From May 2024, an elected mayor of the north-east will lead a new authority spanning Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham.
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Years of political turbulence, economic shocks and the failure to ‘level up’ as pledged have turned English devolution into a key political and constitutional issue
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We looked at the factors that led to levelling up success in Europe, Japan and the US.
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The levelling up white paper outlines plans for regional devolution in England, but they will be meaningless without reform at the top.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has become the face of mayors outside of London’s Sadiq Khan.
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More city region mayors are part of the government’s plan to level up, but the short timeline could hinder their success.
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Can Liverpool’s new metro mayor prolong his reign by heeding lessons from 18th-century American revolutionary politicians?
Andy Burnham, the new Mayor of Greater Manchester, talking at an event at Salford University in March.
Mark Waugh Photography/University of Salford
What we can learn from the election of the new ‘metro mayors’ and why there are reasons to be cheerful.
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Cities could be viewed as under-performing brands – ripe for a bit of focused investment and visible leadership from the new metro mayors.
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Former chancellor Osborne’s plans were too limited to be useful. Here’s how devolution should be done.
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With George Osborne gone, his programme of devolution could be in jeopardy.
Malcolm Turnbull outlines his vision of ‘City Deals’ that enable ‘smart cities’ to drive growth in the new economy.
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The Turnbull government sees the ‘City Deal’ as a way for ‘smart cities’ to drive innovation and growth. But what is the value proposition behind this UK concept and how might it work in Australia?
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Our expert joins the dots between the ancient kingdoms of yore and today’s Northern Powerhouse.
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The Northern Powerhouse will change your life. Here’s how.
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Successive governments have promised to give more power to local councils but so far all have fallen short on delivery.
You are now entering the Democratic People’s Republic of Manchester.
Tim Green
Northern cities want greater independence but it might come at a price.
Sprawling powers.
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An unprecedented package of powers has been welcomed by Manchester authorities, while the public is left wondering.
Where’s Poldark?
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Could devolution for regions like Cornwall and Yorkshire be in the offing?
Enough playing around.
Lewis Whyld/PA
Mainstream politicians see no benefit in playing to English identity. They’re missing a trick.
Balls doesn’t buy into incremental bidding.
Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Two noteworthy things happened in Milton Keynes on Monday morning. Ed Miliband chaired the first meeting of Labour’s English Regional Shadow Cabinet – comprising mainly leaders of councils and combined…
The problem with those seeking more English powers is that they’re not working together.
Samuel Borges Photography
The repercussions of the Scottish independence referendum were always likely to be profound, whoever won. As Scotland waits to see if Westminster can meet its deadline for producing draft legislation for…