It is an interesting debate and if I remember correctly the previous administration had some plans to create and devolve some decision making powers to a combination of elected mayors and/or regional assembles in order to promote things such regional development tourism and international visibility - However when put to the electorate these points were missed and opportunity declined.
Its rather clear that England rather likes Political Centralism me thinks.
Indeed thanks to our friends in the North East we were the authors of our own doom on the subject of regional devolution in England:
I quote from the not always reliable Wikipedia, but I believe this to be correct.
Devolution referendums in Northern England were proposed under provisions of the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act 2003. Initially, three referendums were planned, but only one took place. The votes concerned the question of devolving limited political powers from the UK Parliament to elected regional assemblies in North East England, North West England and Yorkshire and the Humber respectively.
On 4 November 2004, voters in the North East rejected the proposal by 77.9% on a turnout of 49%, which halted the government's proposed referendums in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber which were postponed and then dropped.
This is the much-flawed John Prescott agenda. Actually, over threequarters of the voters of the northeast sensibly threw it out, more than likely saving themselves from a “pigs breakfast“ and even higher local taxation.
Bear in mind two facts: (1) UK local government had already been centralised into large, remote, and accountable units at various points in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s; and (2)
the northeast referendum was tied to more of the same, scrapping of either district or county councils, and options for this were included in the vote.
Let’s avoid confusing
devolution and
decentralisation, the former actually means
more centralisation, as illustrated in the existing devolved administrations, where local government functions are increasingly run by the devolved executives, e.g police in Scotland; housing, education and police in Northern Ireland. Most would probably agree that sub-central government in the UK needs to be far more decentralised.
As all of the centralising local government changes (both in the case of reorganisation of councils and the “nationalisation” of local government functions) since the 1960s were imposed with no consulation and in the teeth of local opposition. There is no evidence “that England rather likes Political Centralism”.
Aside from that, logically, devolution in England does not mean a series of tinpot toothless “assemblies”, it means an English parliament/executive. We all know that this will never happen because such a government would be more than large enough to challenge Westminster.
Those who think that there may be an English parliament/executive in the future could consider whether it would happen before or after Heathrow gets a third/fourth runway.