By Gráinne Gilmore, head of residential sector & head of research at Cluttons
Devolution is having a moment in the UK, with new PM Andy Burnham promising the “biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen”. He aims to shift authority away from Whitehall and transfer fiscal and operational control to regions and mayors across the UK.
The key question is whether regional teams deliver better infrastructure and services than we’re currently seeing?
Our research into digital infrastructure, and how the UK can improve its 5G and broadband performance, provides an interesting answer. Digital Connectivity (that’s access to connections on your laptop and mobile) might not be the first thing people associate with devolution or economic growth, but it’s a critical part of the modern economy. Estimates suggest improved 5G coverage alone could add more than £230 billion to the UK economy by 2035.
To understand devolution’s impact on digital connectivity on the ground, we spoke to 13 of the 14 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs). What they told us shows why having a more localised approach matters. These regional organisations work closely with the local authorities in their area, and they are close enough to local realities to see where the gaps are, but large enough to coordinate all stakeholders across a whole economic area.
Some MCAs are further along in this journey than others, but it was striking that all understood the importance of digital connectivity in driving economic growth in their areas, which is a goal that unites the country now.
Across the more established MCAs, digital connectivity is being treated as an economic and planning issue, rather than a technical local need. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has a strategic digital connectivity team bringing together local authorities, operators and other partners. It’s worth noting that this was set up under the previous Mayor, now our Prime Minister.
Liverpool has a Director of Digital and Transformation, while South Yorkshire has developed a strategic approach to connectivity as part of its wider economic planning. This sounds simple enough, but the value of this overarching role is highlighted when we look back on our data from hundreds of councillors in 2024. Our survey showed that when asked whether a Local Authority had a digital connectivity lead, three quarters of respondents (76%) said either that their Local Authority did not have one, or that they did not know.
Digital connectivity is a strong example of a critical piece of regional infrastructure that is delivered by a range of organisations and does not always sit neatly within the responsibilities of one council or one government department. There is an essential role in bringing together the different stakeholders, both withing local authorities and industry operators, understand where the gaps are and work out where investment will have the greatest impact.
The more established authorities are increasingly doing exactly that. Greater Manchester is developing more detailed maps of mobile connectivity and using the evidence to inform planning and regeneration. London is looking beyond published coverage figures to understand the experience people have on the ground. West Yorkshire is considering how investment in transport can also support digital infrastructure through a “dig once” approach.
These are disparate examples, but they highlight a deeper point about local governance and its ability to take a long-term view and properly invest in outcomes. Digital connectivity is now part of the infrastructure that allows an economy to function. It affects how businesses operate, whether people can access jobs and education, how public services are delivered and whether new developments can support the businesses and communities that will eventually use them. In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, for example, the combined authority explicitly links connectivity with transport, skills, productivity and innovation as a holistic approach to growth.
Transport networks, housing, education, skills and infrastructure all have consequences that extend beyond the boundaries of an individual council.
There is a role for national government in setting the framework and for councils in understanding their local communities. Regional government can play the role of joining these priorities together across a wider economic area. And when it comes to digital connectivity, without this regional oversight, digital infrastructure can fall down the list of priorities, causing problems and bottlenecks further down the line, which can be expensive in terms of lost productivity. Our research shows that newer authorities are still developing their approach to digital connectivity, while more established authorities have had years to build relationships, expertise and data. There is a real chance here for the more established MCAs to act as a blueprint for ‘younger’ and the future MCAs to help get them up to speed very quickly, which will, in turn, garner faster results when it comes to digital connectivity – a key pillar underpinning economic growth.
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