Think tank urges devolution deal and metro mayor for Glasgow

The Herald Scotland

12 hours ago

The Missing Piece in the Big Cities' Jigsaw urges the Scottish and UK governments to work together to create a mayor-led combined authority covering the Glasgow city region, and to devolve significant powers and long-term funding similar to those granted to English metro mayors such as Andy Burnham and Andy Street.
However, Susan Aitken, the SNP leader of Glasgow City Council, and Chair of the Glasgow City Region Cabinet, said the think tank did not understand 'what is already happening' and that the 'misplaced preoccupation with regional mayors' was one of the region's biggest barriers to progress.
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The think tank's report comes just days after Rachel Reeves confirmed five new 'integrated settlements' for English mayoral authorities. This flexible pot of long-term funding hands city leaders cash to spend how they please on housing, transport and other areas.
But Glasgow, despite having a larger population and economy than many of those areas, was not included.
In its report, the Centre estimates that if Glasgow's economy performed in line with comparable cities internationally, Scotland's GDP could be 4.6% higher, the equivalent of adding another oil and gas sector to the national economy.
Glasgow accounts for 1.5% of total UK economic output despite covering just 0.3% of the land area, and an even larger share of the Scottish economy, supporting more than 580,000 jobs.
Yet the report warns that local government in and around Glasgow lacks the tools to deliver the growth required.
(Image: Colin Mearns)
While powers over issues such as planning and transport exist at local authority level, they are split across multiple councils, creating what the report calls a 'coordination challenge.'
The Centre for Cities report argues that Glasgow has been 'left out in the cold' as the UK Government has spent the past decade filling in the map of English city-region devolution.
It says the UK and Scottish governments should treat Glasgow as a priority for reform, and calls on Holyrood to legislate to allow for the creation of combined authorities in Scotland.
'Scotland was a devolution leader in the late 1990s with the transfer of power from Westminster to Holyrood,' the report says. 'But devolution stopped at Holyrood, meaning that a number of economic powers were simply moved from one ill-fitting geography to another.
'Any supporter of devolution should see that the next logical step would be to continue to devolve relevant powers down to the areas that Scotland's many economies operate over on a day-to-day basis.
'Not doing so in Scotland means that it has gone from devolution leader to devolution laggard.'
The report recommends using the eight-council Glasgow City Deal area — which includes Glasgow City, East and West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire — as the core geography for a new combined authority.
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Centre for Cities chief executive Andrew Carter said: 'English cities with metro mayors have in the last week been allocated billions to invest in local public transport networks and R&D. Scotland too needs its big cities to make a greater contribution to the economy.
'A directly elected mayor for the Glasgow city region would bring much-needed leadership, accountability and the ability to shape growth around the city's needs.'
Responding, Cllr Aitken said: 'It is simply not true to say Glasgow City Region is currently underperforming in comparison to our English peers.
'However, we do share concerns that, without parity with them on powers and resource, not only Glasgow but also Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast are being disadvantaged by the UK Government.
'Partners in the Glasgow City Region have long articulated our ambition for a meaningful Devolution Deal to build on the success of our City Deal and unleash the massive potential for inclusive growth that exists right along the Clyde corridor.
'That is why we have spent considerable time preparing a detailed proposition to deliver that kind of investment and autonomy to the region — working with both of our governments and, in particular, the Deputy First Minister and the Secretary of State for Scotland.
'In that context, it is perhaps unfortunate that the Centre for Cities did not focus on understanding what is already happening in the Glasgow City Region before recommending it does what it has already been doing for some time.
'It is welcome, however, that the Centre does not believe that Glasgow and other Scottish city regions should be forced to ape English governance and structures in order to achieve the same autonomy or investment.
'The misplaced preoccupation with regional mayors is, at this point, one of our biggest barriers to progress.
'Contrary to the assumptions made by the Centre for Cities, without a mayor, Glasgow City Region has outperformed both Greater Manchester and the West Midlands for growth — and we have higher wages, a more highly qualified population, higher employment and considerably lower levels of child poverty.
"In fact, during 2023, we outperformed all but two of the English combined authorities on growth.
'Glasgow City Region already has a mature, collaborative, democratically elected leadership, which has demonstrably delivered. Local leaders are open-minded about future governance, but what really matters is partnerships, powers and outcomes for people — not personalities or figureheads.'
Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the report's findings. He said: 'The Chamber has consistently called for a single devolution deal for Glasgow City Region.
'Many of the economic development priorities raised by our members, including investment in skills and the delivery of transformative transport projects like Clyde Metro, would be more effectively addressed at a regional level.
'It has now been 11 years since the City Region secured its initial City Deal. That funding is largely delivered, yet other UK cities have since received further powers and investment. Glasgow cannot afford to be left behind.'
He added: 'The time is right for both the UK and Scottish governments to agree a single, ambitious devolution deal for Glasgow. This need not require additional national spending — devolving existing budgets to the regional level would allow for more locally accountable and effective delivery.'
(Image: Colin Mearns) Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said the Scottish Government recognised the city's importance and was already exploring further regional devolution.
'Glasgow is key to driving the Scottish economy, which is why the Scottish Government is partly funding the city region's £1.13 billion growth deal,' she said.
'We are working with partners to explore ways of devolving further powers to regional economic partnerships, including Glasgow city region, with the aim of presenting options to Ministers by the end of this Parliament.'
A spokesperson for Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: 'We have been clear that Scottish regions would benefit hugely from elected mayors, just as English regions have.
'For too long power in Scotland has been held at Holyrood – we need to push devolution back to local communities.'