Andy Burnham is making an unusual pitch across the M62. From his base in Manchester, the Mayor of Greater Manchester has turned his attention to the capital, arguing that the future of “good growth” in Britain depends on a new settlement between London and the regions.In a wide-ranging intervention for the London Evening Standard, Burnham sets out why deeper devolution, stronger collaboration between city-regions and the capital, and a move away from “begging bowl” politics are now essential to unlocking the country’s economic potential. Rather than fuelling the tired North-South divide,he calls for a partnership of big cities,with London at its heart,to drive fairer prosperity and rebuild trust in a political system that many voters believe has stopped working for them.
Burnham sets out a Manchester model for fairer growth and a rebalanced UK economy
From the refurbished mills of Ancoats to the tramlines that now stitch together once-neglected suburbs, Andy Burnham is positioning Greater Manchester as a testbed for a different kind of urban prosperity – one that shares power and rewards far beyond Zone 1. He argues that giving city-regions real control over transport, skills and housing is not a constitutional nicety but an economic necessity, allowing places to design policy around people rather than spreadsheets in Whitehall. Under his approach, growth is measured not only in tower cranes and GDP but in shorter commutes, cleaner air and opportunities that do not require a one-way ticket to London.
- Locally controlled transport to cut costs, connect workers and revive high streets.
- Skills and apprenticeships aligned with regional employers, not national guesswork.
- Affordable,energy‑efficient homes built in partnership with councils and communities.
- Mission‑driven investment that backs sectors such as green tech, advanced manufacturing and digital.
| Policy Lever | Manchester Focus | Intended Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | London-style integrated fares | Cheaper,simpler commutes |
| Skills | Local control of adult education | Training that matches real jobs |
| Housing | Brownfield-first regeneration | Homes near jobs and transport |
| Investment | Community wealth-building | Keeping profits in the region |
Burnham’s pitch to the capital is blunt: a more empowered Manchester is not a rival to London,but a pressure valve and partner that can help sustain the UK’s position on the global stage. By anchoring skilled workers, attracting international firms to a broader spread of postcodes and easing the strain on London’s overheated housing and transport systems, he says a network of strong city-regions could replace the current winner‑takes‑all model. In this settlement,London retains its status as a world city,but no longer has to carry the burden of a lopsided national economy on its own.
Why London must back deeper devolution to fix housing transport and productivity gaps
London’s future prosperity depends on giving city-regions the power to solve the problems that Westminster has failed to crack. The capital’s chronic housing shortage, creaking transport arteries and widening productivity divide with the South East are not isolated issues; they are symptoms of an over-centralised state that hoards decisions and rations investment.By backing a deeper shift of powers and long-term funding to places like Greater Manchester, London can help build a network of strong city-regions that relieve pressure on its own overheated housing market, share growth more evenly across the country and create new corridors of innovation beyond Zone 6. This is not an act of charity but of self-interest: a more balanced national economy is the only lasting route to easing London’s spiralling rents, congestion and skills shortages.
What London needs is a reliable set of partners with the autonomy to act locally and move at pace.With real control over planning, transport and skills, metro mayors can deliver joined‑up solutions that Whitehall has never managed to sustain. Consider a simple package of devolved tools:
- Housing: locally designed planning frameworks, regional land funds and the ability to combine public land for large-scale, affordable schemes.
- Transport: multi-year funding settlements to extend integrated ticketing, clean bus fleets and orbital connections between northern cities.
- Productivity: devolved skills budgets, local industrial strategies and tailored support for high‑growth sectors linked directly to local universities.
| Area | Centralised Model | Devolved Model |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | One-size-fits-all rules | Locally set delivery targets |
| Transport | Stop-start bidding rounds | Stable 10-year settlements |
| Productivity | National schemes | Place-based growth plans |
Leveraging cross city collaboration to tackle inequality climate goals and post pandemic recovery
For too long, England’s great cities have been set up to compete with one another for scraps of central funding, rather than collaborate on shared ambitions. A new settlement on devolution would allow places like Manchester and London to act as equal partners, pooling their economic weight and political capital to drive fairer outcomes. In practice,this means shared investment corridors,joint skills programmes and aligned transport strategies that recognise how people actually live and work across regions. It means city leaders agreeing common benchmarks for clean air, affordable housing and good jobs, then using devolved powers to hit them together rather than in isolation.
- Co-designed climate action plans with common targets
- Integrated transport policies to cut emissions and commute times
- Shared innovation hubs linking universities and startups across cities
- Joint lobbying for fiscal powers that match local responsibilities
| City Partnership Focus | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Clean Transport Networks | Lower costs & carbon |
| Green Skills & Jobs | Fair access to new careers |
| Affordable, Efficient Housing | Warmer homes, lower bills |
Cross-city collaboration is also the missing piece in a just recovery from Covid. The pandemic exposed how unequal health, transport and digital infrastructure can deepen disadvantage within and between cities. By aligning devolved budgets and data, mayors can pilot shared public health initiatives, cross-city youth guarantees and climate resilience projects that target communities most at risk of being left behind. When London and other major city-regions move in step-on clean growth, living wage employment and social housing standards-they create a critical mass that pulls national policy towards good growth: growth that reduces inequality, accelerates net zero and genuinely rebuilds trust after the crisis.
Practical steps for government business and boroughs to deliver accountable place based power
Real accountability starts with shared data, shared decisions and shared risk.City Hall, Whitehall departments and town halls should publish a joint, open dashboard of priority outcomes – from high-street vacancies to youth employment and air quality – updated quarterly and drilled down to neighbourhood level. Borough leaders, local business forums and community anchors could then co-design place charters, short public agreements that set out who is responsible for what on issues like affordable workspaces, late-night transport safety and digital inclusion. Funding should follow these charters: multi-year, pooled budgets signed off by both local elected representatives and citizen panels, with clear triggers for review if promised improvements don’t materialise.
For business, accountability means more than sponsorship logos; it means formal seats at the table and skin in the game. Local enterprise partnerships or business enhancement districts could be retooled into “good growth boards”, bringing together employers, trade unions, colleges and borough leaders to co-own targets on fair work, skills and climate action.Decisions and delivery could be tracked in a simple, public format like the example below, allowing residents to see who promised what – and whether they delivered.
| Priority | Lead Partners | Public Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Local jobs from new investment | Borough + major employers | % roles filled by local residents |
| High-street renewal | Business groups + council | Vacancy rate by parade |
| Inclusive skills | Colleges + City Hall | Apprenticeships in growth sectors |
- Open dashboards that let residents track progress in real time.
- Co-signed place charters linking powers to clear, local outcomes.
- Good growth boards where business,boroughs and communities share decisions.
- Pooled, multi-year budgets tied to delivery, not departmental silos.
Future Outlook
As the battle for Britain’s economic future intensifies,Burnham’s appeal to London is as much about resetting the relationship between the capital and the regions as it is about securing a bigger share of power for Greater Manchester. His argument rests on a simple proposition: that “good growth” will only be achieved if Westminster loosens its grip and trusts cities to design solutions close to the ground.
Whether London’s leaders – and ultimately, the next government – take up that challenge will determine if his vision of a more balanced, devolved UK remains a talking point at fringe events, or becomes the framework for how the country is run. For now,Burnham has placed his marker: a call for partnership,parity and a new political settlement between the capital and the rest of England. The response he receives may tell us how serious Britain really is about changing the way it grows.
