Ukraine: Decentralisation Reforms
House of Lords · Grand Committee · 9 Jul 2026 · 8 speeches · Official Report
Question for Short Debate
Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Ukraine’s decentralisation reforms; and what steps they are taking to support municipal partnerships as a contribution to Ukraine’s recovery, resilience and reconstruction.
My Lords, I am most grateful to have secured this debate today. We are likely to be approaching a turning point in this war, and the situation requires us to consider how we can underpin Ukraine’s future and facilitate its European trajectory. It was my role for the Opposition in the other place to take forward the legislation for the expansion of the European Union. At the time, there was here in London a particularly impressive Polish ambassador who spoke with great prescience. Several times he said to me that if we did not embrace the country immediately to Poland’s east, someone with very large claws would attempt to smother it. How tragically right history has proved him to be. Since February 2022, we have seen those claws at work, with the horrors of a full-scale war that is now raged against Ukraine. Having recently returned from a visit to Kyiv, and most specifically the Chernihiv region, which borders Belarus and Russia, I start by noting that resilience remains very strong. Ukraine is now emerging as one of the most militarily experienced, innovative and resilient nations in the world today. I do not wish for this debate to be a continuing commentary about the military situation on the battlefield, for what struck me most powerfully was that when I met my counterparts, they did not wish to dwell on the war. They wanted to showcase their resilience but, most importantly, their plans for locally enabled, investment-based recovery. They wanted to speak not only of how...
My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Risby, on securing this important debate; I am only sorry that so few of us are in the Room for it. I also pay tribute to his long-standing commitment to Ukraine, which gives considerable weight and importance to everything he has said. I spent many years in local government, including serving as the leader of a council and as a deputy mayor of London, so I thought I would come at this debate from a slightly different perspective. I have always believed in the importance of localism and the opportunities that come through decentralised decision-making. While it is of course up to the Government to establish national priorities, it is usually local government that ultimately determines how successfully those priorities are delivered on the ground. That is why the pathway to the decentralisation that Ukraine commenced back in 2014 must now be delivered on fully. Despite the fact that Ukraine is literally fighting for its very existence, democratic local government continues to function across the overwhelming majority of the country. Where that is not possible, military administrations running in parallel in the cities provide the additional attention that is needed. Through this system, local leaders across Ukraine, who are deserving of our admiration, have proven how decentralised decision-making has enabled local leaders to respond quickly and more humanely than any national Government could ever do. In many respects, from the...
My Lords, first, I thank my noble friend Lord Risby for securing this valuable debate. Last week, in our debate on the Convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine, my noble friend Lord Callanan noted that, while the war continues, it is right that we look to the future of Ukraine. I will not repeat our overall position on support for Ukraine, as my noble friend set it out very clearly last week, but the Official Opposition will always support the Government in backing Ukraine in the face of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine. Across the House and across political divides, we must all work hard to maintain the consensus in support of the Ukrainian people. As my noble friend Lord Risby mentioned, since 2014, the decentralisation process in Ukraine has progressed significantly, strengthening local self-governance and improving the Ukrainian state’s ability to deliver public services. That process has established local governments across Ukraine that retains more than half of the tax collected in their area. This means that more money stays in the communities where it is collected, and it should be spent to the benefit of local residents. Can the Minister say whether His Majesty’s Government are monitoring the impact of the reorganisation of government in Ukraine and its impact on the quality of the public services that are available to the Ukrainian people? Support for Ukraine should not stop at funding and military training. Our strong tradition of...
Baroness Chapman of Darlington
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Risby, for securing this debate. I know that it has not been the biggest draw of the day, as far as Parliament is concerned, but the quality of the contributions has more than made up for that. The noble Lord, Lord Risby, made some thoughtful suggestions based on his extensive experience of working in Ukraine. I promise him that we will continue to look at ways to work with our Ukrainian friends as part of our commitment set out in the 100-year partnership and that we will explore his various suggestions. I also thank the noble Lord, Lord Udny-Lister, for his important contribution. Having a short debate is great because we can name each properly and not just say, “All those present”. The illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia continues to cause immense pain and suffering. I absolutely accept the encouragement from the noble Lord, Lord Risby, not to focus on only conflict, but, last week, Russia launched around 500 drones and 70 missiles, aimed primarily at Kyiv, killing at least 30 civilians and injuring nearly 90. The scale of damage from more than four years of war is, of course, enormous. The latest World Bank assessment is that around $588 billion will be required for recovery and reconstruction over the next decade. Early recovery and development support are therefore critical if we are to prevent Ukraine falling into decline, poverty and instability. This is an agenda to which we are fully committed and, as the noble Earl, Lord...
Sitting suspended.