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Andy Burnham's plan to lend out high-performing civil servants to the mayoral combined authorities is a welcome boost to much-needed capacity as the Prime Minister ramps up his devolution plans. Moving between Whitehall and other tiers of government is not as unusual as the announcement makes it appear – there are plenty of examples of those who have made the shift.In fact, under former head of the civil service Gus O'Donnell, spending time outside SW1 was not only encouraged, it was a necessity. He made it clear you had to go out to go up. Many civil servants chose to go ‘out' to local government – with a fair few choosing never to return.The reality may not be so dire – certainly not in all areas – but the reality remains: strategic authorities are sucking up the attention, the cash and the talent, while local authorities are left to struggle with the complex people issues on dwindling finances. So here is the plea: don't forget councils.But Burnham's proposals are a bit different. Devolution is the darling of the new regime and civil servants are likely to see the role as central government delivered at a regional level, rather than local government at a strategic level.Does it matter? Only if it means local government is viewed as ‘lesser'.As the mayoral agenda gathers pace the possibility of real devolution is exciting. It is where the action is. There is a growing gap between the strategic authorities and local authorities.Strategic authorities are central to the agenda, with creativity around economic growth, jobs and skills. They are capital rich, expanding, full of potential and now set to see an influx of high performing civil service stars.Local authorities are a more neglected part of the public sector, battling with the growing demands of social care, temporary accommodation and crumbling infrastructure. They are revenue poor, contracting and restructuring, overwhelmed and facing a potential exodus of senior staff.The reality may not be so dire – certainly not in all areas – but the reality remains: strategic authorities are sucking up the attention, the cash and the talent, while local authorities are left to struggle with the complex people issues on dwindling finances. So here is the plea: don't forget councils.Send high performing civil servants – and local government staff – in to boost strategic authorities – but send them into local government too. And make it a two-way process – there is plenty Whitehall could learn from those on the ground.Much like trying to solve the problems of the NHS without tackling social care, you can't make strategic authority devolution without stability in local government.

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DEVOLUTION

You can't devolve without saving local government

By Heather Jameson | 26 August 2026

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