Andy Burnham wants to devolve power from Westminster to Britain’s regions (Image: Getty)
I stood opposite Downing Street on Monday as Andy Burnham swept through its gates in a very flash Range Rover. A small cheer rang out among observers, one of Steve Bray’s comrades sang the anthem of the European Union, Ode to Joy, at the top of his lungs and climate protesters loudly commanded the new prime minister not to allow new North Sea oil and gas contracts. They held aloft pieces of cardboard bearing the names of various places – London, Durham, Wales, Manchester and Yorkshire – in flames. It was unclear whether they were threatening to burn them to the ground or whether they were suggesting that superheated weather would mean they would be destroyed.
One of their leaders said as Mr Burnham began his speech: “Guys, we should chant quite loudly now because he’s outside.” Shortly afterwards, she acquired a loud hailer, which aided the group’s efforts to shout the new premier out. Footage of his speech I watched when I got back home suggested that they were far from succeeding, a police measure banning speakers in the area that day proving very effective, as the Prime Minister did not have to contend with noise as loud as his predecessors did.
Watch in full: Andy Burnham delivers his first speech as PM
He said: “Many feel as though they’re still in decline, and they don’t have the ability to turn things around.
“And that’s why we will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem solving than point scoring.
“We will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land so that they can do more.”
This made me scoff.
Before Steve Reed resigned with a very lengthy letter, he as the secretary of state in charge of local government was overseeing plans that would see local council boundaries redrawn across the country, with district and county councils replaced with single, unitary authorities that run all municipal services.
Steve Reed resigned yesterday (Image: Getty)
Where the measures would impact
On Thursday, officials confirmed that the proposal would impact:
- Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen
- Derbyshire and Derby
- Devon, Plymouth and Torbay
- East Sussex and Brighton and Hove
- Gloucestershire
- Hertfordshire
- Kent and Medway
- Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland
- Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and Northeast Lincolnshire
- Nottinghamshire and Nottingham
- Oxfordshire
- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
- Warwickshire
- Worcestershire
I covered provincial authorities during my time as a local news reporter, and briefly worked for a council.
I saw how district councils stand up for their respective areas and battle for their interests.
Britain is composed of a rich variety of places, each with their own aims and problems that create a rich, national symphony.
There are advantages to large authorities, as Mr Burnham will know, having been the Mayor of Greater Manchester.
They ensure that large cities can get things done and have more of a say.
I lived and worked in the East Midlands before moving to London a few years ago, and I was very pleased when the region got its own combined authority.
The region is unappreciated and underfunded, but now it will be able to conduct itself with more heft.
But they must work in tandem with district councils, so that residents’ voices are heard as much as possible.
District councillors – often serving on county-wide authorities as well as more localised ones – know their patches best, and getting rid of them will eliminate a source of valuable knowledge and experience that Mr Burnham will need to achieve his admirable goal.
Mr Reed called the current system “inefficient”.
He may have a point to an extent.
Vital upgrades to infrastructure need to be approved, and housing needs to be built, for example, which can be interrupted by planning committees on district councils.
But the current plan reminds me of Jeremy Clarkson comedically trying to fix a car engine on Top Gear with a hammer.
It’s too blunt and it just won’t wor.
Adapt to locals’ concerns with solutions, rather than bulldozing them outright.
Or introduce new last resort powers that make it easier for planners to give the green light to projects in the face of overly petty concerns.
But do not completely remove a vehicle for people to have their say.
Not everywhere will benefit as a result of the plans, especially in more rural areas.
A lot of places across the country are already feeling powerless and left behind, however much of a cliche some people like to suggest it is.
Let’s not ensure that they stumble even more.