LGA Governance


Agenda item

Agenda item

Governance in the context of devolution

Minutes:

Piali DasGupta, Senior Advisor, introduced a paper exploring governance in the context of devolution, which outlined the current position in the UK, some international comparisons, the emerging thinking in the 4 September devolution bids, and some options for future projects. She sought members’ opinions on whether to try to move the devolution conversation on from structures of governance to principles of good governance.

 

Members discussed:

·         The importance of emphasising that different areas will need different governance arrangements.

·         The value of engaging with the business community on governance issues.

·         The benefits and risks of seeking to map out a blueprint of what the UK as a whole should be aiming towards in terms of devolved governance.

·         The value of working alongside the People and Place Board to ensure that there is not duplication and that each Board is aware of the similarities and differences between the governance issues they face.

·         The importance of looking at international models of governance, including the strong/weak mayors in the US, Scandinavian models, etc.

·         The importance of further work analysing the governance arrangements of existing combined authorities in England.

 

Action

 

Officers will develop further research on post-devolution governance options for the next Board.

Supporting documents: