'Prime Minister in Waiting' Andy Burnham has unveiled plans to establish a "Northern No.10" in Manchester as part of what he describes as the biggest transfer of power from Westminster to local communities in modern British history.
Speaking at the People's History Museum in Manchester on 29 June, the proposals place devolution at the centre of a ten-year programme designed to rebalance the UK economy and strengthen regional decision-making.
Under Burnham's plans, a northern government hub would work alongside Downing Street, with Greater Manchester Combined Authority chief executive Caroline Simpson expected to oversee the initiative.
The proposals aim to give councils, combined authorities and regional mayors greater influence over housing, transport, skills, regeneration and economic development.
Burnham argued that the UK's highly centralised system has left many communities behind and said empowering local government is essential to driving growth across every part of the country.
The proposals also include the largest council housebuilding programme since the post-war era, reforms to public procurement to favour British firms and further investment in infrastructure and technical education.
While supporters have welcomed the ambitious vision for decentralisation, critics have questioned how the plans would be funded and whether such sweeping constitutional reforms can be delivered quickly.
Burnham said:
"Westminster hasn’t been working for people and it hasn’t been working for a very long time. In fact, it is broken. And, as a result, the country isn’t where it should be. It is stuck in a rut.
"The stark imbalance in resources between national government and local government is holding back growth. If councils can’t fix potholes, what chance do they have of bringing forward major regeneration schemes to get growth going?
"It is time for Whitehall to accept that growth cannot be ordered from the top down. Instead, it can only be nurtured from the bottom up. It comes from having the power at ground level to make a real difference; from a clear shared vision that everyone can understand and investors can back.
"The change will be driven through the Prime Minister’s Office in an extended operation based here in Manchester. But here’s the important thing – it will only be based here.
"The job of No 10 North will be to make power flow into the Midlands, into the South West, into the East of England and, yes, into London as I said before, as much as the North East, Yorkshire & the Humber and here in the North West."
"The whole of Whitehall will now be required to get behind our places and work together with them to make quicker, more joined-up decisions. Ours will be a 10-year mission to raise living standards across the land."
Pic of Andy Burnham by Scottish Government - https://www.flickr.com/photos/26320652@N02/53921141434/
