Tests for the West: Devolution to the West of England

Shortly before Tim Bowles was elected the first ‘metro mayor’ for the West of England, a group of academics, local government representatives, Whitehall officials and trade unionists gathered in Bristol to discuss the opportunities and challenges for devolution to the region.

This event, organised by the British Academy for the humanities and social sciences, was the fifth in a series of discussions held across England as part of the Academy’s Governing England programme. This paper draws out the key insights from the discussion as the new era of devolution in the region begins.