Government still not committed to solving the English Question
26 February 2015
Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, comments on the Government's response to the Committee's report 'Devolution in England: the case for local government'.
- Report: Devolution in England: the case for local government
- Inquiry: Devolution in England: the case for local government
- Government Response (PDF 356.43 KB)
- Communities and Local Government Committee
Chair's comments
Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, said:
"I am grateful to the Government for finally responding to my Committee's report, which was published eight months ago. But disappointingly, while Ministers continue to devolve powers over taxation to Scotland and Wales, they simply don't trust city and county regions in England with similar tax-raising powers. This won't inevitably lead to higher taxes for local people – this is about local areas taking responsibility for themselves and not having to rely on hand-outs from Whitehall.
Local government throughout England, including London and Greater Manchester, is committed to using devolution to generate growth and improve services in their areas, not to increase the tax burdens on their populations. A number of recent reports have all said the time for fiscal devolution in England has arrived. I look forward to debating my Committee's report and the Government's response in the House of Commons on Monday."