The problem of sub-national governance in England

Fenwick, John

doi:10.1080/09540962.2015.986859

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The key unit for English devolution is not the ‘great city’, but the city-region: something geographically less than a region, yet more than the current units of local government (Fenwick 2015 , p. 9). Rather than having political coherence or a shared local identity, each city-region was to have a combined authority covering a ‘functional economic area’, although this concept can be vague: as Fenwick notes “it may denote travel-to-work areas or more sophisticated definitions of areas of economic activity” (Fenwick 2015 , p. 9). Regardless, functional economic geography is the key factor underlying whether an area makes progress in establishing a combined authority, alongside a “common sense of purpose between the local authorities” and “a history of joint working between partners leading to sound working relationships” (Murphie 2019 , p. 97).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding drivers of support for English city-region devolution: a case study of the Liverpool City Region

Jeffery

2022

Br Polit

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Metro mayors heading a combined authority represent the most recent innovation in English devolution. City-region devolution has been a key way in which successive Conservative governments have sought to boost local economic growth against a background of local authority austerity, and now form a part of the Johnson government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda. However, the perspective of voters is often overlooked in these debates. City-region devolution is a top-down innovation, with a focus on city-region economics rather than democratic renewal or engagement, and there is so far very little academic literature on identifying the drivers of public support for mayoral combined authorities. This study draws on survey responses of voters in the Liverpool City Region and explores a number of potential drivers of support for the Liverpool City Region combined authority, including party support, English, British and European identity, left–right and other value positions, and the role of place in driving support. It finds that support for devolution to the Liverpool City Region is driven by whether one lives in the centre or periphery of the city region, support for the Labour Party, left-wing, socially liberal and European identities, as well as being female and older. This paper also lays the groundwork for further research into drivers of public support for city-region devolution in England.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding drivers of support for English city-region devolution: a case study of the Liverpool City Region

Jeffery

2022

Br Polit

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“…The imposition of 'austerity', in particular since 2010 under the then Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government of the UK, has greatly constrained local government and governance bodies, reduced their funding and weakened their capacity [32]. The past decade has also seen the abolition of regional assemblies and development agencies in England, thus removing the regional tier of government and governance, and leaving regional and sub-regional coordination in the hands of complex overlapping networks of local councils, new combined authorities (run by elected mayors, mainly in major metropolitan areas), and partnership organisations such as the LEPs [33,34].…”

Section: The Policy Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Remaking of Institutions for Local Climate Governance? Towards Understanding Climate Governance in a Multi-Level UK Local Government Area: A Micro-Local Case Study

Russell

Christie

2021

Sustainability

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The crisis of climate disruption and shortcomings in top-down approaches has focused attention on the effectiveness of governance to achieve climate goals. New sub-national governance models such as business alliances, city networks and NGO coalitions have emerged; such institutional ‘re-making’ is often motivated by frustration at national inaction, and by a belief thatlocal actors offer an effective ‘bottom-up’ approach. Literature on the emergence of climate-led multi-level and polycentric governance focuses primarily on cities; the role of urban-rural counties and of the micro-level of local government, and the challenges and opportunities before them, is less well studied. This paper draws on work in progress in a study exploring progress, challenges and failings in UK climate governance across multiple levels of county-based government: Surrey, an area of towns, peri-urban districts and countryside, is offered as a case study, with a focus on micro-level action in small towns and parishes. We find that despite a lack of national government orchestration or sub-regional frameworks, climate action is occurring voluntarily at all levels of governance. However, the nature of action is variable and irregular and there is little evidence as yet to demonstrate effectiveness. A fragmented form of multi-level governance is observed, with limited upward flows of ideas and no indication of national interest in micro-local climate lessons and experience. We identify the importance of ‘wilful actors’ and the need for greater coordination, information- and knowledge-sharing networks to achieve effective institutional ‘remaking’ for climate action.

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“…As well as sub-national tensions between the devolved administrations and the central UK government, tensions also exist between the many regions that lie within England, with the future of regional governance at this scale unclear [59]. Despite having no explicit political representation except at the UK level, English regions remain an important element of English civil and political society, with regional identities being particularly strong in areas such as London, the North East, and Cornwall in the South West [60].…”

Section: Uk Policy Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional winners and losers in future UK energy system transitions

Pye

Strachan

2016

Energy Strategy Reviews

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This paper demonstrates the integration of institutional perspectives on energy system transitions into formal energy economic modelling. The perspectives of key UK energy system stakeholders have been used to develop three socio-technical narratives of energy system change that are quantified in a 24-region techno-economic model of the country. Implementing these three narratives in the model environment allows their feasibility for meeting climate targets to be assessed as well as articulating their implied sub-national regional outlooks for technologies and investment. The latter elements are discussed in light of the regional socioeconomic and demographic landscape. The study highlights some of the regional political dimensions associated with future investment targeting in the UK energy system. In particular, energy policy decisions may create tensions between the four different UK government administrations as well as raising important questions about regional economic development and how an equitable energy transition can be achieved for all. Highlights Prominent UK transition scenarios adapted into a whole energy system model  Integration process bridges between socio-technical theory and energy economic modelling  Model spatial detail used to relate geographical impacts to real-world regional actors  Tensions exposed between sub-regional optimality and national optimality  Discussion framed around the complex regional political geography of the UK

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The problem of sub-national governance in England

Cited by 13 publications

References 14 publications

Understanding drivers of support for English city-region devolution: a case study of the Liverpool City Region

Understanding drivers of support for English city-region devolution: a case study of the Liverpool City Region

The Remaking of Institutions for Local Climate Governance? Towards Understanding Climate Governance in a Multi-Level UK Local Government Area: A Micro-Local Case Study

Regional winners and losers in future UK energy system transitions

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