Greater Manchester commitment must be included in Queen’s Speech

In the hours following the General Election, both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor reaffirmed their commitment to creating a Northern Powerhouse, capable of competing for growth globally. In order to make that pledge a reality, the immediate priority must be to secure the delivery of the Greater Manchester Devolution Deal, in full.

Securing the Deal is not only in the interests of Greater Manchester or the North of England, but of cities all across the country. In the most centralised country in the developed world, where politicians and officials within central government are often so resistant to pushing power down to a local level, securing the hard won gains in Greater Manchester is the best way to maintain momentum behind the city devolution agenda, and enable local policymakers to demonstrate that such arrangements deliver better results than the status quo.

It’s vital, therefore, that all city leaders, city MPs and those committed to improving UK city economies join together to ensure that the forthcoming Queen’s Speech contains an Act of Parliament that locks in the commitments made for Greater Manchester.