The government published (alongside the 2004 Pre-Budget Report) a consultation document setting out proposals to involve the regions more in decision-making on regional transport, economic development and housing.
Source: Devolving Decision Making: A consultation on regional funding allocations, HM Treasury (020 7270 4558) | Pre-Budget Report 2004: Opportunity for All - The strength to take the long-term decisions for Britain, Cm 6408, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 2 December 2004, columns 781-804, TSO
Links: Report (pdf) | PBR report (pdf) | PBR report (pdf links) | Hansard | HMT press release
Date: 2004-Dec
A think-tank report called on local and central government to move urgently to ensure multi-level governance worked better in the regions. It said that a deeper examination was needed of major issues of accountability, finance and inter-dependency between different tiers of government.
Source: Emily Robinson, Living with Regions: Making multi-level governance work, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Summary (pdf) | NLGN press release
Date: 2004-Dec
Proposals for an elected regional assembly were turned down by voters in the north-east region, in a referendum on regional government. The government said that an assembly would not be established in the region 'on this occasion', and scrapped plans for similar referendums in Yorkshire and the north-west region.
Source: Press release 5 November 2004, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 8 November 2004, columns 587-607, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: ODPM press release | Hansard | LGA press release | CPRE press release | CBI press release | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2)
Date: 2004-Nov
A report by a committee of peers examined the increased complexities for the legislative process at Westminster deriving from the nature of the devolution settlement. It said that whenever Westminster legislated exclusively for Wales it was laying the partial foundations for Welsh law to become a distinct jurisdiction.
Source: Devolution: Its Effect on the Practice of Legislation at Westminster, Fifteenth Report (Session 2003-04), HL 192, House of Lords Constitution Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2004-Nov
Researchers said that the transition from administrative devolution to political devolution had been accomplished smoothly, without financial disruption. Political devolution had generated enormous improvements in process transparency . This contrasted sharply with the pre-devolution situation where the territorial mechanisms operated on the basis of unpublished block rules and had to be inferred and/or guessed at by observers.
Source: David Heald and Alasdair McLeod, The Financial Arrangements for Devolved Government within the United Kingdom, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2004-Nov
An article questioned the extent to which a distinctively Scottish social welfare policy had emerged since devolution. The scope for policy departure was limited in a number of different ways, and there was a need to acknowledge the similarities between New Labour policy in London and in Edinburgh.
Source: Gerry Mooney and Lynne Poole, 'A land of milk and honey?: Social policy in Scotland after devolution', Critical Social Policy, Volume 24 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2004-Nov
A series of articles examined the effect of devolution in government on social security and social justice policy.
Source: Benefits, Volume 12 Issue 3
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2004-Oct
A think-tank report described the barriers that might prevent the English regions from achieving their potential, and offered a series of recommendations designed to assist the drive for sustainable growth in every region.
Source: Tony Pilch (ed.), Towards a Modern Regional Policy, Smith Institute (020 7592 3618)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary
Date: 2004-Oct
A report examined the potential impact of elected regional government structures in England.
Source: Lynne Humphrey, Andy Pike and Emma Pinkney, Making a Difference?: A policy assessment of elected regional assemblies in the English regions, Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies/University of Newcastle upon Tyne (0191 222 8016)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Sep
A report analysed the case for increased fiscal federalism in Scotland. It looked at key issues such as the fiscal relationship between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom, the trade-off between efficiency and equality, and the impact which increased fiscal transparency would have on public policy decisions and service delivery.
Source: Paul Hallwood and Ronald MacDonald, The Economic Case for Fiscal Federalism in Scotland, Fraser of Allander Institute/University of Strathclyde (0141 548 3958)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Sep
A report (by campaigners for greater community participation) examined the experiences of people who had worked with the Scottish Parliament or Executive in its first four years. It highlighted increased participation in the policy-making processes since devolution, but called for deeper and broader consultation and for improved monitoring of participation.
Source: Julia Fitzpatrick, Room for More Views: Sharing power, shaping progress, People & Parliament Trust/Scottish Human Services Trust (0131 538 7717)
Links: Report (pdf) | SE press release
Date: 2004-Aug
The Labour Party in Wales published its response to the Richard Commission on the future of the Welsh Assembly. It promised that the Assembly would be given more powers to amend legislation: but it ruled out tax-raising powers for the Assembly and reducing the number of Welsh MPs at Westminster.
Source: Better Governance for Wales, Wales Labour Party (029 2087 7700)
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2004-Aug
A think-tank report said that public bodies in England s three northern regions were doing little to prepare themselves for the advent of elected regional assemblies.
Source: Warren Hatter and Kate Turney, Are We Ready for Regions?, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Report (pdf) | NLGN press release
Date: 2004-Aug
The Welsh Assembly Government announced that three largest quangos in Wales - the Welsh Development Agency, the post-16 education funding body ELWa, and the Welsh Tourist Board - would be absorbed within the assembly government.
Source: Press release 14 July 2004, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: WAG press release | WLGA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
The government announced that it would delay the referendums for elected regional assemblies in the North West, and in Yorkshire and Humberside. It cited concerns about the security and robustness of postal voting. But referendums in the North East would go ahead, in November 2004. Campaigners called the delay a 'backwards step for democracy'.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Debate 21 July 2004, columns 374-428, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 22 July 2004, columns 501-515, TSO | Press release 22 July 2004, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000) | Press release 22 July 2004, Centre for Public Services (0114 272 6683)
Links: Hansard21 July | Hansard 22 July | ODPM press release | HOC Library research paper (pdf) | CPS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
The Welsh Assembly Government published its annual report for 2003-04. It said that big steps forward had been made over the previous year in implementing commitments made, and it was on target to deliver on its priorities.
Source: The Report of the First Minister May 2003-April 2004, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report | WAG press release
Date: 2004-Jul
The government published a draft Bill on the proposed powers and responsibilities of elected regional assemblies.
Source: Draft Regional Assemblies Bill: Policy Statement, Cm 6285, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | ODPM press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
A report said that imposing elected regional assemblies on existing regional governance structures would exacerbate current problems in decision-making and accountability, and lead to an upward drift of functions from local to regional level.
Source: Towards Elected Assemblies in the English Regions: Where does local government fit in?, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000) and County Councils Network
Links: Report (pdf) | LGA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Apr
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission published a report dealing with a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, one of the key requirements of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
Source: Progressing a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland: An update, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (028 9024 3987)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Apr
A report argued that the functions of elected regional assemblies should be widened to include: dealing with planning and spatial strategies; allocating housing capital investment; transport powers over roads and public transport, including rail; economic development, job creation and business support; determining the regional skills strategy and leading its implementation, including the funding of adult learning; and rural issues such as agricultural support programmes, land management and forestry.
Source: Regions that Work, Local Government Information Unit (020 7554 2800) and Campaign for the English Regions
Links: Report (pdf) | LGIU press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
An independent commission said that there should be a primary legislative Assembly for Wales in place of the existing body; that in the meantime delegated powers to the Assembly should be expanded; that it would be desirable, but not essential, to confer tax-raising powers on the Assembly if a legislative Assembly were constituted; that the best alternative electoral system to sustain an increase in Assembly Members would be the single transferable vote system; and that the Assembly should be reconstituted as a separate legislature and executive.
Source: Commission on the Powers and Electoral Arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales, Report of the Richard Commission, Welsh Assembly Government (029 3089 8688)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | WAG press release | Welsh Office press release | ERS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
A report identified the different approaches in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to various combinations of markets, local communities, professionals and managers as models for the National Health Service.
Source: Scott Greer, Four Way Bet: How devolution has led to four different models for the NHS, Constitution Unit/University of London, available from Imprint Academic (01392 841600)
Links: Constitution Unit press release
Date: 2004-Feb
A pamphlet by a minister in the Welsh Assembly Government said that Wales was in a 'uniquely weak position in relation to the rest of the UK' because of the Welsh Assembly's lack of powers. He called on the Labour Party in Wales to co-ordinate its efforts at all levels of government in order to bring about improvements in living standards and public services.
Source: Carwyn Jones, The Future of Welsh Labour, Institute of Welsh Affairs (029 2057 5511)
Links: ePolitix report
Date: 2004-Feb
Researchers examined the link between the devolution of power and the effectiveness of economic policy development across the four countries of the United Kingdom. They produced a database of institutional strategies and best practice statements for policymakers.
Source: Mark Goodwin, Martin Jones and Rhys Jones, Constitutional Change and Economic Governance: Territories and institutions, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2004-Feb
A new book provided a progress report on the effect of devolution during the first terms of the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales.
Source: Alan Trench (ed.), Has Devolution Made a Difference?: The state of the nations 2004, Constitution Unit/University of London, available from Imprint Academic (01392 841600)
Links: Summary | Introduction (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jan