What Andy Burnham can learn about devolution from Britain’s Victorian industrial cities

By Steve Schifferes, Honorary Research Fellow, City Political Economy Research Centre, City St George's, University of London

Andy Burnham’s central vision is for a devolved system of local government that promotes economic growth and fosters local pride. The prime minister’s approach resonates with something known as the “municipal gospel” that swept through Victorian cities in the late 19th century. This history offers some useful insights into the current challenges.

By the middle of the 19th century, Britain’s rapidly industrialising northern cities began to recognise that they had to take direct action to improve infrastructure…

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