U.K.’s Survival Depends On Federalism And Better Buses, Argues Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said on February 21 that the U.K. Government should work with the devolved administrations to hand greater powers to towns, cities, and regions, with the U.K. embracing a more federal form of government.

Speaking at a constitutional affairs conference in Newcastle on Tyne, Burnham also argued that the regions should get the same automatic uplift in funding that sees Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales benefit from any increased spending in England. This uplift—known as the Barnett Formula—would allow regions to control expenditure better to meet local priorities.

“We want the same that London gets, an automatic lift-up for the English regions, an English version of the Barnett Formula,” Burnham told me after leaving the stage of the Great Hall in Newcastle’s Discovery Centre.

“The crucial point is we decide whether we prioritize buses or cycling or the tram or whatever. The current approach is the government tells us what to bid for.”

When asked whether he thinks the Tory government will listen to a Labour politician—Burnham is a former Health Secretary, and has been Greater Manchester Mayor since 2017—he said it’s entirely likely:

“The Transforming Cities Fund was given to Metro Mayor’s in 2017, and that allowed us to prioritize things: I chose to prioritize cycling and walking. People were surprised at the time because they were often the last things on the list, but we made them first on the list.”

The message to the government, he said, was “build on that,” adding:

“Consolidate all of our capital into one pot: don’t make us bid for Stronger Towns funding here or a Bus Fund over there. We know what we want to do, we know how to do it—we get things done. True devolution would be letting us decide.”

Burnham was one of several eminent speakers at the two-day These Islands conference, discussing the U.K.’s constitutional future, including whether an independent Scotland and a fully independent Ireland would lead to a flowering of patriotism or unleash nationalist demons.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown argued at the conference that patriotism was commendable but that nationalist politicians around the world were using an “us versus them” narrative to sow division to gain and consolidate power. Brown also said the Brexit vote, in part, demonstrated a desire for constitutional change.

“We must be prepared to rethink our view of what the U.K. is,” argued Brown. If constitutional changes are not made—such as greater and fairer devolution— “many people fear the U.K. will collapse in this century just as surely as the British empire collapsed in the last,” he predicted.

Speaking after the former prime minister, Burnham argued that London has been in total control for too long, and awarded itself more funding—for infrastructure projects and the like—than ever handed to the regions.

“The hoarding of power at a national level is deeply unhealthy,” he said, “and the U.K. must embrace a more federal form of government.”

Additionally, there should be “much deeper devolution to all parts of the U.K. and an English version of the Barnett Formula.”

He further argued that it would be “healthy politics” to allow Scottish cities such as Aberdeen and Dundee to be offered similar powers to that of Greater Manchester.

“If power is held centrally the consequence is deeper divisions along party political lines, or worse, nationalism,” said Burnham.

“Power placed beyond central governments gives it to the people on a regional, city, or even town level, and helps create a sense of pride in place.”

He added: “At a national level, we often see that party comes first, whether that’s in Whitehall or [the Scottish parliament at] Holyrood. But what we’ve found in Greater Manchester is that place trumps party, and we work better together. City, town, and neighborhood is a better foundation to work from.”

What he calls the “tyranny of the Whitehall bidding culture” doesn’t adequately allow local politicians to deliver locally-desired solutions. For instance, he said Greater Manchester’s focus on reducing rough sleeping had paid dividends with statistics to be published next week that will show that the region is tackling the issue with much greater success than the U.K. as a whole.

Greater Manchester is also leading the way on transport, said Burnham, but could make even more significant strides to reducing traffic congestion and improve peoples’ health if the region could rely on a Barnett-style funding formula. He pointed out that a scheme running in Greater Manchester since September last year has allowed 16 to 19-year-olds to travel in term-time for free on the region’s buses, trams, and trains. This grants young people vital independence, he said.

More could be done to get people on to buses, he argued.

“The cost of public transport traps people in their communities, lowering their aspirations. It costs £4 to get across Newcastle by bus, but £1.50 to get across London.”

Secured, automatically-lifted funding would enable the regions to set their own priorities better.

“People in Greater Manchester should have a greater say in how money is spent,” said Burnham.

“Targets should be set nationally—for benefit rates or hospital waiting times and the like. What you’re devolving is not the ‘what,’ it’s the ‘how.’”

He also argued that securing a region-specific Barnett Formula would allow Greater Manchester to invest even more in, say, buses. The region could appoint a commissioner for buses, just as it appointed a commissioner for walking and cycling, the Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman.

“Chris Boardman has done a phenomenal job for us,” Burnham told me.

“It does help to have an outside expert who can be an independent figure, bringing people together. We need a figure that could be a champion for buses, too.”

It’s not often that buses and safe bicycle networks play a part in a constitutional debate or the fate of a nation, but for Burnham, and other speakers at the These Islands conference, making local communities stronger through devolution could be a pivotal way to keep the United Kingdom united.