Why Devolution Matters: the Case of Cornwall Yth on Ni A’N Le Ma – We Are of This Place
Institute for Public Policy Research WHY DEVOLUTION MATTERS: THE CASE OF CORNWALL YTH ON NI A’N LE MA – WE ARE OF THIS PLACE Sarah Longlands and Anna Round March 2021 Available at: www.ippr.org/publication/why-devolution-matters-the-case-of- cornwall INTRODUCTION From Covid-19 to Brexit to long term climate change, the complexity of the challenges the UK now faces means that the centralised system of government at Whitehall is no longer fit for purpose. Without a renewed commitment to devolution for all of the nations and regions which make up the UK, the government will fail to meet its promises to build back better and level up. More seriously still, we face the prospect of a disunited kingdom. The UK is one of the most economically divided countries in the developed world; it is also the most centralised (CEJ 2018, Raikes and Giovannini 2019, McCann 2019, UK2070 2020). This is not a coincidence. Research shows that where you live in the UK determines your ability to live a “good life” (Johns et al 2020). However, it has been the metro mayors, local government, civil society and business which have proved most agile and responsive to the challenges and impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Similarly, while central government may try to claim the credit, the recovery will be led by those same organisations. They know their communities best and are already deploying their limited resources, creativity and collaborative capital to rebuild local economies, support those who are out of work, and co-ordinate the recovery of people and place.
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