Friday 03 July 2026 5:11 am  |  Updated:  Thursday 02 July 2026 2:31 pm

Devolution will create losers too

By: Sanjay Raja

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Devolution is a laudable endeavour, but it will widen the gap between thriving and struggling areas as much as closing it, writes Sanjay Raja

Andy Burnham’s pitch for devolution was laudable. An economic mission centred around bottom-up, place-based policy could kick-start national growth and productivity – especially given the overly centralised and sometimes lethargic national policy engine. 

That said, devolution shouldn’t be seen as a panacea for lagging regional productivity and living standards. The UK has spent a decade experimenting with various place-based policies from City Deals, Growth Deals, Enterprise Zones, Trail Blazer Deals, political devolution, to the more recent levelling-up agenda. So far, the results have been ambiguous. 

While policymakers’ intentions on devolution policy may have been well placed, they have mainly relied upon pinpoint initiatives rather than laying the foundation for long-term growth. Devolution policy requires a wide range of ingredients to deliver its full potential.

So how to do devolution right?

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