UK Prime Minister announces plans to devolve national taxes to local mayors- completely ignores spending and proven failures to control local budgets!
Is it a coincidence that the elections for the mayoralty of Greater Manchester (vacated by Prime Minister Burnham) is being held today?
PETER HALLIGAN
From Brave AI:
“Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a major devolution plan to allow English metro mayors to retain and spend a share of the income tax and business rates collected in their regions. This initiative, described as the largest transfer of power from Westminster in a generation, aims to end the “begging bowl” culture where local leaders relied on central government grants.
“Under the new rules, mayors will begin retaining a portion of business rates from April 2027 and a share of income tax from spring 2028. These funds will replace existing ring-fenced grants, giving local leaders greater flexibility to invest in public transport, housing, and skills development without Whitehall approval. The specific percentage of tax revenue to be devolved will be detailed in Chancellor John Healey’s autumn budget. “
“Key aspects of the plan include:
- Fiscal Devolution: Mayors gain control over significant local revenue streams, incentivizing economic growth within their jurisdictions.
- Borrowing Powers: Combined authorities will be able to borrow against future income to fund major infrastructure projects, such as mass transit systems.
- Political Reaction: While local leaders welcome the increased autonomy, Conservative and Liberal Democrat critics warn of a “two-tier England” and potential inefficiencies in a top-down approach.
- Scope: The policy applies to all directly elected metro mayors, covering areas like Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and the North East, though regions without mayors may be left behind unless they adopt similar structures.
There are no constraints placed on ‘metro mayors and the corruption and lack of oversight detailed here – remain in place:
A 20-minute video that explains the multi-billion pound scam that will bankrupt half of ALL UK councils in the next five years
This is a blatant attempt to recapture the ground lost in recent local elections:
(100) The UK ‘mid-term’ local authority election results are almost all counted – the real work needed to fix local authority finances MUST now begin
There are obvious questions:
Will the drop in taxation to the central government lead to an increase in the UK’s overall fiscal deficit?
How much central government spending will also be reduced via the ‘devolution mantra? There is a lack of balance between reductions in spending funded by the central government and local spending
How much will metro mayor staff levels need to be increased to administer the ‘scheme’. Will staff be transferred from the central government ministries- education/welfare/defence/health pensions etc?
What is the evidence that the principle of devolution even works?
(100) Initial thoughts on the first signs of policy from the putative head chimp of the UK’s Labour ‘government – government by post code and DEVOLUTION away from the Westminster bubble.
On the face of it, there is proof that devolution leads to worse fiscal outcomes- it worsens the fiscal position and makes the component deficits far worse than the aggregated total.
To me this is the latest step in the socialist plan to destroy the UK.
Energy prices the highest in the western world and the confiscation of prime agricultural land for useless renewables- check
Open borders and the placing of 100’s of thousands of (diseased?) foreign criminals in HMO’s throughout the country’s villages, towns and cities- check
Failure to analyse the impact on national health of th experimental C19 mRNA gene altering injections- check
Failure to adequately fund national defence – check
Abolition of the jury system – check
Failure to arrest and deport the 43,000 terror suspects – check
“MI5 is aware of more than 43,000 people on its terror suspect watchlist, a figure that doubled from the previous year’s reported 20,000 to 23,000 suspects.
- Breakdown: Of the 43,000 individuals, approximately 3,000 are classified as “subjects of interest” under active investigation, while the remaining 40,000 are on a secondary list with lower immediate threat levels.
- Composition: Estimates suggest that 90% of those on the list are Islamist extremists, with the vast majority (around 39,000) being jihadists.
- Context: The increase includes individuals who have never traveled to the UK but whose details were shared by foreign intelligence services to alert MI5 if they attempt entry
Failure to deport foreign criminals – check:
“As of June 30, 2025, there were 10,772 foreign nationals in prison in England and Wales, representing 12% of the total prison population of 87,334. This figure marks the highest number of foreign-born inmates since records began in 2015, with the population growing at a rate significantly faster than that of British prisoners.
The most common nationalities among foreign national offenders are:
- Albanian: 10% of foreign prisoners
- Polish: 7%
- Romanian: 6%
- Irish: 6%
- Indian: 3%
While the proportion has remained broadly stable around 11–12% in recent years, the absolute number has risen due to factors including younger age demographics among migrants and higher rates of remand detention.
“For most determinate sentences, offenders serve half the term in prison with the remainder on license in the community. However, for sentences of four years or more for serious violent or sexual offenses, release may be delayed until two-thirds of the sentence is served. Early guilty pleas can reduce the final sentence by up to one-third.
Reductions in time served in prison- check – more criminals on the street.
“For most determinate sentences, offenders serve half the term in prison with the remainder on license in the community. However, for sentences of four years or more for serious violent or sexual offenses, release may be delayed until two-thirds of the sentence is served. Early guilty pleas can reduce the final sentence by up to one-third.
Reductions in the number of military personnel- check:
“Since 2000, the UK Armed Forces have experienced a significant long-term decline, with total personnel numbers falling from 207,000 to approximately 182,000 in 2026, representing a drop of nearly 32%. This reduction is attributed to strategic downsizing, budgetary constraints, and persistent recruitment and retention challenges across all three services.
I am sure if we think about it there are many other areas where the socialist Labour government has worsened the health and vibrancy of the UK (£60 billion in tax increases/ minimum wage increases, VAT on private schools etc).
Can socialist governments be prosecuted for treason?
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(UKR)