleased to partner with Reform Think Tank to bring you 'What Powers Where?': a deep dive into what is needed for a successful 'devolution revolution'. While England is overcentralised, there are also moves to devolve more power to a regional level. This is a start but it's not enough. The paper argues that powers should be rearranged in a way that sees specialisation attached to different scales of governance: a collaborative and facilitative hyperlocal tier, a delivery-focused mid-tier, and a strategic and co-ordinating regional tier. For devolution to work, all of these layers must be aligned, and each playing to its distinct strengths within the larger local system. At Power to Change, we're especially interested in the ways this can foster deep neighbourhood resilience and enable the self-governance of communities themselves. Read the report for design principles and recommendations for whole regional systems to work together and distribute powers at every scale 👇 👇 https://lnkd.in/e4w5qy3A #devolution #devolutionrevolution #localgovernment #community

It’s my last piece for Local Government Chronicle as New Local CEO, so, I’ve let my hair down and just said what I think needs to change - realistic or not! Radical Integration: bring all public services under the control of councils and combined authorities. Radical Devolution: strip central govt of most of its powers and money and give it to local government (no devo deals - just do it everywhere as quickly as possible). Community Power: open up these local powerhouses to genuine community involvement in everything: the big strategic decisions, the design and delivery of services, local economic policy and more. And two extra small things: replace the word ‘residents’ with ‘citizens’; and ‘public services’ with ‘collaborative goods’. I genuinely believe this is the change we need to shock our failing system back into legitimacy and efficacy. It’s not going to happen anytime soon, of course, but worth keeping the radical vision alive because you never know … #localgov #publicservices #ukpolitics #devolution Sean Hanson 😉 https://lnkd.in/d_zBA_9v

Navigating the Complex Path to Successful Subsidy Reform: Behavioral Insights Lead the Way #SubsidyReform #PublicPolicy #BehavioralScience #Governance #PublicTrust #EconomicReform #SustainableDevelopment

Devolution, Devolution, Devolution. The Devolution White Paper introduces the biggest shake up to local government in decades. We look at the key changes introduced by the White Paper and the vision of a more decentralised local government in England. https://lnkd.in/eRVN5uZx

In Place of Austerity: Reconstructing the economy, state and public services https://lnkd.in/eceDQJ-3

Publican: “I see four possibilities: surrender, fight, flee, or flee and fight – I prefer the latter option. “We are not going to surrender! And we can’t win a fight against an all-powerful government working with Big Business to achieve dictatorial control of populations. We need to escape, or our minds will be colonized. We’ll become ciphers, eventually ruled by thinking machines controlled by the elites. “So, we’re left with two options: flee, or flee and fight from a distance – I prefer the latter option. “Can we create our own destiny? Rand’s Galt’s Gulch could be a metaphor for that. Right now, I think we are biting off more than we can chew with our goal of peace across the entire world – we need to start smaller. And we need a safe and secure place from which to operate. “Looking at the downsides of soft totalitarianism pervading today’s societies, a different governance system is clearly part of the answer.” Slow Pint: “Well, how did successful governments/democracies work in the past?” Publican: “Under Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore was a prominent example of a peaceful, successful governance. Today's Mayo Nation is another one. However, they are small and relatively manageable compared to the typical behemoth western-type democracies of today. The citizens of these small nations accepted a benign autocratic democracy in return for guaranteed jobs, shelter, and free education and health services.” T-Ó, Prime Minister, Mayo Nation: “When we seceded from the Republic of Ireland, we adopted a hybrid governance model. It’s an autocratic democracy with some unique twists. We call it a Guided Communitarian Democracy (GCD) - leaders and citizens have reciprocal responsibilities and duties. “Our GCD is based on the following operating principles: 1.      OUR CITIZENS OWN OUR NATION – not figuratively, but actually: our GCD is a community corporation with national equity shares. All citizens have been issued equity shares in our nation worth 1/250,000 of the initial value of the nation which, at secession, was €1 billion. In a way, you can think of this as condominium-izing our nation, complete with CC&Rs to protect the nation’s assets. The nation is a jointly owned common asset. a.      This avoids creating unremovable, all-powerful bureaucracies that waste time and money - since citizens own equity shares in the government, they are incentivized to make decisions that increase the value of their shares and thus of the nation itself. 2.      WE LIMIT THE SIZE OF THE POPULATION TO NO MORE THAN 650,000 CITIZENS (~40% eligible to vote). Modern democracies have become too big to manage and provide all sorts of ways to avoid transparency. Because of our small size, we can have self-representation in contrast to modern representative democracies which have demonstrated repeatedly that politicians do not always represent the best interests of the people or the nation. 3.      THERE ARE NO POLITICAL PARTIES Tbc…