‘Devolution is frankly the only game in town’

In the first of a new weekly series of blogs from the main political parties in Bristol, Marvin Rees explains why the debate about a metro mayor misses the bigger prize of devolution. 

Where you stand on devolution is a matter of fine judgement rather than right or wrong. I share some of the concerns people have about the requirement to have a metro mayor.

I am concerned about government’s requirement of regions to accept a political structure when they should have asked for evidence of the behaviours they wanted – cross boundary working for shared regional priorities.

But I am also aware of the pot of powers and investment devolution offers, not just in the first deal but in the second and third deals we will then have access to.

I am aware of the greater potential to ensure the economy delivers our priorities around reducing inequality and building community.

I am also aware that the four years up to the next election leaves a lot of space to miss out on devolution investment as other city regions make deals and receive theirs.

The challenge is that the debate has been consumed by the metro mayor question rather than the real changes people will experience because of the investment we secure if we go for the deal.

For those of us who support the deal, we must ensure the debate develops to engage with those changes while ensuring the governance and performance management around any metro mayor stop it becoming an unaccountable layer of bureaucracy.

So, what could we do with devolution?

At a really basic level it makes a formal commitment to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on major projects which contribute to the economy.

This isn’t flawed trickle-down economics at work though – because with the new powers we would be able to choose what we invest based not only on economic growth, but on how each project tackles inequality. Nearly £1bn of spending, with projects having to demonstrate this and not just pay presumptive lip service to it.

In the realm of housing – my single biggest priority – we would gain extra powers which make it easier to insist on affordable homes being built as part of major developments. That’s more homes which people can more easily afford to live in.

If you’re looking for work or a parent with children approaching working age, you might be pleased to know devolution would mean we could give incentives for employers to take on apprentices.

Under local control this could mean we create more specific apprenticeship opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds and minority communities.

We can also link training to trades which are most relevant to local economic needs – helping people train and gain work closer to home.

Another headache for loads of people is transport. With devolved powers and funding we wouldn’t just have more money for potholes, we would create probably the best possible way to take hold of transport across the region.

That could mean bringing in more local rail services and management of local railway stations – making very sure they’re properly accessible for people with disabilities.

When you get under the skin of devolution the ‘governance’ is only a part of it. Besides, we’re not giving up any powers to a regional body because it would only have control over new powers and money.

It’s likely there would be a regional metro mayor because we know that’s what the government wants. But we’ll have a seat at the table; along with our current powers and rights of veto if two or more councils say no to something.

Devolution is, quite frankly, the only game in town. And with the austerity agenda creating an increasingly dire budget situation, it’s the way to keep investing locally to serve people in the way we believe best.

We can use it to really level the playing field and make a positive difference to local lives, which is what it’s all about.

Marvin Rees is the mayor of Bristol. This blog will be followed by the next in our weekly politics series from the Conservative Party.

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