Andy Burnham outlines devolution plans for education, housing and transport

Marking his sixth anniversary since taking office, Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, has begun outlining plans following the city-region’s recent new devolution deal.

In a reflective article on the GMCA website published six years after being elected as Mayor in May 2017, Andy Burnham first thanked city-region residents for their support and charitable spirit in helping to tackle rough sleeping across Greater Manchester. He also then outlined plans for detailed announcements on three devolved areas in the coming months, on education, housing and transport.

On education, Andy Burnham has proposed the launch of the Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) to provide an alternative for students studying for their GCSEs more tailored to technical education. The qualification will provide a counter-balance to the EBacc that steers young people towards university, in order to better promote technical qualifications, such as T-Levels, to young people and help meet the city-region’s skills needs.

Early June will see the city-region launch a GM Good Landlord Charter to provide better support for renters in Greater Manchester. The scheme aims to put pressure on landlords who are not meeting basic standards for their homes, empower tenants, and recognise those providing a good standard of housing. Also under consideration are plans to ensure landlords who receive public money, such as from tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit, to be required to meet minimum quality standards.

Also in June, Greater Manchester will be three months away from the launch of its Bee Network franchised bus services, and further detail will be announced on the 23rd June on plans for integrated ticketing and a new fare structure across buses, trams and rail services in the city-region. Further detail will also be announced on bringing commuter rail services in the city-region under greater local control – previous announcements have indicated this will include a number of local services through Stockport.

Mayor Andy Burnham concluded:

“Six years in, I feel the things I set out to achieve are slowly becoming a reality. Devolution in England is bringing most of the much-needed new thinking and positive energy to British politics right now. We are changing things for the better from the bottom up – and the best is still to come.

“Thank you for giving me the privilege of leading this incredible place and a job I truly love. I will continue to give it my all.”