Devolution to counties is the lesser-known cousin of city deals, but counties are clamouring for it, even if their agenda is not quite in synch with Westminster.

If government is serious (and it should be) about devolution from the ground up then, says new report from IPPR, it has to give greater consideration to the demand for devolution outside cities. It could provide huge benefits to government but the lack of clarity on why and how could be a major stumbling block.

What works for cities is not going to work for other structures. And that also raises the question of what other structures will be suitable, especially with the commitment to listen to ‘what works’ locally.

It is likely that it will not just be counties that come forward and not all of them will be unitary, as Cornwall is where I am a councillor. It could be counties with district tiers or partnerships between authorities. If the latter, how can the government continue to press for an elected mayor in a structure that may be convenient and effective but completely foreign to the public who will elect them? Instead of increasing accountability, which is the government’s stated goal in its enthusiasm for directly elected mayors, this would dilute it.

The tentative nature of the deal in Cornwall is possibly a result of our reluctance to have a directly elected mayor and it is an anomaly if government will not let people decide locally – abolishing the requirement for a referendum might smooth the way but it increases the risk that this will be seen as simply a transfer of power between politicians.

The parameters of where the government will listen and where it will veto deals if it does not get its way are unclear to say the least and local authorities need to know the ground rules if the whole process is not going to be tainted by frustration and suspicion.

There is the question of whether devolution is driven by economic development or public sector reform? The government is focussed on the economy and this may explain why Cornwall was the first county, or Duchy as we often remind people, to get a deal – as timid as it was. Our advantage was the clearly identified borders and the coterminous local enterprise partnership. It would be helpful to establish this as a principle says the report. From our viewpoint in Cornwall, the democratic input and accountability of LEPs is also an issue that has to be resolved.

In Cornwall and other authorities, the scope for public sector reform, particularly integration of health and social care holds huge attraction, not least because it offers hope of some partial solution to the ongoing crisis and looming budgetary crunch time in social care. Only time will tell if this is false hope. Given the mismatch between local and national agendas, the report also suggests that quick wins with the devolution of economic powers need to be followed by public sector reform carefully and over a longer period. We all need to be sure it will work.

Other county authorities are keen to follow Cornwall and there are very good reasons to support them: the conditions are ripe for counties to play a much bigger role in economic development across the whole country. But local authorities often have a much wider aspiration for control of local services. Government’s reluctance to let go could be a barrier.

We are also eager to learn Labour’s stance on this. Counties may not be the party’s stronghold, but with a group of eight Labour councillors here in Cornwall and other colleagues representing the party on other counties we want to play our role in getting the empowerment of county councils right to better achieve the social justice Labour aims for. We acknowledge and share the enthusiasm of city colleagues for devolution but we have concerns about accountability, locking in poverty and spin over substance. Labour’s policy on this has to be flexible and reflect divergence without compromising the principle – there is no ‘one size fits all’.

There is food for thought here for all of us in local government. Speaking parochially, the concerns raised in the report have parallels with the devolution process within Cornwall. The unitary authority first approached local towns and parishes with no clear parameters or processes and only one idea in mind – to offload liabilities whilst hanging on to assets. This has delayed the whole agenda by years and created mistrust that even now is hard to get over, although the authority has tried.

Devolution may be an idea whose time has come but as this report suggests, government has a way to go to take full advantage of its possibilities and to make it work well for all in government. Admitting that devolution from the centre is not a favour from government but an advantage to it would be a good start.

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Jude Robinson is a Labour councillor on Cornwall council. She tweets @JudeRobinson

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Photo: Andrew Dent