Summary
Will devolution bring back the power to England's cities and regions that they once had? And, if so, will all local authorities fare equally? Michael Robinson explores the history of local government and asks if old freedoms are now set to return under the new deal promised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne.
Producer : Rosamund Jones.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Thanks for downloading analysis from the BBC. |
| 0:03.0 | This week Michael Robinson explores what devolution might mean for town halls across England. |
| 0:09.0 | George Osborne, the great slasher of town hall budgets, hopes to be remembered for something else a |
| 0:15.2 | transformation in the way England is governed. It's time to face facts the way this |
| 0:21.7 | country is run is broken. Initiative is suffocated. Our |
| 0:25.4 | cities held back. There's no incentive to promote local enterprise. It's time we |
| 0:31.0 | fixed it. Power to the people, let the Devolution Revolution begin. |
| 0:37.4 | At the Conservative Party conference in Manchester last autumn, the Chancellor laid out |
| 0:41.7 | his plan to devolve decision-making from Westminster |
| 0:44.8 | and Whitehall to town halls throughout England. |
| 0:49.3 | Manchester Council is solidly labour and a long-standing critic of the Chancellor's austerity cuts. |
| 0:55.0 | But his devolution policy is one council leader Sir Richard Lee's enthusiastically supports. |
| 1:01.0 | I've been in local government politics now for 32 years and this is by some way the |
| 1:07.8 | most exciting time I've ever had in local politics. We really do now have the opportunity to transform the way our |
| 1:16.8 | city works. |
| 1:18.6 | In this program we'll examine the Chancellor's plan and ask whether his vision of recreating the glory |
| 1:24.8 | days of local government will help create the powerhouses of local growth he hopes |
| 1:30.2 | will rebalance the economy. |
| 1:32.1 | Look at Manchester Town Hall and all this hopes will rebalance the economy. |
| 1:33.0 | Look at Manchester Town Hall and all its neagogic splendour. |
| 1:37.0 | A great civic cathedral where the decisions affecting this city would be taken, |
| 1:41.0 | not remitted to a committee in London. |
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