Cheshire East councillors back devolution
18/09/2025
Cheshire East Council has voted to support plans for a Mayoral Combined Authority across Cheshire and Warrington.
Business Leaders Back Devolution Deal Amid Council Disagreement
11/09/2025
Private sector lobby group Downtown in Business has urged political leaders to put aside their differences and ensure Cheshire and Warrington are at the forefront of the new era of devolved power and economic opportunity.
Lancashire Devolution Dialogue at Cotton Court Business Centre
11/01/2024
In a dynamic and thought-provoking event Lancashire County Councillor Aidy Riggott and Simon Lawrence, Director of Growth and Regeneration, spearheaded discussions on the Lancashire Devolution Proposal.
Lancashire devo-deal underwhelming: but you have to start somewhere
30/11/2023
The Group chair and chief executive of Downtown in Business Frank McKenna has cautiously welcomed the ‘Level 2’ devolution deal announced in the Chancellor’s recent
Labour’s Scottish opportunity
30/03/2023
Jim feels Labour have a chance of regaining seats in Scotland because of the Scot Nats poor record on services for which their new leader must take some of the blame.He also reports on a major shake up in local government in Cumbria.
Professor Steven Broomhead MBE: Devolution, local government, and the Warrington Wolves
18/11/2022
Long-serving chief executive at Warrington Borough Council, Vice Chairman of Rugby Super League Club Warrington Wolves, and early adopter and supporter of Downtown in Business, Prof. Steven Broomhead joins Downtown CEO Frank McKenna in the Downtown Den.
Can Lancs have cake and eat it?
20/01/2022
The defection of the Bury South MP to Labour has only served to prop up Boris Johnson according to Jim. But his blog this week focuses on Lancashire’s unusual bid for devolution and the challenge faced by small businesses by Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone.
Devolution – What Next?
16/09/2021
Will the new Minister for Housing, Communities & Local Government progress the devolution agenda – or has the King of the North put the Tories off Mayors?
Chop this tall popinjay!
22/07/2021
Has levelling up the North been abandoned? Is the government spooked by voters in Amersham? Jim looks at the prospects for real money and power being devolved to our cities, towns and countryside.
Has devolution for the Liverpool City Region been a success?
16/05/2019
At a recent Downtown in Business Liverpool event, we were joined by Professor Michael Parkinson from the Heseltine Institute and Alison McGovern, MP for Wirral South, to discuss the successes and failures of Devolution for the Liverpool City Region.
Downtown Monthly // Issue 005 // April 2019
30/04/2019
Welcome to April’s DM. In this edition we are asking all about ‘Devolution’.
Manchester still centre stage – but frustration is growing
29/04/2019
Manchester is still the ‘blueprint’ city-region that others watch and learn from. But an hour with Burnham or Leese will tell you that their frustration at the stalling of the devolution project is starting to increase.