Devolution and Local Government.

Headline position.

Local government: Devolved finances via LST (already in platform), devolved enforcement of sound toll and rental imputation mechanism, significant funding restoration.

Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland: "Stronger together, but your choice." Commitment to give Common 10 years to deliver results. Independence referendum commitment: 5–10 years into first term of office (post-2029), with Brexit-style "confirmatory second vote 12 months later" mechanism to prevent narrow margin regret.

Local Government Policy.

Funding Restoration.

• Local government revenue funding down ~40% real terms 2010–2024. Social care and children's services consume most of what remains.
• LST replaces council tax (already in platform). Revenue-neutral at aggregate level but redistributes burden more fairly.
• Additional central grant funding restoration: £5bn/year by Y3, phased.
• Capital funding for local infrastructure: £2bn/year dedicated fund for regional infrastructure, allocated by formula not bidding (which favours well-resourced councils).

Devolved Enforcement.

• Sound toll (already in platform) and rental imputation mechanism enforced at local authority level
• Local authorities receive portion of revenue as reward for enforcement
• Creates genuine alignment: councils benefit from enforcing rules that reduce foreign ownership and second-home speculation

Structural Reform.

• Review of local government structure in England (currently incoherent mix of unitary, two-tier, combined authorities): commitment to simplify, not timeline
• Metro mayors continued where they work (West Midlands, Manchester, etc.): formalise where clearly delivering
• Parish/town councils maintained: they work well at local scale

Devolution to English Regions.

• Fiscal devolution to metro mayors and county combined authorities: proportion of LST retained locally, discretion over spending
• Housing allocation powers genuinely devolved: national framework, local delivery
• Skills funding devolved (ties to industrial policy regional organiser framework)

Cost: £7bn/year local government restoration by Y3, maintained. £2bn/year regional infrastructure fund. Total ~£9bn/year by Y5.

Devolved Nations.

Scotland.

Position on independence:

• Recognise the 2014 referendum was decisive and the 2016 Brexit referendum changed the constitutional context
• Commitment: one referendum opportunity within 5–10 years of taking office, pending sustained polling support (e.g. 55%+ over 12 consecutive months in independent polls, establishing genuine demand rather than transient discontent)
• Confirmatory vote 12 months after initial referendum if Yes wins narrowly (<55%) to prevent Brexit-style regret
• If No wins: 25-year moratorium on further referendums (generational settlement)
• If Yes wins confirmatory: negotiated separation on reasonable terms

Policy offer to Scotland during first term:

• Rolls-Royce SMR factory investment includes Scottish manufacturing component (Glasgow/Inverness)
• Industrial policy explicitly includes Scottish manufacturing base (BAE Clyde, Leonardo Edinburgh)
• Housing policy applies in devolved framework: Scotland runs its own but LVT model available to be adopted
• Net Zero and renewable energy investment disproportionately benefits Scotland

Wales.

Position: Similar framework to Scotland but with different polling reality (much lower current independence support). Referendum available under same framework but polling threshold unlikely to be reached.

Policy offer to Wales:

• Welsh industrial base explicitly in reindustrialisation plan
• Airbus Broughton wing manufacturing site conversion to wind turbine production. This is the single most strategically important Welsh commitment in the platform.
• Rolls-Royce aerospace presence supported and expanded
• Steel (Port Talbot): no more closures, green steel transition properly funded
• Welsh language support continued
• Cross-border coordination with English North-West manufacturing cluster

Northern Ireland.

Position: Good Friday Agreement sacrosanct. Border Protocol arrangements managed with pragmatism, not ideology. Specific commitments:

• Border trade flows maintained
• NI Protocol / Windsor Framework accepted as working arrangement
• Investment in NI industrial base (shipbuilding at Harland & Wolff, aerospace at Bombardier/Spirit AeroSystems Belfast)
• Power-sharing supported; no position on constitutional question except "decided by the people of NI per GFA"

English Regions.

• Metro mayor framework strengthened
• "Northern Powerhouse" and "Midlands Engine" framing retired (both were hollow), replaced with concrete regional investment commitments
• Transport investment rebalanced toward North (covered in the Transport briefing)

Costs.

Revised running headroom: Y5 £15.5bn remaining / Y10 £47bn remaining (comfortable)

Strategic Framing.

Local government dysfunction is a silent crisis that affects every voter directly (potholes, bins, social care, planning, libraries) but rarely becomes the headline political issue. Committing seriously to local government restoration is under-priced politically: you get significant credit from council leaders, local press, and engaged voters without needing to fight a national air war on it.

On devolution, the framing is: "We are not afraid of your vote. If you want independence after we've had a chance to fix the country, you can have the vote. But give us the chance first, because what we're offering works for you too."