Akash Paun
Programme Director for Devolution , Institute for GovernmentAkash Paun is Director for Devolution and Local Government at the Institute for Government (IfG) in London. He oversees a programme of work on the state of devolution and local government in all parts of the United Kingdom, with a particular focus on the powers, performance and policy choices of mayoral strategic authorities in England. Akash has previously worked at the UCL Constitution Unit, the British Academy, the London School of Economics, and as an expert adviser to the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales.
My Speaker Sessions
Friday 27 November 2026
Devolution or déjà vu? Is the Burnham agenda real devolution or recreating the Government Offices of the Regions
As metro mayors take on ever-broader powers, Akash Paun of the Institute for Government asks a pointed question: is Andy Burnham's devolution agenda genuinely shifting power away from Whitehall, or simply recreating a regional tier of government reminiscent of the old Government Offices for the Regions? Or even recreating Whitehall at a regional level? Drawing on the IfG's experience, Paun will examine whether current arrangements amount to real local autonomy — or a rebranded version of central control.
