Time for a civic surge

WITH their towering columns and gilded clockfaces, the Victorian town halls of England’s northern cities look like the seats of empires. And so they once were. Bradfordian woolmen and Mancunian cottonspinners led Britain’s Industrial Revolution, bringing their cities national clout and global fame. But a century-long suction of power to the capital has turned Britain into an extraordinarily centralised country. Ninety-five per cent of taxes are raised in London, leaving the grand council chambers of the regions to hear debates on parking fines and dog fouling.

Now there is a chance for England’s cities to win back some of their long-lost power. Seeking savings and an answer to English envy of Scotland’s growing autonomy, George Osborne, the chancellor, has offered to cede billions of pounds of spending on transport, education, policing and health to clusters of cities that agree to join together and be run by an elected mayor (see article). The new freedoms, which represent the biggest change...

from The Economist: Leaders http://ift.tt/1FxwYJx