Economic Affairs Committee to kick off its new inquiry on fiscal devolution in England with its first evidence session

At 3pm on Tuesday 19 May 2026 the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee will be holding its first evidence session as part of its new inquiry on fiscal devolution in England.

The committee will hear from Paul Johnson, Provost of Queen's College, University of Oxford.

The inquiry is considering what form fiscal devolution might take in England, its distributional consequences, and what governance arrangements might be needed as more powers are devolved to local areas.

This evidence session, which is open to the public, will be held in Committee Room 3 of the House of Lords. It will also be streamed live and on demand on Parliament TV.

Topics the committee is likely to cover in this session include:

• The case for fiscal devolution and what it might achieve.
• The potential impact of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act.
• Whether devolution work can work in the absence of full tax revenue-raising power.
• The main obstacles to the progress of devolution in England.
• How further devolution could promote regional equality.

Last month the committee published a call for evidence.