At the IPPR Kennedy said:-

"In Britain almost 95% of all taxation is raised by central Government. The EU average is a little over a half. Local authorities may nominally run many services but they depend on central government for three-quarters of their funding. But that money comes laced with central government management targets backed by a battery of caps and ring-fencing. That means every years services are cut or expanded not because of local needs, but because of Whitehall whim."