Media Coverage

We’ve collected together news articles about what is happening right now with devolution. The Northern Powerhouse has primarily been defined in economic terms. For instance, the Northern Powerhouse “has Chinese backing”,…

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Introduction to the briefing papers

This introduction was designed for the Assembly South participants. Congratulations on becoming a member of Assembly South! Over the next few weeks, you will get to debate some…

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NE devolution deal mustn’t be done behind closed doors

NE devolution deal mustn’t be done behind closed doors, say campaigners Electoral Reform Society says devolution plans could ‘flounder’ without real public involvement · Statement from the Electoral Reform Society · For…

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How Is Local Government Funded?

This page sets out how local government is funded in England today. Sources of local government funding Local councils have four main sources of funding: Central government grants Business rates Council…

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Citizen Participation in Local Governance

This page gives a quick overview of different ways that local councils could involve citizens more regularly in the decision making process. It offers introductions to petitions, referendums, participatory budgeting and…

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Promoting Prosperity and Well-Being

In this page: One of the government’s main reasons for devolving power to cities and regions is the desire to promote economic development across different parts of England. This is because…

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Effective Services and Value for Money

In this page: One of the key criteria for judging whether to change how we are governed is whether doing so would improve public services. At the same time, most people…

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Democracy and Local Autonomy

In this page: This page considers the basic building blocks of democracy: representation and accountability. It also introduces the related idea of local autonomy. Our democratic system is primarily based on representation. In…

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Areas and Area Boundaries

In this page: What areas should our local councils or regional authorities cover? This page considers this question. It deals with the kinds of areas that local government structures can cover and…

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Governance Structures: Who Exercises Power?

In this page: This page describes the different structures for decision-making in local government. Decision-making can involve ordinary citizens, elected politicians, and representatives of business, trade unions, and other groups. Structures within decisions…

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