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Devolution In The UK

Decent Essays

Devolution allocates central powers and levels of governance within a state to share decision-making. In the United Kingdom changes in the government structure had an impact in planning policy and their function; from the devolving creation of the Welsh Assembly and Scottish parliament due to the unification of England, Wales, and Scotland. The election of New Labour in 1997 facilitated devolution and it created a pressure to establish distinctive and more culturally aligned policies. Economic globalization and the growing wish to increase economical competition have driven regions and urban areas to improve their status, requiring the planning system to reorientate their role, calling the national power into question.
The United Kingdom before …show more content…

However, all of them have taken spatial planning out of the hands of the national government into a local and regional level; with many of their priorities being similar, like education and health. However, we can see the differences in the policy styles and the way public services are managed and delivered. Devolution creates benefits and disadvantages in spatial planning. Local and regional authorities are aware of the needs of each of their own regions, able to create better solutions. The Scottish parliament let to an improvement in spatial planning policy and practice, providing a more strategic approach (Allmendinger, 2002). Devolution in Scotland improved performance in the economy and the public services. Scotland policy making is more consensual; there is the need of consultation and negotiation with groups and networks. The Scottish Parliament has been focusing in improving public involvement, focusing on all levels of planning. Scotland has been experiencing a decline in sovereignty and autonomy due to economic and social policies. Polls over the years have shown that, while few voters think that devolution has done any harm, most feel that it has made little difference (Allmendinger, 2002); meaning that the support of devolution remains high. However, is difficult to judge the effect of devolution on public policies. Scottish planning prioritizes sustainable development supporting

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