Does England really need more mayors and more academies?

The evidence is thin that either of these ‘reforms’, announced by George Osborne in his budget, will do any good

Did I miss something in all the acres of budget coverage in print, online and on the airwaves? Lots of stuff about “sugaring the pill” as George Osborne tried to dig himself out of a hole of his own devising. Even the blowhard Daily Mail admits that his latest “awesome gamble” is going to need lots of luck.

Overnight coverage contains all the usual Treasury tax figures which never quite convey the snarky details. At least the tone this March is more soberly realistic than it was when the chancellor found an unexpected £27bn down the back of the sofa in November. It seems all the money was lost when the sofa covers were dry cleaned.

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