Imagine local government minister John Healey as Richard III, and Lord Smith of Wigan as his trusty accomplice. The minister and the chairman of Greater Manchester Authorities have been united, not in usurping the throne of England, but in the more prosaic task of devolving economic power to city regions. There comes a moment in Shakespeare's play when Buckingham breaks with Richard, leaving the king reflecting ‘Hath he so long held out with me untired, And stops he now for breath?' Such a moment seems to have been reached between the minister and the city region which, so far, has been held up as the model of partnership in respect of the rapid development of its multi-area agreement (MAA) with the Government. The problem has come over the establishment of economic prosperity boards (EPBs). These are designed to give local councils the chance to create corporate bodies to promote economic development. Lord Smith already has a business-led economic commission in place, and doubts whether the EPB is worth bothering with. This is because he doubts if the Government is serious about its devolution promises. Among other demands the troublesome peer wants are the powers and budgets relating to learning, skills and Jobcentre Plus, and more influence over health spending. Greater Manchester has applied to be one of the first regions to be given statutory powers, but appears to doubt the value of the bid. Lord Smith says progress on the development of the MAA is slow. What is being offered is a bureaucratic set-up, working through government agencies, with little incentive for councils to participate. Cynics always doubted that Ministers would release real power to groups of authorities. King Healey must prove himself – or face his Bosworth Field.
