The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill reached report stage in the House of Lords this week, and if you missed it, you are in good company. The bill has attracted a fraction of the attention devoted to the Iran war, the Spring Statement or Labour’s immigration troubles. But it may turn out to be the most consequential piece of domestic legislation this Parliament produces.
The bill aims to do something that successive governments have promised and failed to deliver: transfer meaningful power from Whitehall to local communities. It proposes new frameworks for combined authorities, expanded mayoral powers, community-level decision-making and a reconfiguration of the relationship between central government and the regions.
What the Bill Actually Does
At its core, the bill creates a statutory framework for English devolution that goes beyond the ad hoc deals of the past decade. Previous devolution agreements — Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, Teesside — were bespoke arrangements negotiated individually with Whitehall. The new bill establishes a standardised pathway that any area can follow, with defined powers, funding mechanisms and governance structures.
The community empowerment provisions are equally significant. The bill creates new rights for communities to take over local assets, participate in planning decisions and hold local authorities to account. It establishes community-level bodies with statutory powers that go beyond the existing parish council framework.
The Lords Amendments
The bill has been significantly amended during its passage through the Lords. Peers have pushed for stronger protections for community assets, more robust accountability mechanisms for combined authorities and clearer definitions of which powers can and cannot be devolved. The government has accepted some amendments and resisted others, setting up a classic ping-pong between the two chambers.
The debates have been substantive and largely non-partisan. Cross-bench peers with local government experience have pushed for practical improvements. Labour peers have argued for stronger community rights. Conservative peers have raised concerns about the relationship between devolved bodies and existing council structures.
Why It Matters
England’s governance is absurdly centralised by international standards. Decisions about housing, transport, planning and economic development that in France, Germany or the United States would be made locally are made in Whitehall. The result is a one-size-fits-all approach that fails communities with vastly different needs and priorities.
If the devolution bill works as intended, it could begin to change this. Combined authorities with real powers and real budgets could make decisions tailored to their regions. Communities could shape their local environments in ways that are currently impossible. The gap between Westminster politics and people’s lived experience could, marginally, narrow.
That is a big “if.” Previous devolution promises have been hollowed out by Treasury control of funding, Whitehall reluctance to surrender power and local political dysfunction. But the bill represents a serious attempt, and it deserves more attention than it is getting. The biggest changes in governance often happen while everyone is looking elsewhere.