It today announced an inquiry into the government’s Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill, which will also look at the lessons emerging from the programme of City Deals in the last parliament, and how accountability can be improved for devolved services.
Chancellor George Osborne has announced a series of devolution agreements with Greater Manchester following the decision by the city region’s combined authority to create an elected mayor. These have included greater control over transport, housing, planning and policing policy, as well as devolution of health spending as well as creation of a land commission.
Launching the call for evidence, committee chair Clive Betts said: “Devolving power to local areas is the right way to help boost economic growth across the country and can potentially deliver more effective and efficient public services,” he said
“As a committee we will want to examine whether this Bill can help deliver real devolution, making services responsive and accountable to local people, and how far the Greater Manchester model is a template for other areas.”
