The Great North, made-up of elected mayors and councillors from across the north of England has released a statement congratulating Andy Burnham on becoming Prime Minister. They also note that Burnham is the first northern Metro mayor to become Prime Minister of the whole UK and that he would therefore be bringing firsthand experience of what local leadership once it is empowered, can really achieve.
The Great North says that Burnham helped shape the organisation and helped to give a more powerful voice to the north, increasing its visibility and strengthening its economy.
The statement also argues that Burnham will be well aware of the kind of frustrations that areas in the North of England suffer when Westminster has not always matched the ambitions being shown by northern leaders.
They further argue that devolution has shown what progress can be made in the North, but that it needs to be built upon, with further powers and resources so that the north can be an engine of growth for the entire country.
They also remind Burnham that as Greater Manchester mayor he was strong in arguing that Westminster should work differently with places such as the North and that people in the North should be given the tools to show what they can achieve.
Consequently, they are calling upon Burnham to remember that he now has the opportunity to answer the very challenges he laid down and forge a new settlement between national government and regional leadership in the North of England so that people will have a greater say in how their services are delivered and that lasting change can be achieved.
A manifesto for the North
The elected mayors and councillors also put forward what can be described as a very brief manifesto for the North. They want to see devolution being a driving principle of national delivery with a devolution first approach and consequently they welcomed the establishment of Number10 North .
They argue that the North has shown what it can do when local leaders and mayors have been have been given the freedom to set ambitious targets and pursue them and that the next step should be a stronger devolution settlement which allows them to go further. This must include a fiscal devolution enabling places to retain and reinvest more of the income that they create
Secondly, the Great North statement talks about the development of a Global North, which will attract investment, visitors, international partners and trade from across the world by showing the full extent of what the North of England offers. Great North Creative it is already bringing together the North’s wonderful creative strengths and raising the profile nationally, complimenting the industrial strengths, the visitor economy and major ambitions such as the Great North Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Great North also wants to work with Burnham in developing a modern northern economy which will put the North at the heart of the future of the whole nation, with the industries and talent from the region helping to drive the century ahead. This would include advanced manufacturing, clean energy, life and digital services as well as innovation culture and creative industries This can help the North to develop a more productive, resilient and equal country with more of the value created felt by the people and places in the North that generate it.
They also wish to work with Andy Burnham on an area that he proved to be a success in in Manchester; transport. Great North wants to see public transport for the North that works for every community which can connect people to culture to education, opportunity and jobs and they also remind Burnham that if all parts of the North are to contribute to growth, people and businesses need reliable routes between towns and cities and rural and coastal communities and that the connections to opportunities around people need to be affordable ..
Finally, the elected mayors and councillors who make up the Great North have called for good growth in every single post code, so that renewal is not top down but is built from the ground up. In this way it is hoped that growth will reach people in their daily lives with good work opportunities, technical education and apprenticeships, both of which Burnham has called for in the past. There can also be thriving high streets and town centres along with decent homes, all providing the kind of foundations that people need to get on with life without having to leave the places they call home
In closing the statement notes that Great North was founded on the belief that the north is stronger when it works together and that they are committed to putting place before party, bringing together groups like the public sector, the business sector and the universities to help deliver and build a country where all places have power to contribute and every community can see can feel and see around them the benefits of devolution and renewal.
Signatories
- Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor and Chair, The Great North
- David Skaith, York and North Yorkshire Mayor
- Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire Mayor
- Luke Campbell MBE, Hull and East Yorkshire Mayor
- Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire Mayor
- Paul Dennett, Interim Greater Manchester Mayor
- Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region Mayor
- Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor
- Cllr Stephen Atkinson, Lancashire Combined Authority Chair
- Cllr Mark Fryer, Chairman of Cumbria Combined Authority
- Cllr Louise Gittins Chair of Board, Cheshire & Warrington Combined Authority
Give the North the tools
Andy Burnham is the first northern English Prime Minister since Harold Wilson who left office 50 years ago and much has been said about how this is an opportunity for the North to start to make up for lost time after so many decades of neglect from Westminster and Whitehall.
This statement is therefore very welcome in its desire to work constructively with Andy Burnham who is clearly seen as one of our own, to set out a manifesto for improving the lives of people in the North. At present there are huge regional qualities in areas such as income health education and infrastructure investment. They are right to say that there must be fiscal devolution and that Burnham should help the North to attract more investment as the north of England has been starved of this for so long.
It is also right to say that people in the North can deliver when given a fair chance. The first industrial revolution began and was centred around the North of England and there is no reason why the new green industrial revolution can’t be centred here as well. There is a desire to work hard and there are the networks and community and values which can help the North to develop fully and be part of a much happier and more balanced and prosperous nation. However, we do need the tools to do the job properly. Let us all hope along with Great North that Burnham delivers on promises and gives the North the fair chance that it has been asking for and waiting for, for so long.
This article is based on a media release from The Great North.
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