Burnham's Devolution Plan: Power Without Accountability Is a Recipe for Abuse

The Hollow Promise of Devolution

As Andy Burnham pushes his vision for English devolution, the nation watches with cautious optimism. His pledge to return power to local communities is a noble one, but in the absence of real accountability, it risks becoming a hollow promise. When I first heard Burnham speak about his plans, my immediate thought was this: power without oversight is not empowerment—it's a recipe for abuse.

The Abandoned Audit Commission

One of the most telling indicators of how far we've strayed from accountability lies in the 2015 abolition of the Audit Commission. Backed by then-Prime Minister David Cameron, this move was part of a broader campaign to dismantle what he called the 'quangos'—those non-departmental public bodies that were seen as bureaucratic overhead.

"The decision to eliminate the Audit Commission wasn't just about efficiency—it was about control. And control without transparency always leads to chaos."

What followed wasn't just an absence of oversight; it was a cascade of financial mismanagement, corporate scandals, and outright bankruptcy among local councils. Cities like Slough and Croydon became cautionary tales, their budgets hemorrhaging due to a lack of accountability. And now, with Burnham's new powers being granted to mayors across England, we must ask: have we truly learned from these failures?

Devolution in Name Only

The current devolution framework has been crafted more to suit Westminster's political convenience than to enhance democratic governance. The trailblazer deals that gave Greater Manchester and the West Midlands some autonomy came with strings attached. These mayors are expected to report quarterly to select committees of MPs—powerful in theory, but often powerless in practice.

This system places local accountability under a top-down lens. But democracy works best when it is bottom-up, not when officials in Whitehall determine how communities are governed. If Burnham truly believes in the principle of place-based governance, he must ensure that power flows from the grassroots up—and that the scrutiny does too.

The Local Accounting Officer Initiative

There is some light at the end of this tunnel: Burnham's government has promised to appoint chief executives of mayoral strategic authorities as local accounting officers. This is a step in the right direction, but it's only a partial solution.

We need more than just an individual representative—we need institutional structures that reflect the values of transparency and community engagement. A local public accounts committee modeled on Westminster's own committee would go a long way toward restoring trust in local governance.

Where Is the Local Press?

But even with improved internal mechanisms, accountability depends on an active, informed citizenry—and that requires strong local journalism. The Guardian recently reported that 4.4 million people live in areas without a dedicated news outlet. That's not just a statistic; it's a crisis of democratic communication.

"A free press is the backbone of any healthy democracy. When communities are starved of information, they become vulnerable to manipulation and corruption."

In the absence of robust local media, citizens have no way to hold their elected officials accountable. We've seen how this played out in projects like Teesworks, where a culture of secrecy allowed for poor decision-making and questionable financial practices to go unchecked.

A Bold Vision for Reform

What's needed is not just a reorganization of power, but a recommitment to democratic values. The idea of local public accounts committees, first floated in the Labour government's white paper in 2024, deserves serious consideration.

These committees could function much like their counterparts in Parliament—reviewing expenditures, investigating financial irregularities, and publishing findings for public scrutiny. They would bring the weight of institutional oversight directly to those who govern at the local level.

The Role of Media Funding

Of course, such a system depends heavily on informed citizens, and that means restoring support for local journalism. A proposal floated by former Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy—a tax on social media giants to fund local news—should be explored seriously.

This isn't about censorship or government control; it's about ensuring that every community has a voice and a watchdog. It's about giving people the tools they need to participate in their democracy, not just observe it from afar.

Conclusion: Accountability Must Keep Pace

Andy Burnham's vision for English devolution is ambitious, even hopeful. But if we are to avoid repeating past mistakes, accountability must be embedded at every level of this transformation. The public deserves nothing less than a government that is both empowered and transparent. Without it, the promise of devolution will remain nothing more than a hollow promise.

We must ask ourselves: Are we willing to invest in the systems that keep power in check? If not, we risk handing control over to those who might abuse it for their own gain—and that is a far greater threat to our democracy than any political disagreement ever was.