Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra is set to call for Holyrood to decentralise its powers at his first conference as party leader.

Speaking at the UK Labour conference in Liverpool, Michael Marra will say that “too much power” is centralised in Scotland and call for skills policy to be devolved to Scotland’s regions.

Mr Marra is expected to say: “Too much power is centralised in Scotland. The Scottish Parliament has hoarded money and control at the expense of Scotland’s communities.

“Had our regions grown at the same pace as Manchester in the last decade, the Scottish economy would be £30 billion larger.

“That’s the cost of the centralisation agenda. And the SNP are coming for more, proposing a reorganisation of local government that appears to centralise control and doesn’t devolve a single new power.”

Mr Marra will call for new devolution deals and encourage support for skills in Scotland which he says is facing a “shortage crisis”.

He continues: “I want to see a new generation of devolution deals for Scotland. Power and money in the hands of local people to grow their own economy.

“And the best place to start is skills. Scotland faces a skills shortage crisis. Half of employers in Scotland report a skills shortage, meanwhile, funding for apprenticeships has fallen.

“We have welders from the Philippines and South Africa working on the next generation of Scottish warships because not enough Scottish workers have the skills.

Michael Marra, left, with losing Labour leadership candidate Joe Fagan (Lesley Martin/PA)

PA Wire

“What a staggering failure of Holyrood’s centralised skills policy. We haven’t trained enough Scots to work in shipbuilding.

“Shipbuilding – Scotland is famous for it. We’re world class at it. There should be a sense of national pride that the ships being built in Scotland are providing opportunity and security for Scottish workers.

“So, my message to Bute House is put control and money in the hands of the councils, colleges and industries who know what their local economies need better than any bureaucrat in Edinburgh.”

The party conference starting on Sunday will be Mr Marra’s first as the new Scottish Labour leader.

Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education Alyn Smith said: “If Michael Marra is serious about Labour engaging positively then I’m ready to work with him.

“The Government is changing how we plan for skills and training to better meet the needs of employers and communities across Scotland.

“Our new skills planning model will take into account local priorities and evidence, ensuring regions retain the flexibility to meet their own skills needs.

“We are also developing a national skills plan to help ensure post-school education and training responds more effectively to Scotland’s national and regional skills priorities.

“Local government is going to change significantly, and we will be exploring the benefits of a regional model and how to ensure decisions are made at the most appropriate levels.

“If the Labour Party is willing to end the sniping from the sidelines we have seen over the last few years and properly engage with us, I think we could work well together.”