Member

As has been highlighted, in our opinion, without such assurances, there is a real risk of creating institutions that could be overburdened from the outset and, therefore, set up to fail, undermining confidence in the very model of devolution that the Government seek to advance. My noble friend Lord Gascoigne put it well: ultimately, this comes down to trust. Devolution should not be an exercise in creating new layers without thinking through how they will work in practice. It should be about making the system as a whole work better. This amendment would do exactly that; it would ensure that capability is assessed before powers are granted, rather than after the problems emerge. It would provide reassurances to local partners, Parliament and, crucially, the public that new authorities will be equipped to deliver improved services from day one.