By Ethan Davies

The yellow Bee Network buses, surging past rush hour traffic, are perhaps the most obvious sign of Greater Manchester's dance with devolution.

Ever since the city-region started negotiating with the national government to take more power from Westminster, culminating in creating the office of Greater Manchester mayor in 2017, leaders here have been able to directly influence day-to-day life more and more.

And next year, that process will be ramped up a notch. That's because the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) will inherit new abilities in a 'trailblazer deal' — including a 'single settlement', i.e. one pot of cash the mayor's office can choose how to spend.

In effect, it means that Greater Manchester will operate more like its own government department, with new scrutiny and oversight procedures also putting the mayor in the spotlight.

But with devolution maturing in our region and a general election on the horizon, that fledgling set-up could undergo an overhaul. So what are the biggest five parties promising to do for Andy Burnham and his office at this election?

We've picked through the manifestos of Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, and the Greens to get a lay of the land. They are arranged alphabetically.

A Bee Network bus in Manchester city centre (Image - Alasdair Perry)

Conservatives

The Conservatives are the party which kicked-off the creation of the Mayor of Greater Manchester, and they want to extend it to 'every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal' by the end of the decade. That would be of little concern to Andy Burnham.

What also be of little concern to the mayor is a pledge to 'offer level four devolution powers to areas in England with a devolution deal and a directly elected leader', as the aforementioned trailblazer deal provides a single settlement, whereas level four does not.

That suggests a trailblazer deal would offer a region more autonomy financially, so it can be argued it's the preferable option for a mayor. On the other hand, as trailblazer deals are not yet fully operational, it's difficult to ascertain which set-up would offer greatest power on-the-ground.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to Marple in January 2024 (Image - Alasdair Perry)

What would be applicable is a pledge to 'ban the four-day working week in local authorities' and a commitment a 'Conservative government will not introduce pay per mile road pricing and will ban mayors and local councils from doing so'.

The Conservatives do make a specific reference to Greater Manchester in another promise, namely a reaffirmation the party will 'deliver our plan for Northern Powerhouse Rail bringing more frequent trains, more capacity and faster journeys'. The manifesto adds: "We have committed £12 billion on top of our HS2 savings to deliver the section of NorthernPowerhouse Rail between Manchester and Liverpool. Savings from HS2 enable us to fund electrification to Hull and build a new station in Bradford."

That could be used by the new Liverpool-Manchester railway board for a new line from Liverpool Central, Warrington Bank Quay, Manchester Airport, and a new Manchester Piccadilly station, which was unveiled just before the election was called.

A final Manchester-specific pledge is a commitment to 'urgently introduce Martyn's Law, in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was tragically killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017'. That follows a row about the Prime Minister making a promise to bring the bill into Martyn's mother, Figen Murray, just hours before announcing the election.

Greens

The Greens' manifesto doesn't go into a huge level of detail on devolution or councils, but it does say 'elected Greens will ensure that local authorities across England are given the powers and resources they need'. 

"They will push for an increase in local government funding of £5 billion per year to tackle the current under-funding crisis and enable local authorities to play a key role in the transition to a zero-carbon economy and protecting nature," it adds. There is no specific mention of mayors.

Labour

Labour's section on devolution makes reference to its headline act on local politics, which is called the Take Back Control bill — a deliberate theft of the Leave campaign's EU referendum slogan. Of all the major parties, Labour's manifesto is the one which talks most about local reform.

Among its promises are a pledge to 'deepen devolution settlements for existing Combined Authorities' and 'widen devolution to more areas, encouraging local authorities to come together and take on new powers'. Again, as Greater Manchester already has devolution, the latter will be of little concern to Andy Burnham, but it may be of some interest to Cheshire next door, where no devo deal is in place.

But 'deepening devolution' is vague, without a specific commitment on what that looks like for the area with the greatest degree of control — West Midlands and Greater Manchester. A more specific pledge is a 'review of governance arrangements for Combined Authorities to unblock decision making', although it does not say which field of policy any review would be aimed at.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (Image - Ryan Parker)

"We will provide greater flexibility with integrated settlements for Mayoral Combined Authorities that can show exemplary management of public money," it goes on. "On housing and planning we will seek to consolidate powers to allow for improved decision making."

The first point is something Greater Manchester will enjoy with the trailblazer deal next year, but the second might mean a transfer of powers either upwards from councils or downwards from the Levelling Up Office in Whitehall. 

While councils may baulk at the idea they could lose planning powers, one thing that will soothe councillors' anger is a promise to 'give councils multi-year funding settlements and end

wasteful competitive bidding'. In effect, it means that councils will know further in advance how much government cash they have available — so they can better plan financially in tough times, so the logic goes.

Labour is also promising mayors the power to take buses into public control and create an integrated transport system — two things Andy Burnham has already started doing — plus 'lifting the ban on municipal ownership' of bus companies.

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats' manifesto doesn't go into a great level of detail on English devolution, but it does pledge to create 'a United Kingdom Council of Ministers to bring together the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with regional leaders across England'. There is no confirmation this will specifically include English mayors.

Speaking of mayors, the Lib Dems seem lukewarm at best on their expansion. The manifesto adds: "End the top-down reorganisation of councils and the imposition of elected mayors on communities who do not want them."

Reform UK

Reform UK's manifesto doesn't specifically mention devolution, mayors, or councils, but it does refer to a plan to reform how social care is delivered, which currently is partly managed by councils. It says: "A national plan is critical for a sustainable social care system. The sector needs flexibility, tax incentives, VAT breaks and less waste. Simplify social care through a single funding stream, instead of the split between NHS and Local Authorities. More funding will be needed when a national plan is agreed."

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