Local devolution decisions rest solely with Scotland and Wales, first ministers tell Burnham

The dispute is about who controls the next stage of devolution. Andy Burnham wants local authorities across the UK to gain more powers, following England’s regional model. Scotland and Wales accept that more power may be devolved, but say national institutions must decide how and when. This matters because it tests the boundaries between Westminster, national governments and local councils.

Rhun ap Iorwerth told Burnham that further devolution within Wales was solely a matter for the Senedd. John Swinney took a similar position for Scotland. Swinney said he would work constructively on devolving powers to Scotland, but Burnham assured him he would not bypass the Scottish Parliament.

The talks were described as constructive, but tensions remain. Wes Streeting criticised Scotland for retaining powers instead of passing them to local government. Scottish officials viewed such comments as lecturing. Any future transfer will therefore require cooperation with the national parliaments.

Devolution means transferring decision-making powers, responsibilities and resources from a central government to a national or regional government with its own political mandate. In this debate, Westminster has transferred powers to Holyrood and the Senedd. Decentralisation is narrower: it usually means giving local councils more administrative responsibility while the central government keeps ultimate legal authority. The article uses the terms in a political dispute but does not formally define them.

Wes Streeting described Scotland’s version of devolution as moving power from Westminster to Holyrood. He then asked why more power could not move from Holyrood to local government across Scotland. Burnham’s discussions similarly focused on local employment and reindustrialisation powers.

The distinction matters because the route changes who decides. Devolution within Scotland or Wales involves their national parliaments and governments. Direct decentralisation from Westminster to councils could bypass those institutions, creating the friction already visible at the summit.

Scotland and Wales say internal devolution is a constitutional and political choice for their own institutions. Their national parliaments already hold devolved powers from Westminster. Passing those powers onward to councils changes how government works inside each country, so they argue that the decision should be made locally at national level. It also protects their authority over their own political geography.

Rhun ap Iorwerth told Burnham that further devolution in Wales was a matter for the Senedd and only the Senedd. John Swinney made the same point for Scotland. He said Scotland would work constructively, while noting Burnham’s assurance that he would not bypass the Scottish Parliament.

This position does not reject more local power. It rejects Westminster directing the process. The disagreement has already caused friction, especially after Wes Streeting criticised Scotland for “hoarding” powers. Future reform depends on cooperation among all levels of government.

The debate involves all four nations of the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The political question is whether they should move at a similar pace on regional devolution. Andy Burnham said he did not want Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland left behind as England expanded its regional arrangements.

Scotland and Wales have devolved national governments, led by John Swinney and Rhun ap Iorwerth in the summit discussions. Northern Ireland also has a devolved government, with Michelle O’Neill as first minister, although she missed the meeting after a Sinn Féin-DUP dispute. England is governed through the UK government rather than a separate national parliament or government, while its regions can have mayors.

The summit showed that a common timetable may be difficult. The three devolved nations want their own institutions to control internal changes. England’s model is therefore not automatically transferable across the whole UK.

The UK government is promoting stronger regional government in England. The aim is to give mayors more practical control over local economic policy, rather than leaving every major decision with Westminster. The article links this agenda to employment, reindustrialisation and regional tax revenues. Burnham wants comparable progress across the UK, while Scotland and Wales insist their own institutions must control any internal transfer.

Burnham discussed localised employment and reindustrialisation powers with Swinney and ap Iorwerth. He also pointed to budget measures that would give English mayors more powers over tax revenues. These proposals connect elected regional leaders with economic development, jobs and efforts to rebuild industrial capacity.

The political challenge is applying the model beyond England. Wales’s Lee Waters argued that English regions are often much larger and denser than Welsh regions. He also said the Welsh government already performs many roles Burnham associates with metro mayors, making simple duplication difficult.

Direct transfers from Westminster to Scottish or Welsh councils would challenge the principle defended at the summit. Scotland and Wales say their national parliaments must decide how powers move within their countries. Bypassing those bodies could therefore be viewed as an attack on their authority, not simply as an administrative reform. It would also make cooperation between governments harder.

The warning is visible in John Swinney’s response. He said Scotland would work constructively on further devolution, but stressed that Burnham had promised not to bypass the Scottish Parliament. Rhun ap Iorwerth made the parallel point for Wales, saying the Senedd alone should decide internal devolution.

The immediate consequence could be political friction and accusations of “lecturing” or imposing an English model. The article does not state that Westminster will bypass either parliament. It shows instead that any such move would face strong resistance and could stall wider devolution plans.

An English metro-mayor model is built around large regional populations and dense urban areas. Wales has smaller, less dense regions and a different political geography. That makes it harder to assume that one directly elected mayor could perform the same role as a mayor covering a major English metropolitan area. The same population total does not create the same governing structure.

Lee Waters said English regions typically cover 1.5 to 3 million people, while Welsh regions are much less dense. He argued that Wales is not comparable with the area Burnham once governed as Greater Manchester mayor. He also said the Welsh government already performs many responsibilities associated with metro mayors.

The implication is that Wales may need a different route to local economic power. Burnham’s plans could still encourage debate, but they cannot simply be copied. Any change would need to reflect Wales’s geography and the Senedd’s existing responsibilities.