Tory devolution is not real devolution. Under Labour, things will be different

We need to be honest: devolution with a Conservative government just can’t make the difference it should. Yes, there are success stories – you only need to get on a bus in Manchester or Leeds to see that. But in too many parts of England, devolution hasn’t really meant anything to the people who need it most. Tory devolution isn’t real devolution.

I suspect if you walked down a street in Bedlington or Stanley and asked people what devolution has done for them, most wouldn’t know what to say. But if you ask them what their family needs, or what their town has lost, you’d get answers that cry out for action. People in the North East have seen entrenched poverty become all too normal and their public services safety net dismantled. Local government here has suffered disproportionately, with the deepest cuts imposed upon the most deprived council areas in the country.

Recently, our local authority leaders signed a new devolution deal that will be the first step to controlling our own destiny, and they are to be congratulated on getting a better deal than some other areas. But one local leader has said it is laughable to suggest this deal comes even close to offsetting Conservative cuts to council services. An MP described it as “the crumbs off the table”.

For the last three and a half years, we’ve had a small devolution deal in place in part of the North East, with the existing mayor’s office now set to be scrapped and a new mayor elected. To date, devolution here has had a mixed track record.

Let me put this as simply as possible; Tory devolution is not doing the job because it’s not as ambitious as Labour’s plans. I’ll give you one key example of Tory failure from here in the North East. In Northumberland, one of the council areas in the existing deal, devolved “decision-making” has created just 58 real jobs. This is the county where, in towns like Ashington and Blyth, one in three children are growing up in poverty and high streets are in despair. The blame for this lies at the feet of the Tory government, but while we await change in Downing Street, we need to ask ourselves what else can be done to change lives.

The Labour Party will soon begin to select a candidate for the new North East mayoral post. I’m putting my name forward to be the first mayor for our incredible North East because I want to secure the change people need and give our region the voice we deserve. The North East should be known as the home of real opportunity. That’s our future. As police and crime commissioner, I’ve used every tool available to me to improve lives, fight the effects of poverty and make our streets safer. Through my violence reduction unit, I’m giving community centres vital funding, in effect bringing back SureStarts by stealth. I’m doing that because we can’t simply arrest our way out of crime: we have to create real opportunity and help people achieve their full potential regardless of their background.

But that’s just the start of what we can do as a party to help improve lives. The Labour Party has announced plans to kick off true devolution in the New Britain report, authored by Gordon Brown. It’s set to be followed by a take back control bill under the next Labour government, creating a fundamental shift in the balance of power so that people can elect councillors and mayors who are empowered to deliver on their needs.

I really believe in the hope devolution brings, and I know the Labour leadership expect people like me to push them harder and further so our communities have the power to thrive. For me, this is another reason why we desperately need a Labour government with Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. Until then, it’s time to make devolution matter to those who need it most.