POLITICIANS want you to believe ‘devolution’ is delivering a new dawn for local democracy, with government handing down powers to local people.
The West Midlands mayor and combined authority have control of some funding pots for major economic projects and transport. The ‘Midlands Engine’ with you at the wheel, they say.
Yet, six years after the heavily centralising so-called Localism Act, councils including Solihull are expecting more cuts in services from further government changes to how local authorities are funded.
Local services – libraries, children’s centres, youth clubs, transport to schools for disabled youngsters – are disappearing nationally.
The least ministers can do is to devolve more powers to the newly created regional tier of government.
