New Labour, New centralism: The Centralisation of Policy and the Devolution of Administration in England and its Regions

Abstract

The Blair Government's commitment to both devolution and decentralisation would appear impeccable. New Labour's affirmed objective is 'to put in place an integrated programme of measures to decentralise power in the United Kingdom'. However, this article asserts that the Blair Government has thus far failed to deliver genuine decentralisation of political (as opposed to administrative) power to the regions of England beyond London. The combination of the Government's modernisation programme and the Comprehensive Spending Review has, instead, imposed tight centrally-defined controls on public policy and services, including those which are delivered on a decentralised basis. The resulting further centralisation of control over policy and resources is illustrated by a an analysis of developments in enterprise policy.