ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In this episode, Marcus and Michael continue their focus on issues and trends impacting the local government sector, including rising local government debt levels, the Government’s plans for Mayoral Development Zones, and what the Makerfield by-election may signal for the UK’s changing political landscape.
They then turn their attention to one of the defining reforms of modern local government: devolution. The discussion explores how powers are shifting away from Whitehall, what successful devolution looks like in practice, and the opportunities, and challenges, it presents for places across England.
In true Star Chamber fashion, the episode concludes with an historical detour into the origins of the modern welfare state. Marcus and Michael revisit the Beveridge Report, the famous Five Giants, and the ideas that continue to shape public services more than eighty years later.
