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The Cabinet's commitment to devolution under a new Prime Minister, is clear: it ‘requires a radical shift in where powers and resources lie'.Local government will be measuring Whitehall to see if it delivers.The announcement that ‘high-performing civil servants will be seconded into mayoral authorities to build capability and capacity' smacks a little of ‘Whitehall knows best'. How many civil servants know how to run tax collection or redistribution mechanisms, such as visitor levies and allocated shares of income tax? It might have been wiser to talk of capacity when these are new tasks for all parts of England.It would be better to wipe ministerial powers to interfere in local financial decisions from legislation. However, the more pressing need is to empower councils to set all fees and charges for local services without any central interference and subject only to not exceeding full cost recovery.Empowering mayors to ‘call in' certain planning applications is better than Whitehall having such powers. However, we need to see it accompanied by the removal of such powers from ministers. Devolution should not involve parallel running, with ministers and mayors having concurrent powers.If the Cabinet wishes to see rapid steps to shifting powers, it should focus on asks that the Local Councils Network has long made for local control over fees, charges and council tax.Action can cost nothing if ministers simply don't use their powers – for example, not issuing any criteria about excessive council tax increases for 2027-28 onwards or cancelling the intention to legislate for a cap of 30% on local variations from nationally-set planning fees.It would be better to wipe ministerial powers to interfere in local financial decisions from legislation. However, the more pressing need is to empower councils to set all fees and charges for local services without any central interference and subject only to not exceeding full cost recovery.If private companies can make a profit, why should councils not make a surplus?The model now in place for planning fees should be replicated without unnecessary powers for ministerial interference for all local functions, including licensing.This week's sharp increase in fly-tipping fines should be followed by increases in other penalties such as for car parking offences, which outside London were last changed in 2008.Ian Miller is chief executive of Wyre Forest DC

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DEVOLUTION

Devolution: moving power from Whitehall to local government

By Ian Miller | 07 September 2026

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