Time for shake-up?

With a general election fast approaching, the Labour Party has been lining up its heavy artillery. Recently, policy research undertaken by Harvard University in partnership with former Labour Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls identifies chronic underinvestment in local transport, innovation and STEM skills as fundamental constraints to two of the UK’S biggest economic challenges: anaemic longterm productivity growth and gross regional inequality.

Interestingly, further devolution/decentralisation away from London and the South-east emerges from the research as a key proposal going forward. Most likely this will build on the Mayoral Cityregion model already in place down South.

Should Labour come to power, it is unclear how further devolution might play out north of the Border. Could elected Mayor-led Cityregions have a future here in promoting more accountable devolution and stimulating more dynamic economic and social development? Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas: resistance from Holyrood to the threat of any loss or watering down of its hard-won powers could well be fierce.

Implicit in any reorganisation of this sort would be the need for a reappraisal of how economic and business development is conducted at the City-region level: what are the key functions/roles needed going forward; how might these be best deployed in partnership at the local, national, and international levels; and how can a larger and deeper pool of talented economic development professionals be created? how would inter-city/ region cooperation be promoted, and rivalry managed – so there are more “win-wins” and fewer “win-lose” outcomes?

These functions would also need some protection from the perennial danger of public sector “budget bun fights”.

Labour – and other parties – have some hard thinking to do before a feasible and effective proposal on Devo Mark 2 – or something of that ilk – can be put to the Scottish electorate.

Ewen Peters Newton Mearns, East

Renfrewshire