In Place of Centralisation: A devolution deal for London, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands

Higher economic growth in the UK requires big changes. Tackling the persistent underperformance of Manchester and Birmingham, as well as the stagnation of London’s economy since the financial crisis, are some of the changes needed to improve national prosperity. One of the reasons for their poor performance is the British state’s internationally exceptional level of centralisation, which limits the ability of local government to drive economic change. Yet although a political consensus for further devolution exists, progress has been limited as there is little clarity on how to deliver devolution at scale, especially for taxation. This report aims to change this by proposing a new approach to English devolution.