The Covid Inquiry has confirmed in forensic detail what local government has known for years. The British state is too centralised, too improvised and too distant from place to cope with long, uneven crises. The Inquiry is a reminder that when power is hoarded at the centre, people on the ground pay the price.
Local authorities were treated as channels for announcements rather than strategic partners. That is not simply discourtesy from the centre. It is a structural flaw in how power, money and responsibility are organised in the UK. For those working in town halls, combined authorities and the GLA, this is not a footnote to the Inquiry. It is the strongest evidence yet that serious devolution must be a core component of national resilience.
