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Local Government in England pp 113–137Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Devolution Today: Revolution or Submission?

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Abstract

The chapter examines the government’s devolution reforms and the impact of those policies for local government. It explores whether the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 delivers on the claim made for it of starting a ‘devolution revolution’. In conducting that examination, the chapter holds up some of the devolution deals so far agreed against that claim. It compares those deals to see whether the current devolution initiative is bespoke or cut and paste. The chapter explores the creation of combined authorities as new institutions of sub-national government and the debate around directly elected mayoral leadership of those combined authorities. It considers just how far we are seeing the genuine devolution of power to local government or top-down decentralisation of responsibilities, functions and tasks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

    Colin Copus & Rachel Wall

  2. Leicester Business School, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

    Mark Roberts

Authors
  1. Colin Copus
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  2. Mark Roberts
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  3. Rachel Wall
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Copus, C., Roberts, M., Wall, R. (2017). Devolution Today: Revolution or Submission?. In: Local Government in England . Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-26418-3_5

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