評論
打印
City devolution
城市放權
Viva la Wolvolution
萬歲
Few city regions are ready for the powers their leaders crave
領導求權若渴，奈何時機未到
WOLVERHAMPTON, a poor city in the West Midlands, and Solihull, a rich suburb 30 miles (48km) to its east, do not have much in common. But on one thing their residents seem to agree. When asked whether they want to be part of a large combined authority with Birmingham, the biggest city in the region, many appear unenthusiastic. Wolverhampton's residents fear that Birmingham, which glitters with modern office blocks, would take all the money. In Solihull, locals worry that their pretty suburb would be ruined by more bureaucracy. “There would be a march in the street,” says Nicki Sumpter, a mother of two, only half-joking.
位于西米德蘭茲郡的伍爾弗漢普頓是一個十分貧窮的城市，然而再往東邊去30英里（48千米）的索利哈爾卻是個富裕的郊區，這兩座城之間并沒有多少共同之處。但是在一點上兩地的居民似乎都達成了共識。當被問及是否想成為大伯明翰都會圈的一部分時（伯明翰是該區域最大的城市），當地居民大多都表現出了興趣缺缺的意思。伍爾弗漢普頓的居民擔心在諸多現代化辦公大樓的襯托下熠熠生輝的伯明翰就會掌握財政命脈。而在索利哈爾，當地居民擔心的是一幢幢新建的政府大樓會破壞他們美美的郊區。“（如果合并了的話，）我們就會在街上看到游行了，”一位兩個孩子的母親尼基·森普特半開玩笑地這樣說道。
Most big city regions are lobbying for more powers from the government in the form of “combined authorities”. In his autumn statement on December 3rd George Osborne, the chancellor of the exchequer, confirmed his support for a “northern powerhouse” and for the idea of more powers, including a “metro mayor” for Greater Manchester, which became the first such combined authority in 2011. He said he is open to others doing the same. In November politicians in Birmingham and the four councils west of it, loosely known as the Black Country, announced they would try to form a combined authority. Public antipathy to the idea will not be the only reason they will struggle.
大多數大城市區域都在以“都會圈”的名義向政府游說以獲得更多的權力。英國財政大臣喬治·奧斯本于12月3日的秋季預算報告中稱，其堅持支持“北方強國”計劃，并力求為其爭取更多的權力，包括為2011年成立的首個都會郡——大曼徹斯特都會郡申請設立一位“都會市長”。 奧斯本表示他樂意接受其他區域成立“都會郡”。11月伯明翰以及“黑鄉”（也就是伯明翰西面四個松散的理事會）的政客們聯合聲明，宣稱他們在為建立一個新的都會郡而努力。然而公眾的反感之情并不是阻礙其發展的唯一原因。
Part of the reason why Greater Manchester has done so well is its remarkably stable political leadership: both Sir Richard Leese, its leader, and Sir Howard Bernstein, its chief executive, have been in their jobs for nearly 20 years. Its history helps, as does its geography, points out Jon Neale from Jones Lang LaSalle, a property consultancy.The city of Manchester was once the centre of the cotton trade for a series of satellite towns. “All roads lead to it,” says Mr Neale. Deindustrialisation across the whole area, rather than just parts of it, in the 1960s spurred on councils to work together more effectively.
大曼徹斯特都會郡取得良好成效的部分原因在于其極度穩定的政治領導能力：不論是其領導人理查德·里斯爵士還是其首席行政官霍華德·伯恩斯坦爵士，都在自己的崗位上工作了近20年。歷史和地理環境也同樣造就了房產咨詢公司仲量聯行的喬恩·尼爾這樣的人物。曼徹斯特城曾經是棉花貿易的中心，因而周邊形成了一圈衛星城。“條條大路通羅馬，”尼爾稱。隨著整個區域逐漸去工業化，而這不僅僅局限于部分區域，20世紀60年代，理事會們開始著手討論如何更有效率地合作發展。
No other region has the same level of political collaboration, points out Phillip Blond of ResPublica, a think-tank. In the West Midlands the problems seem acute. The idea of bringing together the Black Country with Birmingham has been mooted in vain before, as councillors squabbled over the name “Greater Birmingham”. The two areas, both with around 1m residents, are distinct: the Black Country is dominated by large metal-bashing sites while Birmingham is mostly full of offices. Unlike Manchester, a Labour stronghold, politics in the West Midlands is easily changeable, with several marginal seats. This makes it harder for councils to work together. Solihull, a Conservative council, has been invited to join the combined authority, but has not seemed keen.
共和智囊團的成員之一菲利普·布朗德指出，英國沒有其他地區可以擁有同樣的政治合作水平了。在西米德蘭茲郡問題就顯得十分嚴峻。將黑鄉與伯明翰合并一事曾經提上過議程，但是卻沒有取得任何成效，因為議員們因是否要去“大伯明翰”的名稱而大打出手。雖然這兩個地區都有近100萬居民，但是在其他方面截然不同：黑鄉是大型金屬冶煉廠的天下，然而伯明翰卻到處都是辦公大樓。不像曼徹斯特是工黨的大本營，黑鄉的政治勢力是十分多變的，幾個邊緣席位就能夠改變政黨的去向。這一切都為理事會的合作共事設下了路障。索利哈爾身為保守黨陣營，也被邀請加入都市郡，但對此事并不熱衷。
City leaders are anxious not to be left out by Mr Osborne's proposals, suggests Daniel Wainwright, a journalist with the Wolverhampton Express & Star. But despite the urgency to push this through, local politicians seem unclear about what form the combined authority will take and what it will achieve. Some see it as a way to boost underperforming areas with extra cash; others as a way to streamline services. And most local politicians still dislike the idea of a metro mayor. Part of the problem is that “there isn't a Mr West Midlands,” bemoans Philip Calcutt, of the Black Country local enterprise partnership. Without better political leadership, devolution will remain a distant prospect.
《伍爾弗漢普頓星快報》記者丹尼爾·溫賴特稱，各市領導都十分不希望被奧斯本的提議拒之門外。但是盡管推動該項計劃的迫在眉睫，當地政客們似乎仍不清楚都會郡該采取何種方式運營，也不清楚合并后的都會郡會走向何方。有人認為這是一種利用閑錢推動落后地區發展的方式；其他人則認為這是一種簡化政府服務的方法。不過大多數政治家都討厭設立都會市長的想法。這可能是因為“我們也找不到一位西米德蘭茲先生，”黑鄉地方企業合伙人菲利普·加爾各答惋惜道。只要政治領導力得不到改善，放權就會有很長的路要走。譯者：朱大素 校對：張娣
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