As the rest of the country catches up with Greater Manchester, politics writer Joseph Timan looks at what new powers we will get

The government has announced a huge handover of power to regions across England as they follow Greater Manchester’s lead.

The English Devolution White Paper, unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner today (December 16), sets out a new way for mayors to run transport, housing and education. The move will also give Andy Burnham some new powers in Greater Manchester.

The Greater Manchester mayor has hailed the announcement as a ‘proud moment’ for the city-region which has pioneered English devolution. And while Mr Burnham did not get everything he wanted, he says the move will allow the city-region to do ‘much more’.

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Under the plans, the mayor will have the power to intervene on developments, allowing him to overturn decisions on planning applications that have been rejected by local councillors. He will also have more control over funding to build affordable housing.

The White Paper also opens the door for the mayor to take control of train stations and redevelop the areas around them. He will also hopes to use increased influence over rail to increase the number of services as he brings them into his Bee Network transport system.

However, Mr Burnham hoped that the government would go further in devolving power over technical education and skills. He told the Manchester Evening News that he will make it his ‘mission’ to keep fighting for this as well as making the case for a tourist tax.

He said: “This is a proud moment for Greater Manchester because the model of devolution we pioneered is becoming the irreversible way of running the whole country. I think there is a lot of rich detail in the White Paper, things that will help us quite significantly.

“And I think we’re in more of a position to take advantage of things in the White Paper than other areas. I think Greater Manchester will be able to make pretty early use of everything we’re being offered.

“As ever, l’ve fought Greater Manchester’s corner as hard as I can. I think there was an element of this creating a framework based on our framework for everywhere, so we need to understand that, but at the same time I think we have advanced our cause again.

“I feel a great degree of pride over what everyone has achieved over a long time. We’ve changed the country.”

According to the White Paper, mayors will be given a

‘statutory role’ in ‘governing, managing, planning and developing’ the rail network. Mr Burnham hopes this means that he will be able to increase the frequency of train services in Greater Manchester.

He is also ‘really excited’ about the prospect of taking over train stations. The White Paper sets out a ‘right to request’ control of stations, with the government promising to look at regeneration, commercial and housing opportunities around rail-owned land.

It comes as Greater Manchester is set to finish bringing buses under public control in January with a new London-style tap-in, tap-out payment system to be introduced in March. Mr Burnham wants to bring rail into his Bee Network next and says the White Paper helps.

He said: “What I want now is a timetable for rail integration that is as clear as the bus process has been. I want those firm dates.”

The White Paper also proposes giving the mayor more power over roads which are currently managed by local councils. Mr Burnham told the M.E.N. that this would not take power away from councils, but means they would work together in a more coordinated way.

Mr Burnham also hailed a ‘big step’ towards banning out-of-area taxis in Greater Manchester. The White Paper recognises that there are concerns over the issue and promises a consultation on whether mayors should be responsible for taxi licensing, like in London.

Under the proposals, mayors would have new powers over the planning process, including the ability to ‘call in’ planning applications of ‘strategic importance’. This means would give Mr Burnham the power to overturn decisions on developments by local authorities.

Speaking to the M.E.N. last week, the mayor said he was not seeking this power which Sadiq Khan already has in London. However, responding to the announcement today, he said that these new powers could benefit Greater Manchester by ‘speeding things up’.

The White Paper also promises to give mayors the power to create a ‘spatial development plan’, like the Places for Everyone plan which nine councils in Greater Manchester have adopted. Crucially, it does not require the unanimous agreement of all councils.

Instead, a majority of councils that make up the combined authority would be enough to approve the plan. This principle will also be applied to other decisions too, according to the White Paper which gives mayors the casting vote where councils cannot agree.

Had this been introduced sooner, it could have stopped Stockport from going its own way when it pulled out of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework in 2020. However, Mr Burnham says it’s too late to reopen that discussion with Stockport now.

He highlighted other measures in the White Paper that will help Greater Manchester meet its ambitions on housing. This includes giving mayors more control of funding for regeneration and affordable housing and charging developers a levy for infrastructure.

The White Paper does not go as far as Mr Burnham would have liked on technical education. However, he believes it is ‘enough for now’ and gives him the ‘green light’ for the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc), an alternative path to the university route.

He said: “I think there’s some movement. The language is definitely more expansive, significant than it’s been before and it completely cements the MBacc position which I’m most keen to secure. What does is gives us a new chance to prove it.

“What it doesn’t do yet is give us that formal role.

Where I want this to get to is us looking at the Greater Manchester economy, looking at our needs across construction, digital and tech, health and care and starting to commission the colleges in terms of numbers of places.

“I think that’s what we’ve got to get to and Greater Manchester having that ability to shape the system like that. Now we haven’t been given that yet. What we have been given is a strong coordinating role which is enough for now to prove the MBacc concept.”

According to the White Paper, mayors will have more influence over technical education for under-19s as well as more flexibility over adult education budgets.

Mayors and councils will also play a role in employment support and helping to tackle economic activity.

Finances

Last year, under the trailblazer devolution deal agreed with the Conservative government, Greater Manchester was promised more streamlined funding.

The new financial model means the mayor’s office will be funded in the same way as government departments.

It means that rather than bidding for individual pots of money that are ring-fenced for specific purposes, the mayor and his combined authority will have more flexibility in how it spends its budget. The White Paper commits to rolling out that model across the country.

Greater Manchester must now agree the terms of its

‘integrated settlement’ including the outcomes it will be expected to achieve with that cash. Mr Burnham believes this approach will create more accountability for mayors, saying he is ‘always’ open to scrutiny.

However, he was hoping that the government would go further and allow him to introduce a ‘tourist tax’ charged on those visiting the city-region. He said: “This is something that’s just common place in France, Italy Germany. Why are we in Britain not asking people who visit us to pay a contribution? British people have to pay it when we’re abroad so why would we not ask for a contribution?”

Reflecting on the significance of the White Paper, Mr Burnham praised former Manchester council bosses Sir Howard Bernstein and Sir Richard Leese who pioneered the devolution model that is now being rolled out across the country. He added: “I feel that our issues are understood much more. The Whitehall system is much more aware of where Greater Manchester is at in terms of the growth journey that we’re on. I certainly feel that we’ve moved it quite a lot through this [White Paper]. But we’ve got more to do to land it.”