Prosper Response: First Minister regional devolution announcement

First Minister John Swinney has proposed the next stages of the Scottish regional devolution agenda, by placing regional economic partnerships on a statutory footing and holding out the potential for regions to gain additional responsibilities.

Addressing delegates at a major economic conference in Glasgow, the first minister committed to empowering Scotland’s cities and rural economies through statutory recognition if he is returned to office following Holyrood’s elections in May.

Prosper welcomes the first minister’s announcement, which closely chimes to the recommendations made in our Blueprint The Art of the Possible, that the UK and Scottish governments should, in collaboration with business and public and third sector partners, develop the regional devolution agenda in Scotland.

It is particularly important that there is a shared position among stakeholders about the decisions and delivery functions which should remain at a Scottish level or which should be devolved to regional economic partnerships.

The first minister’s statement highlights Sir Anton Muscatelli’s independent review of regional economic development for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar which suggests an emerging political consensus.

Prosper’s chief executive Sara Thiam has welcomed the first minister’s commitment to the regional devolution agenda in Scotland:

“Growth must enable all places and communities to prosper and that is why the first minister is correct to focus on empowering Scotland’s regional economies.

“His proposals are in line with the recommendations in our own Blueprint for the Scottish economy. It is vital that progress is made rapidly following the election, particularly to enable our cities, like Glasgow, to grow and compete with cities elsewhere in the UK and internationally.

“This means that work must start now among the private, public and third sectors to develop a shared understanding on what should be coordinated centrally and what could be best tailored at a regional level. There will be no one-size-fits-all model. Prosper can play a key role in shaping these conversations on regional growth.

“The Scottish Government should also make investment in skills, economic development and planning a priority for the forthcoming Scottish budget. Capacity is needed at a regional level to exercise these powers effectively but, following many years of budget cuts, local authorities have limited resources to deliver for our economy.”