The Government’s plan for devolution in England promises a major shift not only in the geographic coverage but also in the depth of devolved powers, with elected mayors and their strategic authorities having greater control over transport, skills and employment policy, housing and planning, and economic development funding. In her recent Mais lecture, Rachel Reeves also signalled plans for fiscal devolution, allowing mayors greater control over tax revenues raised in their strategic authority. The direction of travel seems clear: from administrative devolution to economic, but is England really moving towards meaningful economic devolution – or just decentralised delivery of national policy? What does this mean for regional growth and inequality? And what do the experiences of Scottish and Welsh devolution tell us about England’s future prospects?

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Artwork by Alys Jones Illustration.