Devolution and Subsidiarity
There has been a global trend towards devolution over recent years, with data showing that subnational authority has deepened in most countries around the world (Hooghe et al, 2023). The United Kingdom, however, remains a stark exception with an exceptionally centralised system of governance.
With the publication of the Devolution White Paper in December 2024, the Government has some big decisions to make about the future of English devolution. Fiscal devolution has to be considered as part of that thinking.
This review by Sarah Ayre, University of Bristol, examines some key issues relating to the prospect for greater fiscal devolution in the UK, including the rationale for the devolution of funding, the challenges devolution of funding poses for institutional capacity and capability in terms of both strategy and delivery and how English devolution has evolved and the implications for central-local relations.
Meet the Author
Professor Sarah Ayres
Sarah’s work has explored the complexities of devolution and city governance by exploring the inter-play between formal and informal structures, processes and outcomes. Her research has provided critical insights into how ‘informal’ decision making, i.e. what happens behind closed doors between political elites, has shaped devolution in the UK.
This research has made a distinctive contribution by examining the impact of so-called ‘informal governance’ on different aspects of mainstream governance theory, including political innovation, democracy, policy effectiveness and the creation of public value.
Sarah has been an academic advisor to three successive UK Governments on English devolution and regularly provides written and oral evidence to both Government consultations and House of Commons Inquiries.