“In an era when it has felt like most things are broken or going backwards, Greater Manchester has bucked the trend” says Andy Burnham in his New Year message to the region
The message,top heavy on transport, looks forward to the final stage of buses coming under local control
”Overnight between the 4th and 5th of January, the remaining half of our bus services, in the south of our city-region, will return to local public control.Four decades of deregulation will be over. We will finally be back in charge of our entire bus network.” with a plea to
“ask you for a New Year’s resolution: to switch to the Bee Network next year and to leave the car at home.”
2025 will also see the introduction of a London-style contactless payment system with a daily cap
Yet there is more to be done with transport specially the rail network
“We all know the railways can’t continue in their current chaotic state. Like buses, a big part of the solution is more local democratic control.”
May will see the introduction of the GM Good Landlord Charter based on the success of the Good Employment Charter.
“It will change the conversation about housing standards.” but the Mayor adds
”Beyond that, the Government should use the forthcoming Spending Review to make building hundreds of thousands of council homes its defining purpose. No other policy achievable in this Parliament would bring greater social and economic benefits. Greater Manchester will be submitting a plan as to how it can be made to stack up using publicly-owned land, particularly around rail stations.”
2025 will also see a further announcement on the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate or MBacc
“We are going into 2025 with a spring in our step and a can-do spirit. I hope it becomes infectious. If the local control achieved with our buses starts to bring similar benefits to housing and skills, and other areas move in the same direction, then perhaps the country can draw a line on these dysfunctional recent times and start to look forward with more confidence and optimism.”
