What is devolution?
Devolution means a central government passes down some of its powers to a lower level, such as a region or a city. The lower level gets its own elected body and can make decisions on those matters.
- Devolved powers are the ones handed down (for example health and schools).
- Reserved powers stay with the centre (for example defence and foreign policy).
- The centre keeps sovereignty: in law it could change or even remove the devolved bodies.
Devolution vs federalism: in a federal country (like the USA, Germany or India) a written constitution divides power between the centre and the states, and the centre cannot take it back on its own. In devolution the powers are lent by an ordinary law of the central parliament.
Why devolve? Decisions are made closer to people, regions with their own identity get a voice, and it can reduce pressure for full independence.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: the devolved bodies
After referendums in 1997β98, the UK Parliament passed devolution laws in 1998. The new bodies began work in 1999.
| Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | Scottish Parliament (129 members, MSPs) | Senedd / Welsh Parliament (called the National Assembly until 2020; 96 members from 2026) | Northern Ireland Assembly (90 members, MLAs) |
| Government | Scottish Government led by a First Minister | Welsh Government led by a First Minister | Power-sharing Executive led jointly by a First Minister and deputy First Minister |
| Voting system | Additional Member System | Proportional list system (from 2026) | Single Transferable Vote |
| Main powers | Health, education, justice and policing, environment, housing, some income tax and welfare | Health, education, environment, transport, Welsh language, some income tax | Health, education, justice and policing, agriculture |
Wales started with weaker powers and gained full law-making powers after a 2011 referendum. Northern Ireland's system came from the 1998 peace agreement: the main communities must share power, and the Assembly has been suspended several times when they could not agree.
The roles of the devolved bodies
- Make laws on devolved matters (for example Scotland's minimum price for alcohol, Wales's 20 mph default speed limit in built-up areas).
- Scrutinise (check) their own government through questions and committees.
- Decide spending of a block grant from the UK Treasury (worked out by the Barnett formula) and, in Scotland and Wales, set some tax rates.
- Represent the views of their nation, including to the UK Government.
By the Sewel convention, Westminster does not normally make laws on devolved matters without the devolved body's consent. It is a political rule, not one the courts enforce.
Existing devolution in England and the debate
England has about 84% of the UK's people but no parliament of its own; English laws are made by the whole UK Parliament.
What exists: the Greater London Authority (an elected Mayor of London and London Assembly, since 2000) and combined authorities with elected "metro mayors" in city regions such as Greater Manchester and the West Midlands (since 2017). They handle things like transport, housing and skills. Recent plans aim to spread such mayoral areas across England.
The debate:
- West Lothian question: MPs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can vote on laws that only affect England, but English MPs cannot vote on matters devolved to those nations. Is that fair?
- Options: an English Parliament; "English votes for English laws" (tried 2015β2021, then dropped); more powerful regions and mayors; or keeping things as they are.
- A 2004 vote for an elected regional assembly in North East England was heavily rejected, showing limited public demand for regional assemblies.
Local councils and how citizens take part
Local councils are the level of government nearest to people. Elected councillors decide local policy and council staff deliver services:
- bin collection and recycling, local roads and street lights
- libraries, parks and leisure centres
- planning permission for buildings, housing
- social care for older and disabled people; schools in some areas
Councils are paid for by council tax, business rates and grants from central government.
How citizens take part: vote in local elections, contact a councillor, sign or start a petition, answer consultations, attend public council meetings, join a residents' or youth council, volunteer, or stand for election.
Impact of devolution on how the UK is governed
- Policy differences: free prescriptions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; no university tuition fees for Scottish students studying in Scotland; different Covid-19 rules in each nation.
- A "quasi-federal" UK: in law Westminster is still sovereign, but in practice it is very hard to take powers back.
- Tension with the centre: disputes over consent to UK laws (for example the UK Internal Market Act 2020) and over Brexit.
- Independence debate: Scotland voted 55% to 45% to stay in the UK in 2014; in 2022 the Supreme Court ruled the Scottish Parliament cannot hold another referendum on its own.
- Courts: the Supreme Court decides disputes about what the devolved bodies may do.
Try it: list five services you used this week (bus, school, doctor, park, bins). For each, guess which level runs it where you live, then check on your council or government website.
Key formulas and definitions
- Devolution: central parliament lends powers by ordinary law; it keeps sovereignty
- Federalism: constitution divides powers; centre cannot remove them alone
- Devolved powers: e.g. health, education, environment
- Reserved powers: e.g. defence, foreign policy, immigration, currency
- Asymmetric devolution: different areas get different powers
- Sewel convention: no UK law on devolved matters without consent (normally)
- West Lothian question: non-English MPs voting on England-only matters
Worked examples
1. A central parliament creates a regional assembly by an ordinary law and can abolish it later. Is this devolution or federalism?
Devolution: the powers were lent by ordinary law and the centre keeps sovereignty. In federalism the constitution would protect the region's powers.
2. Sort these as devolved or reserved for Scotland: health, defence, schools, foreign policy.
Devolved: health, schools. Reserved: defence, foreign policy.
3. Why is UK devolution called asymmetric?
Each nation has a different package: Scotland has the widest powers including some income tax, Wales slightly fewer, Northern Ireland has power-sharing rules, and England has no parliament of its own.
4. A student in Cardiff wants a new crossing near school. Who should she contact first, and how else can she take part?
Her local councillor, because local roads are a council service. She can also start a petition, answer a council consultation, attend a council meeting or raise it through a youth council.
Common mistakes
- Calling the UK a federal state. Westminster is still legally sovereign, so it is a devolved (unitary) state, sometimes called quasi-federal.
- Thinking England has its own parliament. English laws are made by the UK Parliament.
- Mixing up devolved and reserved powers: defence and foreign policy are never devolved.
- Thinking devolution is the same in every nation. It is asymmetric.