Recommendation 2

The evidence is clear both practically and democratically that the overly centralised arrangements of government in England are problematic. We were convinced by the evidence presented to us that the current balance of decisions is weighted too much to the centre and that this leads to suboptimal decision-making and policies, with corresponding challenges for delivery. It was suggested to us that the predominant reason for the over-centralisation of power is due to the culture in Whitehall that is unwilling to let go of powers. There is also concern about what was described as the ‘silo culture’ of Whitehall departments. While this may have benefits in Whitehall for developing national policies for the whole of England or the UK, it is clear that when these policies are implemented locally there is a risk that they will not connect and so local areas and people may have a range of different, disjointed experiences. Local government is not simply a delivery arm for Whitehall, and should not be treated thus. There is a clear role for local government to help bring together national polices and adapt them for implementation in local areas. In order for this to happen, there will need to be a culture shift in central government, to view local government as partners. It is important that this rebalancing of power take place urgently, for as it currently stands, central government wields too much power, and the UK Parliament is not set up to scrutinise this use of power either effectively or appropriately. Taken together, all of these factors may lead to poorer outcomes for individuals across England, which cannot be tolerated.

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