2.1.3 Devolution

define devolution

the process whereby power is delegated to specific regions of a state.

when did devolution start

1988
was pushed by the labour party

when were the scottish and welsh devolution referendums?

1979

how many people voted for devolution in scotland

51%

how many people voted against devolution in wales?

79%
the turnout was 35.6%

what is reserved powers?

powers retained exclusively by the parliament in westminster
e.g. foreign policy, immigration
cannot be legislated on by devolved bodies

can westminister withdraw devolved powers given by acts of parliament?

yes
constitutionally, there is nothing to stop parliament legislating on devolved issues

when was the Sewell Convention codified into law

2016, in the Scotland Act
said that parliament will not normally legislate on devolved matters without the consent of scottish parliament

what are some policy areas that all 3 devolved bodies can legislate on?

health, education

what are some policy areas that are reserved for all 3

defence, foreign affairs

can scotland control income tax? can wales? NI?

yes, partially, no

explain the case study of NHS perscriptions

health is fully devolved
prescription charges are abolished in all 3 devolved bodies, S in 2011, W in 2007, NI in 2010
It is not free in england, at £9.90 per item

explain the case study of income tax?

income tax is devolved in scotland→ since the scotland act 2016→ from 2018, five band income tax was introduced, with higher rates than england→ raises additional revenue to fund public services
illustrates how devolution allows real divergence in both spending and taxation, scotland is more left leaning

did scotland, london and NI have strong results for devoltuion in their referendums

yes
scotland→ 1997→ 74% for
NI→ 1998→ 71% for
Greater London→ 1998→ 72% for

how narrow was the welsh result?

6,721 votes seperates the two sides

did new labour want to establish further devolution in england?

yes
in the north east and west in 2004

how many people in the north east in 2004 voted against?

77.9%

example of the supreme court arbitrating a number of disputes between westminister and devolved govts

scottish independence referendum in 2022
→ the SNP tried to argue it has a mandate for a second independence referenndum
→ Westminster refused to grant this
→ the Scottish Government tries to pass a bill for it anyway using their existing powers
→ the SCT UK ruled unanimously that it was outside of Holyrood’s legislative competence
→ the ruling confirmed that Scottish independence can only be achieved with Westminster’s consent

what is the barnett forumla?

the way funding is supplied to the devolved governments
it adjusts the funding based on the comparable spending in england

what is one economic problem with the barnett forumla?

-the devolved nature are also subject to spending cuts→ can be a problem when the political parties of the uk have differing economic approaches
-e.g. between 2010 and 2015, the funding for the scottish govt went down due to the decision of the conservatives in Westminster to impose austerity in england
-the SNP believed greater public spending was the best avenue to move forward from the 2008 financial crisis→ this caused tension

what type of voting system is used for scottish parliament

additional member system
73 chosen by FPTP
56 elected as part of 8 multi member regions

who has the most seats in the scottish parliament?

SNP→ 57
labour and reform are tied at 17

what will the Senedd Cyrmu Act 2024 do in 2026?

will deliver significant change for welsh devolution
will grow from 60 to 96 members→ 60% increase→ intended to address concerns about its ability to scrutinise the welsh government

who was the most seats in the welsh parliament?

plaid cymru→ 43
reform has 34, labour has 9!

what did the northern ireland act1998 do?

set up new institutions to enable devolution in NI

who has the majority in Northern Ireland Assembly

Sinn Fein→ 27 seats

what did the greater london authority act 1999 do?

set up new institutions to enable devolution in London

who are the 2 main parties in the London Assembly?

labour→ 11
conservatives→ 3

when was Sadiq Khan elected

May 2016

how many metropolitan areas have metro mayors

16
since 2000

what do metro mayors act as

a new level of government on top of the traditional local authorities that have always existed

who is the metro mayor for greater manchester

Bev Craig (Labour)

what powers does craig have?

planning, housing, policing

who is the metro mayor for west of england

Helen Godwin (Labour)

what powers does Godwin have?

planning, transport, adult education

who is the metro mayor for liverpool city region

steve rotherham (labour)

what powers does rotherham have?

transport, economic development

case study: coronavirus and the metro mayors

shows the growing authority of the metropolitan regions and the tensions that may exist between them and westminster
in oct 2020, different regions of the uk were placed under tier 3 restrictions
this was challenged by the mayor at the time, burnham→ he followed the law but was clear he didn’t feel manchester was being given enough support
he tries to negotiate for £90 mil extra funding before dropping this to £65 mil
demonstrates that mayors have the power to stand up for their regions

has devolution to metro mayoralties been successful in terms of community?

mayors represent their cities in their times of need
→ e.g. burnham helped manchester come together after the terrorist attach at the ariana grande concert→ demonstrates the soft power of a visible metro leader
public awareness of them is very low
→ some like burnham are very known, while others are not
→ poll in 2021 showed only 33% of residents could name their metro mayor

has devolution to metro mayoralties been successful in terms of accountability?

mayors stand up to central govt for their regions
→ in terms of funding for their areas
→ 2017, the govt announced that they were going to scrap the manchester leeds train being electrificied. Burnham and Rotherham challenged this and the plan was reinstated
some mayors remain MPs as a part time role
→ some mayors like Jarvis (mayor of south yorkshire 2018-2022) decided to remain Mps so they could pursue change at westminister→ led to accusations of them being part time metro mayors, diluting their effectiveness

has devolution to metro mayoralties been successful in terms of policy?

bespoke solutions to local problems
→ greater manchester was able to put in place new schemes for rough sleepers due to the large homelessness crisis
asymmetric powers increase inequality
→ many mayors have much less power than others
→ may serve to increase, not reduce inequality across England

How did Covid policies diverge across the four nations? (Case study)

Lockdowns:
schools began to reopen in england on the 1st of june. This did not happen until the 29th in wales and 11th of aug in scotland
Facemasks:
scotland made face coverings compulsory from june 2020, however england had already done this since may 2020

Did the COVID pandemic show the strengths or weaknesses of devolution in terms of policy divergence?

tailored to local conditions
→ allowed each nation to set policy suited to its own case numbers
→ different lockdown timings were possible because devolved bodies could respond to local circumstances rather than a westminster timetable
confusion across borders
→ divergence on reopening, etc, caused confusion for cross border works and families. Undermined the simple consistent public messaging needed in a pandemic

what is legislative laboratories?

one of the potential benefits of devolution
policies can be tested in one devolved are before they are considered for use elsewhere

example of legislative laboratories in practice?

voting age: in scotland the voting age was lowered to 16 in 2015. In 2019 wales followed suit.
in 2025, labour announced plans for this to be done by the next general election

what is the west lothian question?

mps in westminster from the devolved bodies being able to vote on legislation which will only affect england while english mps have no say over devolved matters
seen as a deeply unjust consequence of devolution

west lothian question in practice

2004: tuition fees
Blair’s government introduced measures too increase tuition fees to £3000 per year
the government won the vote 316-311
if scottish labour mps had not had a vote, then the government would have lost the vote
the new policy only applied to england, since education was devolved to scotland and had no tuition fees for uni

has devolution been successful in terms of democracy?

greater direct say for voters in each nation
→ can control how policies will be made that impact their lives, with policies tailored to local preferences rather than imposed from Westminster
creates bureaucratic growth across the Uk
→ the number of government workers across the Uk has increased by 10% since 1998, creating additional cost without necessarily improving outcomes

has devolution been successful in terms of representation?

more diverse participation in politics
→ more chance for a broader range of people to actively play a role in politics
→ women are higher % of both scottish and welsh legislatures than at westminister, reflecting the more proportional electoral systems used in devolved bodies
creates perceived inequality across the UK
→ some people have access to services others do not, e.g. free prescriptions in wales and scotland but not england
→ creates a two tier system of citizenship within a single state

has devolution been successful in terms of the union?

devolution has strengthened the union
→ rather than weakening the uk, devolution has been argued to have strengthened the union by accommodating national identities in its framework
devolution may be fuelling separatism
→ scotland’s independence referendum in 2014, and the likelihood of another (especially following Brexit) suggests many socts are not satisfied with the status quo
→ devolution may have not satisfied the appetite for full independence

how does Burnham seek to further devolution?

1) No. 10 North→ as a manchester base for central government→ clear example of english devolution by removing the centralising of political power in london
2) wants every part of england to be covered by a strategic authority by the end of 2028
3) increase metro-mayor’s power over areas like transport, housing, planning, etc.

2026 example of devolution from the budget

england giving 20 mil households £100 to help with energy bills, devlolved. bodies urged to follow suit