Greater Manchester to be country’s first ever Combined Authority
Historic plans for the country’s first ever Combined Authority covering the whole of Greater Manchester were launched by Communities Secretary John Denham today.
The proposals will bring together 10 local councils in a new flagship ‘City-Region’ with powers devolved from Whitehall over economic development, housing, climate change, transport and regeneration. This will give Greater Manchester leaders the chance to lead the way on accelerating recovery regionally and nationally.
This is the next step in the Government’s pledge to devolve more powers to councils to improve local leadership, drive up economic growth and deliver greater prosperity.
The Combined Authority will have far greater freedom to drive forward rapid change to improve local services based on local needs and priorities. Responsibilities will include:
- Helping to deliver the improvement of skills across the City-Region, identifying priorities for young people and offering training and job opportunities;
- Driving forward tackling climate change locally as the UK’s fourth low carbon economic area;
- Leading further education for 16 to 19-year-olds, controlling a budget worth hundreds of millions, deciding places and apprenticeships;
- Setting up pilots to improve public services in Greater Manchester focusing on supporting children in their earliest years, transforming deprived neighbourhoods and affordable housing;
- Connecting local businesses to international markets, linking to broadband and building its science and research capacity.
- Greater transport responsibilities and influence, comparable to the powers held by Transport for London.
John Denham said:
"Today I’m announcing historic proposals for the country’s first ever Combined Authority for all of Greater Manchester that will use devolved powers from Whitehall to drive forward economic growth. This flagship body brings together 10 local authorities who will act together to create jobs, improve skills, tackle climate change and drive regeneration.
"Greater Manchester is an economic powerhouse in the North West making a huge contribution to regional and national output. This pioneering body will lead the way nationally allowing local leaders to take effective and co-ordinated control of the whole city region’s economic recovery and seize opportunities for growth as they open up in the future.
"The people of Greater Manchester live, work and study across local authority boundaries and councils need to work closely together on local needs and priorities across the whole city-region from transport links to jobs to affordable housing. It’s crucial that there is strong and accountable local leadership in place to use the powers Government has devolved to them."
All ten Manchester councils have agreed that a single organisation with clear accountability and legal powers is needed to deliver City-Region commitments. Ministers believe the move will give local leaders the ability take co-ordinated and decisive actions over Greater Manchester’s economic recovery.
The consultation published today sets out that each of the ten Greater Manchester councils - Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan - would appoint one of its elected members to be part of the combined authority and each year they would elect a Chair and Vice-chair. Key decisions such as the annual budget and housing or transport strategies would require the support of at least 7 members with other decisions taken on a simple majority basis.
The new Combined Authority builds on the groundbreaking City-Region Agreement which was signed between the 10 Greater Manchester councils and Government last December – which devolved powers and responsibilities from Central Government.
