DEvolution and LEVELling UP the NORTH EAST
'We remain committed to devolving power to people and places across the UK. Our ambition is for full devolution across England'.
This website exists to hold the government to account for its 2019 election pledge to level up left-behind parts of the UK, and specifically the North East of England. It will also hold the Prime Minister to the pledge he made to the Convention of the North on 13 September 2019 to 'do devolution properly'.
But the government cannot devolve resources and responsibilities to local authorities that are too risk-averse to accept them. So this site will also examine the role of local politicians in the region, who must play their part. That will require unity, a common sense of purpose and a willingness to collaborate with each other, other sections of civil society and the government.
There must be no repeat of the mistakes of 2016 when £30m a year was thrown away and the area’s economy was split in two because council leaders could not agree to do a devolution deal.
The present government’s devolution model is far from perfect, but right now it’s the only game in town.
The publisher: Peter Morris was a North East journalist for 28 years, specialising in regional politics, and later worked in communications for 14 years for the NHS and the Government Information and Communications Service. In retirement he studied regional devolution at Newcastle University and was awarded a PhD in 2020. You can read his thesis here
Transparency statement: This site is a personal, not-for-profit initiative by the publisher, who is not a member of any political party. Its only commitment is expressed in its title. It is published to foster debate. It will report relevant news and invites opinions. Content is written by the publisher unless otherwise stated.
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For more news, analysis and comment on levelling up and devolution in the North East follow www.levelupnortheast.org
Tough choices needed to reduce productivity gap - report
www.levelupnortheast.org
Reductions in the productivity gap between London and Britain’s other big cities will not be achieved easily, will not necessarily include Newcastle and will not on their own benefit poorer househol...For more news, analysis and comment on levelling up and devolution in the North East follow www.levelupnortheast.org
North East population growth is lowest in England
www.levelupnortheast.org
Population growth in the North East between the 2011 and 2021 censuses was the lowest of any region in England, and in three of the region’s 12 local authority areas actually declined. The region’...