Prime Minister Andy Burnham proposed working with the Scottish Government on a model giving Scotland’s cities and regions more say in economic decisions, linking the plan to jobs and reindustrialisation.
A UK Government announcement on Oct. 15 said Burnham wanted the Scotland Office and No10 North to help both governments shape the approach. It described the aim as widening access to jobs and economic opportunity in communities across Scotland. The announcement does not say the Scottish Government has accepted the offer.
The government presented regional empowerment as a further phase in devolution. It described Scotland’s devolved administration as highly centralized by European standards and pointed to 27 years of powers transferred from Westminster. The announcement does not identify which decisions might shift to regional bodies.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander backed the offer. He said residents in North Lanarkshire, Fife and the Highlands are better placed to identify community needs than ministers in Edinburgh or London.
The announcement provides no timetable or funding plan for developing the model.
