The implications of Brexit for economic development and devolved governance in Cumbria, the North East of England and the Scottish Borders

Mulvey, Gail ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0894-3065 , Cabras, Ignazio, Danson, Mike, Peck, Frank ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1976-154X and Shaw, Keith (2017) The implications of Brexit for economic development and devolved governance in Cumbria, the North East of England and the Scottish Borders. In: Regional Studies Association (RSA) Annual Conference: The Great Regional Awakening: New Directions, 4-7 June 2017, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This paper explores economic, social and governance issues for northern England and southern Scotland associated with the process of leaving the EU. This is important for a number of reasons. While all areas in Scotland voted Remain, the NE had the third highest Leave vote of any English region and fifteen out of the 18 electoral wards in the NE and Cumbria registered a higher proportion of Leave voters than the average for England (53.3%). This is despite the two areas benefiting heavily from EU structural fund investments and experiencing comparatively low numbers of migrant workers. The Brexit vote has led to renewed debate concerning further levels of devolution or independence for Scotland, the future direction of devolution within England and the likely consequences for functional links and policy relations across the Anglo-Scottish Border. Currently, considerable uncertainty surrounds these policy questions. However, a modified version of the Delphi approach is designed to document the views of local stakeholders regarding different scenarios based on (a) “desirability” (the best outcome), (b) feasibility” (technically possible) and (c) “probability” (most likely outcome). This is being applied at two focused events at the Universities of Cumbria (Carlisle) and Heriot-Watt (Edinburgh), supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) within the ‘UK in a Changing Europe’ initiative. These events include local leaders invited from industry, government and academia to discuss the implications of Brexit followed by a ‘Discussion and Answer’ panel. The paper presents preliminary findings from this process and considers the implication for further research.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Departments:	Centre for Regional Economic Development (CRED)
Depositing User:	Anna Lupton
Date Deposited:	15 Mar 2018 16:04
Last Modified:	12 Jan 2024 17:32
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/3672

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