Really interesting from @stephenkb.bsky.social I’ve said it many times, but just picking up the GM model and plonking it somewhere else is harder than it sounds, as this week’s TVCA best value notice shows (the third CA to be given one) on.ft.com/3G8ahru - ThreadSky

jenwilliamsft.bsky.social • 10 days ago

Really interesting from @stephenkb.bsky.social

I’ve said it many times, but just picking up the GM model and plonking it somewhere else is harder than it sounds, as this week’s TVCA best value notice shows (the third CA to be given one)

https://on.ft.com/3G8ahru

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nathanwylabour.bsky.social•10 days ago

Another thing I'd add is that Greater Manchester and West Yorks are predicated on having a powerful city authority at the centre of things, setting the direction.

This is arguably even more true of West Yorks, where Leeds is far larger than any of the other constituent authorities.

jenwilliamsft.bsky.social•10 days ago

Yes definitely agree with that. I struggle a little with the concept of a CA that doesn’t have a big city at its heart for a number of reasons tbh and that’s one of them

davidherdson.bsky.social•10 days ago

Although that has plenty of scope for problems when the mayor comes from a different party to that controlling the lead council - not something that's happened yet in GM, WY, SY or NE but at some point it will. Teesside is maybe sui generis but still throws up cautions.

jenwilliamsft.bsky.social•10 days ago

It does. Lincolnshire could prove interesting. And as you say, eventually it will probably happen in one of the big urban ones too

path-dependent.bsky.social•10 days ago

It's very odd. The CA model is in large part a fudge because there's no mandate for devolution (because still nobody wants to ask for one after the North East devo referendum 21 years ago).

So, to impose the fudge on London, where there *is* a mandate for devolved government is a bit mad.

path-dependent.bsky.social•10 days ago

And Stephen's column suggests that this might be a serious thing and not just mischief making from some London boroughs... is there no end to the new ways the government will seek to disappoint us?

nathanwylabour.bsky.social•10 days ago

I maintain that instead of the CAs, we'd have been better off just creating larger, more powerful local authorities (possibly with a layer of new parish/community councils underneath to cover hyperlocal things)

drandydonovan.bsky.social•10 days ago

Hampshire/Solent will be interesting on this score, three cities and three big councils who all think they're the most important. They've not even put together a proposal yet and Hants CC are already trying to dictate terms to Soton & Pompey.

use0fweap0ns.bsky.social•10 days ago

Pompey and, no doubt Soton would very much like the north Hampshire Tories at the CC to get stuffed and take their massive debt with them.

fornbirkibeinn.bsky.social•10 days ago

And this is going to be an especially big issue where planning is concerned, because the big sites suitable for greenfield development are generally going to be in suburban authorities with different political leadership to the core city. Which of course undermines Labour's entire housing agenda.

jenwilliamsft.bsky.social•10 days ago

The thing that’s particularly difficult to replicate is *culture*. The model in GM was basically constructed to ensure councils did not cede too much power to the mayor - but in turn it was also predicated on everybody collectively behaving fairly pragmatically and being willing to make trade offs

jenwilliamsft.bsky.social•10 days ago

Even in GM that doesn’t always work (as Stephen rightly notes, Places for Everyone ☠️). But when you get to places that have never really worked like that, its a big ask

northofcam.bsky.social•10 days ago

See Cambridgeshire

jenwilliamsft.bsky.social•10 days ago

Yep

northofcam.bsky.social•10 days ago

Sure you know this but Tories never recovered from losing - and were well - very difficult is a nice way of saying combined authority only really been working since Lib Dem/lab majority in district councils as tories couldn’t block

jenwilliamsft.bsky.social•10 days ago

Secondly GM was not massively predicated on a system of outward scrutiny. It doesn’t have an assembly. You won’t find many leaders publicly falling out with each other at their meetings: they do that in private, so people like me have to then unearth the disagreements

jenwilliamsft.bsky.social•10 days ago

If misused or badly implemented, it’s a system that can look outwardly pretty opaque. So I can understand why there would be a pushback against using it in London

jasongood.bsky.social•10 days ago

Personal view: having been around it now for over 16 years and since before the CA, I still find GM frustratingly opaque. Constantly.

gwerin.bsky.social•10 days ago

But isn't 'culture' in this sense learnt behaviour, implement this system in London and after a number of years power sharing, diplomacy and consensus politics becomes an accepted norm...

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