Agenda item

A discussion of how the LGA best supports areas to make progress on devolution.

The report set out proposals how the LGA could help councils access support to make progress on devolution and in particular officers were seeking advice on whether there were other forms of support the LGA should consider.

Board members raised the following points in the discussion that followed:

·         Andrew Campbell should be given as much support as possible in his seconded role at the LGA and in his role liaising with Government and local authorities.

·         There were so many different models of governance across the country and there should not be a ‘one-size fits all’ approach, with identification of different stages of the devolution process.

·         There needed to be a “knowledge exchange” across authorities, being able to work in a cross-cutting way and sharing information.

·         Authorities needed to “see what worked” in each area for devolution purposes and for future devolution deals.

·         The demands and pressures of non-metropolitan areas were different to that of City areas. The Government needed to listen and work with local authorities on the devolution agenda and also authorities could utilise the LGA resources available to it in the Devo Hub.

·         It was clear that the Bill was going through various Parliamentary stages swiftly, therefore authorities needed to act quickly in this matter concerning the submission of their own devolution proposals to the Government, which needed to be clear, concise and well-thought out.

Decision

The Board noted the report.