Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham has responded to Boris Johnson’s speech earlier today in which he said that terrible disparities existed given the situation in more deprived areas:
“It is an outrage that a man in Glasgow or Blackpool has an average of 10 years less on this planet than someone growing up in Hart in Hampshire.” he told the audience in a keynote speech in Coventry
Burnham said that much of the Prime Minister’s analysis today was right and I don’t in any way disagree with it –
“far too often people’s life chances and health are still determined by the postcode they are born in.”
However he said that what was missing was credible action that would actually change the reality of people’s lives here in the North of England.
“You don’t level up by throwing money at towns here and there and creating a chewing gum taskforce. You do it by backing city-regions like ours to create a London-style transport network with London level fares that will unite towns and cities and transform the life chances of the 2.8 million people who live here. I urge the Government to give us the power and resources we need and make levelling up a reality here in the North.”
Speaking from the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) in Coventry, the Prime Minister outlined the challenges that we face and opportunities we must grasp to make sure that we build back better following the pandemic.
Johnson outlined the need to empower strong local leaders by taking a more flexible approach to devolution, with new ‘County Deals’
To focus on growing the private sector by creating the conditions for long-term growth and productivity and in infrastructure and connectivity.
Erica Roscoe, senior research fellow at IPPR North said:
“Boris Johnson promised to ‘level up’ the country in his first speech as Prime Minister. It was welcome rhetoric, but two years on our deep divides between and within regions are growing, and places like the North are still waiting for the powers, resources, and transparency they need to see from government to level up for themselves.
“The Prime Minister is right to identify that the status quo here in the UK has benefitted nobody. For too long the Treasury has held onto major decisions and has treated London and the South East as a cash cow for tax revenue, rather than seeking to deliver a good life for people. This is dysfunctional. People nowhere have benefitted – regions have been kept back and London has some of the highest levels of poverty in the country. So the need for deeds, not words, has never been more urgent.
“The evidence is clear – levelling up can only be achieved if places are empowered to level up for themselves. From better living standards, to better work, health and a better democracy – leaders across England are beginning to show the difference that devolution can make, but limits to their powers and competition for short term funding initiatives mean they cannot realise their communities’ full potential. We need a fair, transparent settlement in which power is shared between places and government – not piecemeal projects where government continues to hold all of the strings because that isn’t real, progressive devolution. The Prime Minister must let go to level up.”
Katie Schmuecker, Deputy Director of Policy & Partnerships at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said:
“The Prime Minister is right to identify living standards as a key priority to help people flourish. But can a Government that intends to cut the incomes of the poorest families in just a few weeks’ time really claim to be levelling up? Taking money out of the pockets of households that need it most by cutting Universal Credit makes no sense at all, and would suck money out of our recovery in the places that are most likely to struggle.
“Cutting Universal Credit would be a terrible mistake which would pull half a million more people into poverty. It’s not too late for the Prime Minister to change course and keep in place this lifeline which will give people across the country the chance of a better life.”
