England’s mayors could be given new authority over schools, childcare, social care and skills under a devolution plan being pushed by a policy figure close to Andy Burnham’s emerging platform.
The proposal comes from JP Spencer, head of devolution policy at the ThinkLabour thinktank, who is part of a group feeding ideas to Burnham as the Makerfield MP shapes a programme ahead of a possible move into Downing Street later this month, The Guardian reported.
Spencer argues that England’s public services should be organised more firmly around local and regional democratic boundaries, with central government stepping back from direct control. “National command and control systems have proved insufficient,” he said.
Under the plan, mayors would appoint health and education commissioners to oversee local schools, GP services and childcare providers. They would also take direct control of sixth-form colleges and the government’s skills agenda, potentially receiving more than £4 billion from the growth and skills levy to fund that work.
The proposal follows Burnham’s pledge earlier this week to shift parts of the Downing Street operation to Manchester. He said the “days of Whitehall fighting” devolution were over.
Supporters of the plan say England’s centralised system has left poorer regions with too little control over services that shape jobs, health and education. The paper also suggests aligning police structures with mayoral areas, while allowing mayors to act as police and crime commissioners where appropriate.
But not everyone in Labour is comfortable with the speed of the push. Some MPs are worried that new mayoral posts in places such as Kent could be won by Reform UK. Darren Jones, chief secretary to Keir Starmer, has also warned that devolving power should come with reductions in Whitehall duplication.
The argument now facing Labour is not whether more power should leave Westminster, but who gets it first.
