Impactful Devolution 03:
A toolkit for regional growth
and industrial strategy
- September 2025
- Alex Bevan
About
About The Future Governance Forum
The Future Governance Forum (FGF) is a progressive, non-partisan think tank focused on reforming the state with the ultimate goal of renewing the nation. We make politically credible recommendations for reforms that can be delivered nationally and locally, build strong networks to test new ideas, and collaborate and use our relationships with public, private and social sector leaders to innovate.
Our current programmes of work explore:
- In Power: how can we reimagine government to make it fit for the multi-dimensional challenges of the mid-21st Century?
- Mission Critical: how can we translate mission-driven government from ambition into action?
- Impactful Devolution: how can we meaningfully and permanently devolve power to regional and local levels in one of the most centralised countries in the world?
- Rebuilding the Nation: how can we utilise innovative models of public and private investment to spur growth and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure?
- Institutional Renewal: how can we reform existing state institutions, and establish new ones, so they are fit for purpose and built to last?
By prioritising these questions we are thinking about new progressive models of governance for the long term. Our working model is to convene experts and find ways in which we can bring perspectives from very different organisations together to suggest ways in which the “how” of government could be more effective at every level.
About the author
Alex Bevan, Research Fellow, Future Governance Forum
Alex has extensive experience in government and previously held policy and campaigning roles at the Labour Party and the Trades Union Congress (TUC). He is a former Chief of Staff to the First Minister of Wales and has worked as a special adviser across finance and economy departments. Alex has led on budget responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and long term industrial policy, developing innovative regional economic policies within government including the Young Person’s Guarantee, Wales’ first Digital Strategy, devolved taxes and a new Economic Mission. During his time in government, Alex introduced reforms to budget-making processes and led on prioritisation for delivery across departments with experience of negotiating across political parties on legislation and policy. Alex has also run successful trade union campaigns securing change on jobs investment and legislation as well as playing a leading role on Welsh and UK elections.
Acknowledgements
This report would not have been possible without the support of Community Union and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners and input from the individuals and organisations listed below (as well as those who spoke to us off the record, and whose names are therefore not listed).
We are very grateful to all our interviewees for sharing their insight and experience. This does not in any way indicate their endorsement of the report’s conclusions and/or recommendations, which are ultimately the views of the author. Beyond the interviewees, the author is also grateful to the following people for their input and review (as well as the patience and support of the FGF team): Kayleigh Wheeler, Harry Thompson, Ben Lucas and Patrick Diamond.
Antonia Bance MP for Tipton and Wednesbury
Matt Bevington, FGF Policy Associate
Gareth Bullock OBE, former Development Bank of Wales Chair
Mark Burrows, Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners
Danny Dickinson, Sunderland Software City
Sam Freedman, Institute for Government
Deontee Gordon, CEO Tech Birmingham (Alabama, USA)
Louise Harris MBE, CEO Tramshed Tech
Simon Jones, CEO, Global Centre of Rail Excellence
Bruce Katz, Author, New Localism
Judith Kirton-Darling, General Secretary IndustriALL
Paul Mason, Author at Council on Geostrategy
Dr Eilish McLoughlin, Dublin City University
Kanishka Narayan MP, for Vale of Glamorgan (interview conducted prior to the MP’s subsequent ministerial appointment)
Roy Rickhuss CBE, General Secretary, Community
Ray Shostak CBE, former head of the PM’s Delivery Unit
David Skelton, Author and Flint Global Partner
JP Spencer, Director of Devolution Policy, Labour Together
Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands