城市放权

　　Viva la Wolvolution

　　万岁

　　Few city regions are ready for the powers their leaders crave

　　领导求权若渴，奈何时机未到

　　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.

　　位于西米德兰兹郡的伍尔弗汉普顿是一个十分贫穷的城市，然而再往东边去30英里（48千米）的索利哈尔却是个富裕的郊区，这两座城之间并没有多少共同之处。但是在一点上两地的居民似乎都达成了共识。当被问及是否想成为大伯明翰都会圈的一部分时（伯明翰是该区域最大的城市），当地居民大多都表现出了兴趣缺缺的意思。伍尔弗汉普顿的居民担心在诸多现代化办公大楼的衬托下熠熠生辉的伯明翰就会掌握财政命脉。而在索利哈尔，当地居民担心的是一幢幢新建的政府大楼会破坏他们美美的郊区。“（如果合并了的话，）我们就会在街上看到游行了，”一位两个孩子的母亲尼基·森普特半开玩笑地这样说道。

　　伯明翰.jpg

　　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.

　　大多数大城市区域都在以“都会圈”的名义向政府游说以获得更多的权力。英国财政大臣乔治·奥斯本于12月3日的秋季预算报告中称，其坚持支持“北方强国”计划，并力求为其争取更多的权力，包括为2011年成立的首个都会郡——大曼彻斯特都会郡申请设立一位“都会市长”。 奥斯本表示他乐意接受其他区域成立“都会郡”。11月伯明翰以及“黑乡”（也就是伯明翰西面四个松散的理事会）的政客们联合声明，宣称他们在为建立一个新的都会郡而努力。然而公众的反感之情并不是阻碍其发展的唯一原因。

　　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.

　　大曼彻斯特都会郡取得良好成效的部分原因在于其极度稳定的政治领导能力：不论是其领导人理查德·里斯爵士还是其首席行政官霍华德·伯恩斯坦爵士，都在自己的岗位上工作了近20年。历史和地理环境也同样造就了房产咨询公司仲量联行的乔恩·尼尔这样的人物。曼彻斯特城曾经是棉花贸易的中心，因而周边形成了一圈卫星城。“条条大路通罗马，”尼尔称。随着整个区域逐渐去工业化，而这不仅仅局限于部分区域，20世纪60年代，理事会们开始着手讨论如何更有效率地合作发展。

　　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.

　　共和智囊团的成员之一菲利普·布朗德指出，英国没有其他地区可以拥有同样的政治合作水平了。在西米德兰兹郡问题就显得十分严峻。将黑乡与伯明翰合并一事曾经提上过议程，但是却没有取得任何成效，因为议员们因是否要去“大伯明翰”的名称而大打出手。虽然这两个地区都有近100万居民，但是在其他方面截然不同：黑乡是大型金属冶炼厂的天下，然而伯明翰却到处都是办公大楼。不像曼彻斯特是工党的大本营，黑乡的政治势力是十分多变的，几个边缘席位就能够改变政党的去向。这一切都为理事会的合作共事设下了路障。索利哈尔身为保守党阵营，也被邀请加入都市郡，但对此事并不热衷。

　　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.

　　《伍尔弗汉普顿星快报》记者丹尼尔·温赖特称，各市领导都十分不希望被奥斯本的提议拒之门外。但是尽管推动该项计划的迫在眉睫，当地政客们似乎仍不清楚都会郡该采取何种方式运营，也不清楚合并后的都会郡会走向何方。有人认为这是一种利用闲钱推动落后地区发展的方式；其他人则认为这是一种简化政府服务的方法。不过大多数政治家都讨厌设立都会市长的想法。这可能是因为“我们也找不到一位西米德兰兹先生，”黑乡地方企业合伙人菲利普·加尔各答惋惜道。只要政治领导力得不到改善，放权就会有很长的路要走。