Chris Leslie MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, commenting on today’s Government announcement on devolution said:

“Labour supports genuine devolution to all parts of England, as well as to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But communities have heard promises before and they will be no clearer today about looming decisions on funding.

“Devolution needs to be part of a UK-wide plan not a series of one-off deals done by the Chancellor. The Government’s piecemeal approach threatens to leave many areas behind.

“In the last Parliament the most deprived communities were hit the hardest and the North had bigger reductions to local government budgets than in the rest of the country.”