Is Devolution Delivering? Wales, Power, and Public Trust.
By Kaiesha Page
Twenty-five years on, voters are asking harder questions about power, accountability, and outcomes
When Wales voted for devolution in 1997, it did so narrowly, cautiously, and with limited expectations. The creation of a devolved parliament was less a declaration of national ambition than a pragmatic step towards greater self-management. Power, it was hoped, would move closer to the people — and with it, better decision-making.
More than two decades on, devolution is no longer new, experimental, or fragile. It is embedded in Welsh political life. Yet as pressures mount across public services and trust in institutions continues to erode, a more difficult question is emerging: not whether devolution should exist, but whether it is delivering what voters were promised.
From Principle to Practice
The case for devolution rested on a simple idea — that decisions made in Wales would better reflect Welsh needs. Over time, the Senedd has acquired significant powers, particularly in health, education, housing, and transport. With those powers has come greater visibility, but also greater responsibility.
In practice, however, the relationship between power and outcomes has proved uneven. While devolved governance has allowed for policy divergence and cultural recognition, it has not always translated into clear improvements in everyday life. For many voters, the distinction between devolved and reserved responsibilities remains blurred, making accountability harder to pin down.
Public Services as the Measure of Success
Public services have become the primary lens through which devolution is judged. Health and education, in particular, carry symbolic weight — they are areas where Welsh control is clearest, and expectations are highest.
Persistent waiting times, workforce shortages, and uneven educational outcomes have weakened confidence, even among those broadly supportive of devolution. While defenders argue that Wales faces structural disadvantages and long-term underinvestment, critics point to a lack of innovation and urgency.
The result is a growing disconnect between the promise of local decision-making and the reality experienced by service users.
Power Without Trust
Perhaps the most significant challenge facing devolved governance is not constitutional, but relational. Trust — in politicians, in institutions, and in the political process itself — has been steadily declining.
For some voters, devolution now feels distant rather than empowering. Decision-making appears centralised within Cardiff Bay, with limited transparency or meaningful engagement beyond election cycles. When scrutiny feels weak and outcomes disappoint, power can begin to look insulated rather than accountable.
This erosion of trust matters. Without public confidence, even well-intentioned governance struggles to command legitimacy.
The Problem of Political Comfort
One of devolution’s unintended consequences may have been political comfort. Long-term dominance by a single party has created stability, but also reduced pressure for reform. When power feels secure, the incentive to take risks, challenge assumptions, or radically rethink policy diminishes.
Opposition scrutiny exists, but rarely feels decisive. For voters, this can reinforce the sense that politics operates within a closed loop — responsive to itself, but not always to public frustration.
What Delivering Devolution Might Actually Mean
The question facing Wales is no longer whether devolution has symbolic value, but whether it has practical impact. Delivering devolution may require less focus on defending the institution itself, and more on confronting its limitations.
That means clearer accountability, sharper scrutiny, and a willingness to acknowledge failure alongside success. It also means re-engaging the public not as passive recipients of policy, but as active participants in shaping it.
A Settlement Under Scrutiny
Devolution is not collapsing, nor is it universally rejected. But it is being tested.
As trust frays and expectations rise, Wales faces a choice: treat devolution as a settled achievement, or as an evolving system in need of renewal. The future of devolved power will depend less on constitutional debates than on whether it can regain public confidence by delivering tangible, visible improvement.
In that sense, the real challenge for Welsh politics is not defending devolution — but proving that it still earns its place.