Territorial Politics

Abstract

At the centre of the Blair government’s programme is a set of policies designed to reshape Britain’s institutions of sub-central government and to redistribute powers between them and the Westminster Parliament in which governing authority — or sovereignty — has historically been concentrated. The key policies are creation of:

• a 129-member Scottish Parliament elected by the additional member scheme and having limited tax-raising powers, to be in place by 1999

• a 60-member Welsh Senedd also to be elected by the additional member system but not having tax-raising powers, to be in place by 1999

• a strategic authority for London covering the same territory as the old Greater London Council (which was abolished in 1986) but having wider powers and, more importantly, a directlyelected mayor, to be in place by 2000

• Regional Development Agencies in the rest of England, to be in place by 1999; in the more distant future, indirectly- and then directly-elected regional assemblies.

All the elected elements in this programme are subject to popular approval in a referendum.