WIREDGOV

Former Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, has agreed to provide his uniquely qualified views on the question of devolution when he gives evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Reform, Decentralisation and Devolution in the UK next week.

Mr Brown will attend a session of the APPG on 8 September to give his expertise on a subject in which he has been intimately involved. Drawing on the wealth of experience built up in Government during a time when devolution really established itself on the political agenda, Mr Brown will be able to provide particularly insightful opinions on the future of decentralisation.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents over 370 local councils in England and Wales, is providing the secretariat to the group, which is seeking evidence on devolved nations, local government, central powers in the UK and wider constitutional reform.

Chair of the Inquiry, Lord Kerslake, said,

"We're naturally delighted that Gordon Brown has agreed to take part in an evidence session given his background knowledge and understanding of this subject. His work to complete the process of devolving powers to Northern Ireland in 2010, for instance, gives him an invaluable awareness of how devolution can work in spite of challenges.

"We know that the impact of devolution on local government would be fundamental and listening to the opinions of those people who have been at the heart of government and understand the issues is key to the work of the Inquiry.

"Specifically, we will be asking Mr Brown about what drove New Labour's approach to devolution, how he believes further powers and responsibilities can best be transferred from central government, and his thoughts on ideas such as a Constitutional Convention for the UK.

"Mr Brown was not only heavily involved in devolution when in Government, but also very active during the recent referendum in Scotland, so I'm convinced he can provide the Inquiry with some insights of real value."

The LGA has said devolution would make public spending on local services more accountable to local people and provide significant economic and social benefits, with the potential for £20.6 billion in public sector savings, £80 billion in economic growth and 700,000 new jobs.

Other witnesses who are giving evidence on 8 September include Jim Gallagher, Research Fellow at Nuffield College Oxford and former Director-General for Devolution and Robert Hazell, Professor of Government and the Constitution at UCL and Director of the Constitution Unit.

Notes

• The Reform, Decentralisation and Devolution APPG is calling for evidence as part of a far-reaching inquiry on devolution and constitutional reform chaired by Lord Kerslake.
• A full list of members of the APPG can be found on the Register of All-Party Groups.
• The next meeting of the group is on Tuesday 8 September between 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm in Committee Room 10. Please email publicaffairs.team@local.gov.uk if you would like to attend, or follow the debate on Twitter using #DevoAPPG.
• The Inquiry's terms of reference can be found at: Better Devolution for the whole UK (PDF)
• The qualifying officers for the APPG are Lord Foulkes of Cumnock, Lord Purvis of Tweed, Andrew Rosindell MP and Catherine West MP.
• Please submit your evidence to publicaffairs.team@local.gov.uk by Thursday 1 October 2015.
• A Parliament for Reform 2015-2020 (PDF, 8 pages, 2.6MB) is a report setting out the constitutional questions that need to be answered in the next Parliament. In addition to devolution to local government, this includes:
  • further devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
  • the powers retained by the UK government
  • the intra-UK relationships.
• The LGA's fully-costed White Paper ‘English Devolution: Local solutions for a successful nation' outlines the benefits of devolution across all parts of England.