Building partnerships - devolution summit 2015

Local government is facing a major funding challenge as a result of a combination of political economic and demographic factors. As funding has fallen, service demand continues to increase in high-cost areas such as social care. 

There are increasing calls for radical reform of the local government landscape. The prospect of wide scale devolution may offer a way forward for some localities and in 2015 the government confirmed 38 areas across England had submitted proposals for devolution deals. 

However, it is clear that demonstrating good governance is key to both successfully bidding for devolved power and using it effectively. At CIPFA’s Devolution Summit chief executives and directors of finance met to discuss key topics including leadership, skills, partnerships and growth.

This Insight develops those discussions.