Transcript Beyond the myth of the city

Beyond the myth of the city-state
Tony Travers
LSE
The impact of history on London’s
government
• Long-term evolution of ‘lower tier’ government,
fragmented yet competitive
• Regularly reformed ‘upper tier’ government:
generally weaker than LBs in total
• Beyond the ‘GLC area’ [now GLA) cut-off by
Green Belt
• No ‘regional’ tier [GLA is a city government]
• Whitehall also fragmented into many
departments
• But crucial to London
Consequences of fragmentation
• Location of facilities impacted by the structure of
government
• Issue of borough boundaries
– Libraries at centre of boroughs; undesirable facilities near
boundaries
• Skyline reflects fragmented decision-making
• Development is a complex business
• Barrier to entry by new players?
• Competition probably encourages development
in some boroughs while restricting it elsewhere
Decision-making in London
• Often complex and slow
• King’s Cross; Battersea; Docklands prior to LDDC
• Mediation of pressures for unfettered development by
both democratic and self-interested parties
• But can be fast and effective
• LDDC; Olympics
• Olympics shows how London can move fast
and effectively
• Contract with IOC; national pride; massive public
funding
Is London a city-state?
• Mayors probably see it like that
• London Plan the only ‘regional’ plan remaining
• Devolution occurred in London as well as
Scotland and Wales
• thus, partly ‘constitutional’
• Thus, different to the rest of England
• GLC/GLA boundary reinforces urban/rural
difference
• Demography of London very different to UK as a
whole
But, not really….
• Devolution to London very different to Scotland,
Wales
• London is an integrated part of England
• England is all the UK government has left to govern
• For ministers and civil servants, London is the
most interesting and important part of their
departmental responsibilities
• Whitehall would be damaged by a major shift of
power to ‘devo max’ London
• No public demand, according to opinion polls
How much devolution to London
would be possible?
• London has a bigger population than Scotland
+ Wales
• Bigger GDP than Scotland + Wales + Northern Ireland
• London requires different policy than ‘Middle
Britain’ or ‘Middle England’
• Good arguments for greater devolution over:
• Taxation, public spending
• Public service provision and regulation
• Planning
Challenge of effective and rational
planning of London region
• There has never been an effective
‘metropolitan’ or ‘regional’ London
government structure
• London boundary could be moved outwards
• Dartford, Crawley, Slough, Reading, Watford,
Brentwood – ‘13m London’
• Or Greater South East
• Possibility of interim mechanisms
• SERPLAN+; Regional assembly; TfL extended; Mayor as
‘leader’ of region?
Concluding thoughts
• London has endured and prospered for 2000
years
• But, it has good and bad times
• 1945 to 1985: relative decline
• 1985- to date: relative success
• Hard to see when a major change in fortune
will occur – rarely predicted
• Need for the city to remain flexible and
capable of change
Beyond the myth of the city-state
Tony Travers
LSE