English devolution white paper
England’s metro mayors could receive new powers over regional innovation funding under the white paper on devolution in England published in December. The plans indicate that mayors will be handed new powers to attract international investment, including collaborating with UKRI and Innovate UK to produce joint plans that shape long-term innovation strategies.
Controversially for fans of England’s complicated local government map, district councils in England would be scrapped, moving all councils to unitary status – with those unitary authorities then being strongly encouraged to group together to form combined authorities under an elected mayor where one doesn’t exist already. This element of the proposals is likely to suck up a lot of political bandwidth, not least from Labour’s local government base, but would represent the biggest shift to English councils in decades. It is simultaneously admirably ambitious, whilst also in other ways not ambitious enough – the financial savings it could make will barely touch the sides of the fiscal chasm facing council finances, and it still leaves the underlying structure of local government unchanged and often lacking in democratic accountability. Also conspicuous by its absence in the white paper is any element of fiscal devolution to the English combined authorities – they will have no ability to set local taxes, and they remain reliant on Whitehall for their funding.
Nevertheless, the opportunities it could afford for universities to form closer links with their local unitary authorities and combined authority mayors and to steer research and innovation funding towards regional economic priorities are significant. The question will be how willing HE and research stakeholders are to put their heads above the parapet and support the proposals.
Other news in brief
- REF 2029 Panel Chairs named: In early December, it was announced that Professor Jane Falkingham FAcSS (VP Engagement & International, University of Southampton) will chair Main Panel C: Social Sciences in the 2029 REF process.
- REF 2029 publishes People, Culture & Environment pilot guidance: The new guidance structures the proposed framework around five factors that the REF team claim will “enable positive research culture”: strategy, responsibility, connectivity, inclusivity and development. Universities will need to demonstrate that they have “robust, effective and meaningful plans” to enhance the sustainability of the research culture and environment, and that they are upholding “the highest standards of research integrity and ethics”.
- Russell Group call for inflation-linked QR: In a new briefing note, the Russell Group raised concerns that long-term erosion of quality-related research funding could undermine its benefits. The briefing notes significant declines in the value of QR funding over the last 15 years, and argues that growing pressure on such a major support for university research is “putting the returns it can deliver for the UK’s economy and society at risk”.
- Freedom of Speech (HE) Act: In a surprise move, the UK Government has resuscitated the (hitherto paused) Act on freedom of speech initiated by the previous administration. However, Bridget Phillipson added that she would seek a repeal of the act’s legal tort, which would allow those who feel they have been silenced by universities a legal route to seek compensation in the courts (there’s a good write-up here). She also said she would look to row back on the legislation’s jurisdiction over students’ unions.