The signing of Magna Carta 800 years ago was a demand from the provinces for checks and balances on the power of the centre. Then, it was about curtailing the rights of kings. Today, the focus is on limiting the power of central government.

This week, leaders from our largest Core Cities joined together to call for an irreversible transfer of control over tax and spending decisions - with powers devolved from Whitehall to the town hall –freeing-up locally elected and accountable councillors to shape the destinies of the places they represent.
 
The call coincides with a major new report from the think tank ResPublica: ‘Restoring Britain’s City States: Devolution, Public Service Reform and Local Economic Growth’, which makes the case for our core cities – Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield - being given new tax-raising powers, gaining greater control over business rates and retaining a slice of income tax locally.