Revamping the State Annual Conference 2026: A New Era of Engagement and Innovation

The United Kingdom stands as the world’s fifth largest economy and ranks second in Europe, trailing only Germany. However, it is striking that seven out of the ten most impoverished regions in Northern Europe are located in England. Furthermore, the disparity between the wealthiest and poorest areas in England is among the widest in Europe.

While London boasts the highest average incomes across the nation, it is also home to significant levels of deprivation, with more than 25% of Londoners living in poverty—this figure is a third higher than the national average. This situation has fostered a stark division within one of the wealthiest nations globally, creating economic disparities both between regions and within communities that threaten to fragment the country.

Addressing Regional Disparities

What is required to rectify this situation? The UK is one of the most centralised nations in Europe, and the issues facing us are largely a consequence of this centralisation. In contrast, Germany benefits from a more equitable distribution of power, resulting in significantly less regional inequality. England’s regions have historically lacked the autonomy necessary to extricate themselves from a prolonged trajectory of decline.

Politicians have repeatedly made commitments to address these disparities, but their inability to deliver has ultimately eroded public trust in the political system. The inequalities in wealth that are evident across the nation are intrinsically linked to the uneven distribution of power. The current government is actively working to address this imbalance.

As highlighted recently by Andy Burnham, the approach moving forward involves several key strategies. First, there is a commitment to devolution by default, redistributing power from Whitehall to the regions based on the principle of subsidiarity. This ensures that decision-making occurs as close as possible to the communities impacted by those decisions.

Local Empowerment and Service Integration

Second, the focus will be on place-based delivery, which draws lessons from neighbourhood initiatives and the previous Total Place agenda. This involves integrating local services and creating pooled budgets, enabling resources to be redirected towards priorities defined by local communities. Third, there is a commitment to empower service users in relation to service providers, ensuring that decisions regarding public services are more accountable and responsive to the genuine needs of the populace.

We have established that such measures promote more relational and preventative public services. It is recognised that to facilitate this, resources will be needed to assist service users and communities in reclaiming agency and control. This government is overseeing the most significant transfer of power from Whitehall in a generation, embodied in the landmark English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, which makes devolution the default approach.

New Powers for Local Leadership

The Act grants mayors expanded powers over transport, planning, housing, and regeneration, allowing them to foster economic growth in a more inclusive manner, ultimately putting more money into the pockets of more residents. However, this Act serves as a foundation rather than the pinnacle of our ambitions. We aspire to place more power in the hands of the populace.

Every region that seeks devolution will receive it, and we are keen to deepen this process further, including fiscal devolution. If we are to trust localities to lead, we must also equip them with the requisite tools. Fiscal devolution will create fresh incentives for economic development, enabling local communities to benefit from their own successes and moving away from a convoluted, top-down grant system towards sustainable investment planning.

Innovative Funding Approaches

The introduction of the Overnight Visitor Levy marks a significant initial step in this direction, a practice that is already commonplace in various regions across Europe and North America. With England attracting over 130 million overnight visits annually, local leaders can leverage this influx to channel funds into local priorities.

The Right to Request scheme allows mayors to assume additional powers as their capabilities expand. Following the conclusion of the first round in May, all mayors will now have the authority to make final decisions on mass transit projects, including trams, within their jurisdictions. Furthermore, mayors will be encouraged to take a more prominent role in public service reform, although the complexity of public service boundaries presents challenges that we are committed to navigating.

Pioneering Collaborative Approaches

For the first time, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire will appoint Deputy Mayors for Health, aligning health outcomes with a broader array of influencing services and circumstances. Areas such as Liverpool, South Yorkshire, and the North East are set to pioneer innovative strategies in education, the arts, and flood management, with plans to extend such powers to other regions as effective models are identified.

Many mayors have advocated for greater authority over skills and employment support, especially in light of the alarming statistic that one in six young people are currently not in employment, education, or training. The Netherlands has successfully addressed similar issues through the localisation of these services, and their experience provides valuable lessons.

Empowering Local Communities

Integrated settlements will offer mayors local control over a unified budget encompassing transport, regeneration, housing, skills, the environment, health, and public service reform. This flexibility has already led to tangible improvements, with mayors in Liverpool City Region constructing new stations, facilitating land development for housing in West Yorkshire, and enhancing the bus network in Greater Manchester.

However, the journey toward dismantling Whitehall micromanagement and liberating England’s regions is far from complete. The public’s perception of politics is shaped by the conditions in their immediate surroundings—the state of their neighbourhoods, the quality of their homes, and their overall standard of living. Given the broken promises of the past, public trust in politicians has diminished, leading citizens to seek ‘change you can feel’ within their communities.

Fostering Community Engagement

This necessitates a renewed emphasis on place, where individuals reside, cultivate important relationships, and derive their sense of belonging. Enhancing communities requires granting citizens more direct control. Personal experiences have demonstrated this: during my tenure as a councillor, I assisted a housing estate in Brixton in establishing a residents’ management organisation, resulting in significant improvements in service delivery.

Moreover, I have witnessed community groups—including churches, businesses, and young people—collaborate effectively to reduce youth violence when councils opened funding opportunities and shared spaces for their initiatives. I observed a struggling food market revitalised through a social enterprise that connected businesses, owners, and the council, enabling start-ups to occupy vacant units at low or no rent initially, exemplifying community-led regeneration.

Transforming Governance through Co-production

The crux of the matter lies in identifying innovative methods to ensure service users and citizens have a greater voice in governance. Politicians frequently focus on service providers rather than their users, yet it is the insights of users that drive genuine improvement, regardless of whether services are delivered by the public or private sectors.

The Pride in Place programme operates on these principles, with nearly 300 of the most disadvantaged communities receiving up to £20 million each to enhance the lives and prospects of their residents. Importantly, decisions regarding the utilisation of these funds will rest with local communities rather than politicians, as local residents possess the best understanding of the necessary changes in their areas.

Building Trust through Empowerment

Drawing from this experience, we will implement co-production models and citizen empowerment strategies that grant people a genuine voice in the everyday decisions and public services that significantly impact their lives. This approach represents not only a shift of power from Whitehall to the regions but also a form of double devolution, wherein individuals hold power in their own hands. At a time when public trust in politics is waning, it is imperative for politicians to demonstrate faith in the people; rebuilding trust is essential.

Over-centralisation has weakened our nation, and a new framework is needed to decentralise power to our regions and communities in a manner unprecedented in this country. With the current Prime Minister leading the charge for change and the anticipated next leader also committed to advancing these reforms, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment for those advocating for the transformation of our state, public services, and democracy.

A Vision for an Inclusive Future

The potential rewards are significant: inclusive economic growth that benefits all, public services that respond effectively to the evolving needs of individuals, and a political landscape that honours the places and relationships that bestow a sense of belonging, purpose, and meaning. We inhabit a world marked by profound change, yet if we navigate this journey correctly and reconstruct the foundations that will reinforce our nation, we can collectively face the future with confidence and optimism.