Reimagining the UK Constitution

Any constitution may seem boring and dull, but it is undeniably necessary. Before discussing reform, let’s take a quick look at the UK’s system. The UK operates as a parliamentary democracy with two chambers, a head of state (the royal family), and an executive. In practice, the executive is the government, which serves as the administrative body. The head of state empowers the executive to act on their behalf and formally signs legislation into law.

The House of Commons functions as the primary chamber, while the House of Lords acts as a reviewer, scrutinizing laws before they are formally enacted. The Commons is elected, whereas the Lords is appointed, with the government of the day and other parties nominating individuals to fill its ranks. Bishops and notable figures, such as donors, also hold seats in the Lords. When I say “appointed,” this includes political appointees. Although there is an independent selection process, political parties still have significant influence.

Secondary chambers exist for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in the form of devolved parliaments and assemblies. These bodies have varying levels of power transferred to them, though the House of Commons retains ultimate authority over the UK as a whole. England, being the largest nation in the UK, does not have a separate body.

The UK’s system operates within a flexible, unwritten constitutional framework—a collection of conventions and gentleman’s agreements. Local government is divided into unitary councils, county councils, and a few elected mayors with limited powers. The current system is highly centralized, with most authority concentrated in the government of the day. England is transitioning from a four-tier system to a two-tier one, but the overall structure remains fragmented, with various arrangements for powers and duties. This patchwork nature of local government cannot be overstated—it includes 21 county councils, 164 district or borough or city councils, 63 unitary authorities, 33 London boroughs, 36 metropolitan boroughs, and over 9,000 town councils.

What does UK local government do? Primarily, it handles social care, alongside a range of other responsibilities including waste management, housing, recycling, council tax collection, and even cultural programs. However, local councils are currently under severe financial pressure, with many facing bankruptcy—a situation not solely due to mismanagement.

So, why is the system centralized? The ability to tax and spend lies almost entirely with the central government. Local governments in the UK cannot independently raise or borrow funds. Instead, they rely on grants from the central government and council tax, which is limited by law and based on outdated property values from 1991. As of 2025, this antiquated system creates peculiar tax rates. Occasionally, local business rates are allocated to councils if they agree to it, but these are far from sufficient.

As local government structures are being reorganized, councils are being merged to address inefficiencies. Yet, the financial strain on councils stems primarily from cuts to central government grants, leaving them unable to bridge funding gaps against rising responsibilities. Social care, in particular, is costly, and councils have been consistently underfunded to meet growing demands.

The voting system operates on a first-past-the-post, or winner-takes-all, basis. Why explain all this? To give you a sense of what needs to change, the extent of the reforms required, and the scope of the challenges ahead. Now, I can dive into what I would do to reform it—it’s going to be a long one. Hopefully, I’ve made this simple, easy to understand, and not boring.

To understand why reform is necessary, it’s important to first examine in detail what local government currently does, what its responsibilities are, and the challenges it faces in fulfilling those duties. I’m not going to cover Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, as in an ideal world everyone would have the same system. Local government in England is broken into two tiers:

• County Councils
  Responsibilities include:
  • Education
  • Transport
  • Planning
  • Fire and public safety
  • Social care
  • Libraries
  • Waste management
  • Trading standards
• District, Borough, or City Councils
  Cover smaller areas than county councils and manage:
  • Rubbish collection
  • Recycling
  • Council tax collection
  • Housing
  • Planning applications
    They also share responsibilities with county councils for some services.

Unitary Authorities (Single-Tier System)

In shire areas, London boroughs, and metropolitan boroughs, one tier of government handles all responsibilities, simplifying administration.

Parish, Community, and Town Councils (Lowest Tier)

Focused on hyper-local duties such as:

• Allotments
• Public clocks
• Bus shelters
• Community centers
• Play areas
• Grants for local organizations
• Consultation on neighborhood planning
  They also have the power to issue fixed penalty fines and sometimes take on additional agreements.

Statutory Duties

Local authorities in England are required by law to provide services including education, children’s safeguarding and social care, adult social care, waste collection, planning and housing services, road maintenance, and libraries. Central government funding since 2010 has significantly impacted their ability to deliver these services effectively.
Examining any council tax breakdown reveals that adult social care and child social care dominate expenditures—a trend that continues to grow as needs increase.

Just a disclaimer here: some of this may be a simplification and may not even cover the strange outliers. Hopefully, you haven’t lost the will to live after reading that explanation. Now it’s time to talk about the reforms.

Okay, reforms off the top of my head.
National assembly (House of Commons), regional assembly (House of Lords) with (regional council assemblies) selecting people to sit in that chamber. Not fully elected house of lords, with a mix of experts and other figures selected to help. These unelected individuals would serve two terms and have no party link.

Mayors are elected to these regional chambers, acting as regional leaders, with these bodies providing oversight to them.

Church of England bishops and vicars would no longer have an automatic seat here. They can still be selected.

You have two councils: metro and rural. Duties should be standardized across all areas. Government departments and bodies should also be decentralized to exist in these regions. For example, the Bank of England’s ability to provide support directly to these places.
These new bodies, with oversight, can borrow, issue local debt, and raise taxes. Local government should be viewed as an important job and taken seriously as one.

This would require breaking up England into regional council assemblies, reducing England’s oversized power at the national level but increasing its power locally. England currently holds 75% of voting power compared to other regions.

Dividing up England could look like: North Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire, North Mercia, South Mercia, West Anglia, East Anglia, Wessex, New Saxony, and Greater London. Alternatively, it could be divided into regions like North East, North West, Midlands, South West, South East, and London. This section is likely to provoke arguments, understandably.
Critically, I would also change the voting system to a Proportional Representation (PR) model and impose limits on donations and campaigning.

In terms of hierarchy, the system would consist of a National Assembly, followed by Regional Assemblies for Scotland, England, and Wales, supported by Regional Council Assemblies.

Naming and Structure

I’m uncertain about what to call these bodies formally, but here’s the outline:

• Regional Assembly:
  Comprised of selections from the Regional Council Assembly, including figures like elected mayors, a small number of councillors based on election results, experts, and additional key contributors. This assembly would have a mix of voices to ensure balanced and informed decision-making.
• Regional Council Assembly:
  Composed of councillors elected through local government elections, serving as the foundational layer of representation for communities.

You could then allow the Regional Assemblies to nominate additional, non-voting members to the National Assembly. These nominated members have a place on committees and other bodies.

• National Assembly:
  The highest legislative body, responsible for overarching national policies and laws that affect the entire UK. It operates as the central authority in governance.
• Regional Assemblies (Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales):
  These act as intermediary bodies, bridging the gap between the National Assembly and Regional Council Assemblies. They represent regional interests and oversee legislation specific to their respective nations. Members are a mix of elected representatives, experts, and others selected to bring specialized knowledge to the table.
• Regional Council Assemblies:
  Made up of councillors elected through local government elections, these assemblies focus on localized governance and decision-making. They select individuals, such as mayors and experts, to participate in Regional Assemblies. Their role is to manage local priorities while feeding regional perspectives into higher levels of governance.

Federal Parliament, Federal senate and regional senate, local government forum. This what I would call it. Now we get to Judicial reform which is natural next step. Civil and criminal courts to reform. Current system looks like this.