Partner Article

John Cridland and Northern Devolution

This morning, Director General of the CBI, John Cridland, stated that devolution must not be rushed, adding that any process should be “careful, considered and transparent”. Unfortunately, this is the exact opposite of how recent devolutionary deals have played out, prompting many to voice their concerns on the economic dangers of gung-ho devolution.

As Campaigns Director of Campaign for the North, a think-and-do tank arguing for a devo-max Northern government, I couldn’t agree more. The current devolution debate focusses too heavily on city regions led by cult-of-personality mayors and is one that has been conducted largely behind closed doors. From both a democratic and economic perspective, such developments are extremely worrying.

By shutting both local businesses and citizens out of the devolutionary process, policy makers risk violating the democratic principles upon which any healthy economy is founded. With respect to the North as a whole, our political leaders have overlooked the region’s phenomenal economic potential. The North is fifteen million people strong and is abundant with natural resources. The question begs, therefore, as to why the North should not be given tax-raising powers and the ability to leverage finance on international markets? This could stimulate business in ways that few politicians would ever dare to contemplate. If such powers were devolved to a Northern regional government, then the innovation that has characterised so much of our region’s history could be realised once again.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Michael Dawson .