Manchester will be promised control of control of its transport budget, a housing fund, strategic planning and NHS spending by the Chancellor George Osbourne today.
In a speech in the city he will announce that the Cities Devolution Bill will be a centrepiece of the Queen’s Speech at the end of this month.
Manchester will lead the way as Osbourne is expected to say the city should become a blueprint for the rest of the country – driving forward ‘unprecedented fiscal devolution’ for cities in England who want ‘metro-mayors’.
The old model of trying to run everything in our country from the centre of London is broken. It’s led to an unbalanced economy,’
The Chancellor has placed his Northern Powerhouse strategy at the heart of the nation’s growth plans and in his last budget said that Greater Manchester’s decision to appoint an elected mayor from 2017 was “the most exciting development in civic leadership for a generation.
Today’s announcement comes as Core Cities UK leaders gather in Westminster today to call for the new government to deliver on city devolution.
Leader of Manchester City Council and chair of Core Cities UK, Sir Richard Leese, said: “If the new Government is serious about economic growth and deficit reduction, it should prioritise maintaining a dialogue with us. Our offer is to work with them to rebalance, reform and renew Britain.
“Rebalance and grow the economy to create more jobs and eliminate the deficit. Reform public services to improve outcomes and reduce costs through better coordination of funding and services, focusing on people and place. Renew democracy to give people a major stake in their own future.”
In an open letter to national politicians sent earlier this week, Core Cities quotes independent forecasts that say that with greater freedoms the eight English Core Cities could alone deliver £222bn extra and put 1.16m jobs into the economy by 2030. That is the equivalent of adding the entire economy of Denmark to the UK.
