Attempts by Whitehall to decentralise power often ends in failure, a new report from think tank Institute for Government (IfG) has found.
Achieving Political Decentralisation – Lessons from 30 years of attempting to devolve political power in the UK reveals that lessons have not yet been learnt from previous attempts to decentralise political power such as elected mayors and regional assemblies.
The report examines various case studies into decentralisation, finding that parties must be clear on the scale of change required in order to achieve success. It also warns that manifesto writers should understand the level of political capital that must be spent for change to occur.
Tom Gash, director of research at the Institute for Government, said: ‘The UK is one of the most centralised countries of its size in the world so it’s unsurprising that politicians are already considering ways to decentralise political power after the 2015 General Election. For any plans to be credible, however, parties need to demonstrate that they have learned the lessons of past decentralisation successes and failures, for example the aborted effort to set up regional assemblies in 2004.
‘Evidence suggests that success will be much more likely if reforms can be made relevant to the public, have the clear support of the party leader, and if cabinet-level colleagues are able to refrain from outlining policies in the areas they are promising to decentralise. Parties must also work collaboratively with local politicians and other groups to build support and develop a sufficiently detailed manifesto commitment.’
The report sets out 10 obstacles to success under three themes:
1. Resistance by national government
2. Resistance by local government
3. Resistance from the public
