The chancellor did not ignore Leeds – it will be at the heart of the West Yorkshire combined authority's devolution deal, giving the region new powers over skills, business support and transport.
In order to survive, an over-centralised politics has had increasingly to endorse centrifugal forces, in proportion to its overall loss of civic authority, and devolution has helped this.
Announcing the new agreement to the Holyrood chamber, the Scottish finance secretary, Derek Mackay, said the measures "will deliver the most significant empowerment of local authorities since devolution and provide additional funding to support local services".
"For the first time in the dispute over Gibraltar," Mr. Sánchez said, "the Spanish government is on the side of the British, which is even more paradoxical since this is exactly the kind of issue that should be left to local authorities if devolution is to mean anything in this country".
It may also have to consider measures such as low emission zones and congestion charging across the UK, working with local authorities and devolution partners.
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "The package of local tax reform measures announced at the Budget will deliver the most significant empowerment of local authorities since devolution.
The report identified decentralisation of authority and fiscal devolution as key strategies for urban prosperity.
Now England, Scotland and Wales go out to battle, the bridge authorities having accepted devolution.
"Maintaining the current large numbers of local authorities and increasing devolution of funds to schools will only exacerbate the situation".
Further devolution of authority was dependent on the success of the initiative.
There needs to be devolution of authority: that's the key implication for policy.
