The Guardian view on England’s centralised state: Andy Burnham must unbundle it | Editorial
Devolution should finance transport, skills and industry, not become a rightwing contest to promise the largest tax giveaway That England is among the rich world’s most centralised countries underpins Andy Burnham’s critique of the economic history of the past 40 years. Only post-communist Europe deindustrialised as rapidly as Yorkshire and the Midlands did in the 1980s. Centralisation did not…
The Guardian's editorial critique of England's centralised state system highlights the economic disparity and deindustrialisation faced by regions such as Yorkshire and the Midlands in the 1980s. Andy Burnham, in his radical plan to unbundle English government, proposes a decentralised state organised around mayors as regional economic leaders.
This blueprint includes the creation of jointly governed pan-regional agencies for key sectors like transport, energy, investment, and industrial systems, which would transcend mayoral boundaries. Additionally, regions without mayors would have the opportunity to assume this role or retain weaker powers. The editorial underscores the need for a more equitable distribution of financial and institutional resources to cushion the economic shock and build resilient replacement economies in underprivileged areas.
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