More details of the role and powers of metro mayors like Kim McGuinness in the North East and Lord Ben Houchen in Tees Valley in driving regeneration and housing were spelled out by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in a major speech at the Convention of the North.
She told the annual gathering of northern leaders in Preston on 28 February that the new Planning and Infrastructure Bill would put mayors at the centre of the government’s plans to build 1.5mn homes by giving them the powers they need.
“[M]ayors”, said Rayner, “are an army to take on the blockers. We are backing them to work across huge regional geographies to get the job done. It’s why we’re giving them the powers to call in applications on those large, strategic sites that will really turn the wheel on growth.
“And it’s why we’re putting grant funding for regeneration and housing in their hands. To enable mayors to deliver on their plans, we will forge a stronger partnership between them and Homes England. Over time, we will move Homes England to a more regionalised model.”
Rewiring power
The Deputy Prime Minister said that the English Devolution White Paper was about nothing less than a total rewiring of power in England.
“For all the techy talk of devolution, the goal is simple: We will give mayors the power to drive growth, to use new levers over planning, housing and regeneration to Get Britain Building. We are ending the begging bowl culture and giving local leaders flexibility over their spending. For the first time in British history, we have created a department-style integrated settlement giving Mayor [Richard] Parker [West Midlands] and Mayor [Andy] Burnham [Greater Manchester] over a billion pounds in flexible funding.
”And next year, I am delighted that Liverpool, the North East, and South and West Yorkshire will all follow. This will be a game-changer for families across England, giving mayors the freedom and flexibility to make the right decisions for their place.
”And you only need to look at what our northern mayors are already achieving, to see why this is so important. Just look at Mayor [Tracy] Brabin’s SME Graduate Scheme, keeping homegrown talent in West Yorkshire, and her investment in bus routes getting people to work quicker and cheaper.
“Or Mayor [Oliver] Coppard’s Pathways to Work Commission, putting 10,000 residents in South Yorkshire back to work. In York and North Yorkshire, Mayor [David] Skaith is investing millions in high streets, supporting local business to thrive. Mayor [Steve] Rotheram is bringing award-winning TV and film productions to Liverpool, with investment in new studios.
“The success of our Northern mayors doesn’t stop there. In Greater Manchester, Mayor Burnham’s Bee Network is making it simpler and more affordable to get the bus and tram. And further north, Mayor McGuinness has set up the first mayoral child support poverty reduction unit to support families across the North East.”
£20.5bn productivity boost
The Deputy Prime Minister went on: “We’ve already committed to strategic authorities for the entire country – but we can’t waste any time in building the homes we desperately need. That’s why I can confirm that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill I will introduce to Parliament in the weeks ahead will allow councils without a mayor to come together and set spatial development strategies.
“This means bringing forward housebuilding powers as soon as we can. I think there is huge potential here. If we can get building, and boost productivity of just 11 city regions [which include the North East and Tees Valley] we could add £20.5bn each year to the Exchequer. Imagine the jobs, opportunities and growth that comes with it.”
The Deputy Prime Minister went on: “But devolving powers is only half the plan, if we’re not matching it with investment, we won’t see the results…Here in Preston, people have decent jobs to be proud of – just look at the Eurofighter Typhoon programme. We cannot underestimate the impact that business investment like that can have on an area. This is a sector that is critical for our national security, and economic growth.
“Over in West Yorkshire, we’re backing the new Mass Transit Scheme with £200mn of funding to support its development. Anyone who expects the businesses of Leeds to meet their economic potential without a proper transport network needs to ask themselves why they expect the North to settle for less.
Teesside Airport and Blyth
“And as we support the recreation of Doncaster-Sheffield Airport it’s the job of this government to ask how we can best support our nation’s regional airports. Teesside has shown that regional airports can prosper, and now it’s time to back South Yorkshire too.
“Up in Blyth, plans are also being delivered for Europe’s biggest AI data centre. These projects are not just about driving growth for the sake of it but driving growth in the places where potential is greatest. The places which once built Britain, and once again deserve to be the centres of economic and industrial excellence.”
She added: “The mayors’ local growth plans are the bedrock of our industrial strategy, underpinning how we drive growth in every town and city. And finally, harness the great potential of the north.
“These plans are already underway. Every mayor is working with government to align priorities. Time is of the essence, which is why we’re wasting no time in publishing local growth plans, setting out these blueprints to deliver the manufacturing and green jobs of the future.
“That’s only part of our efforts to rebalance the economy. My Department [Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government] and the Treasury are working with all strategic mayors with expert units laser-focused on unlocking devolution opportunities in skills, transport, and business support.”
Comment
Tees Valley and its mayor, Lord Ben Houchen, were noticeably absent from Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Statement when she favourably name-checked the other metro mayors in the north and Midlands. That was not quite true of Rayner’s speech at the Convention of the North, with its passing, but positive, reference to Teesside Airport.
But the absence of Houchen’s name, alone among all the big city region mayors, suggests he has still not been rehabilitated in the eyes of ministers following the Tees Valley Review, published a year ago, which found issues of governance and transparency which needed to be addressed at the Teesworks regeneration site.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO OUR CROWDFUNDER
HELP US BECOME STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL CITIZEN JOURNALISM!
