F21: A Framework for England in a Federal UK
Submitted by: Federal Policy Committee
Mover: Cllr Prue Bray.
Conference believes that:
The UK s constitution is no longer fit for purpose, failing to deliver appropriate representation, disempowering communities and risking the break-up of the UK.
Too much power and control over people s lives is hoarded in Westminster and Whitehall, especially in England, with regions and communities excluded from decision making over their areas, leading to a dangerous sense of powerlessness and alienation from government.
Power and decision making should be dispersed as widely as possible across the UK, which is best delivered through a federal system of government.
I READ the article by London-dwelling George Foulkes ( Devolution should change to work for whole of UK , The Herald, March 5) with some interest. I wonder if he did the same before submitting it. Devolution in Scotland and Wales is working reasonably well, but is still not satisfying for most people. Northern Ireland has to contend with the consequences of a UK Government which put Brexit ahead of its constitutional duties. In Scotland our public services tend to be better staffed and remunerated than in England: our waiting times statistics much better: private provision (started in England by Labour’s Market Testing) largely squeezed out. There is little demand to return police and fire services to a regional level: would Lord Foulkes dismantle the Met for borough control?