The Government has failed to clearly define its objectives for devolution in England and must improve transparency about where taxpayers money is going, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned.
In a new report, MPs on the committee raised concerns about scrutiny, transparency and accountability.
In particular, the committee criticised the ‘opaque' accountability of local enterprise partnerships, which are negotiating £12bn of local growth deals over a five-year period.
The committee also said the Department for Communities and Local Government must do more to demonstrate the link between devolution and economic growth, and should ensure devolution benefits all areas.
Committee chair Meg Hillier said: ‘Devolution in England has significant implications for the lives of millions of people. Yet, even at this late stage, and despite concerns raised by us and others in Parliament, the Government still has serious questions to answer.
‘Generalisations about the potential benefits of devolution just don't cut it with taxpayers worried about real-world issues.
‘The public want to know not just who is spending their money and to what end, but also how well it is being spent. The Government's annual report on devolution, published this month, does nothing to address these concerns nor to set out a detailed strategic vision for the programme. Instead, as laws move forward to enable mayoral elections to be held, it appears content simply to document processes.
‘The message is clear and the implications dangerous: combined authorities have signed up for devolution; now it's over to them – full stop. This high-risk strategy is squarely in the sights of our committee, which exists to scrutinise the value for money of public spending.'
