What 'Manchesterism' means for Devon and Cornwall

The man poised to become the next Prime Minister says shifting power from London to the regions around the UK will be at the heart of his plan to transform the country.

Andy Burnham has christened this project "Manchesterism" after the city where he reigned as mayor and self-styled "king of the north" from 2017 until he was elected as the MP for Makerfield.

Some in south-west England are embracing the idea of more power being devolved from Westminster to the regions.

But others are questioning what policies formulated in Greater Manchester will mean for the largely rural areas of Devon and Cornwall.

Dr Joanie Willett, associate professor of politics at the Penryn campus of the University of Exeter, said devolution was "a fascinating opportunity".

She said: "The key thing for us is going to be making sure Andy Burnham's government understands fully the differences between rural areas like Cornwall and Devon and the cities that he's used to working in.

"The big challenge for us is going to be making sure Burnham understands rural areas are different and have masses to offer."

The biggest shake-up of local government is already happening with all district and county councils being abolished to make way for unitary authorities.

Willett said: "But this is not just about local government reform - it's about the whole eco-system of organisations, industries, businesses and communities."

Burnham said Manchesterism was based on "a strong partnership between all sectors" and putting "place first not party first".

But Willett pointed to the fact that in his keynote speech Burnham only made one reference to rural communities and the issue of "inadequate transport".

Under his leadership, Greater Manchester was the first area in England outside London to bring bus services back under public control, while integrating them with other modes of transport.

Willett said: "What he wasn't doing was talking about rural areas more broadly, 80% of the UK are rural areas and what really needs to be on the agenda is what rural devolution looks like."

The speech by the potential next Labour Prime Minister was warmly welcomed by the Liberal Democrat leader of Devon County Council.

Julian Brazil said he wanted Devon to be first in the queue to get a directly-elected mayor and was firing off a letter to Burnham to make the request.

Brazil said: "I think it would make a massive difference, I've always said this country was far too centralised.

"The money we spend from government, we spend a lot more efficiently than central government can because we're closer to the ground and we know what needs doing.

"Why would they know - it's London - what do they know about Devon? Not a lot from what we can see."

A note of caution was sounded, though, by the deputy leader of Reform at Devon County Council, Neil Stevens, who said he would not "back devolution blindly".

He said: "You need to show us the cost, you need to show us the detail and you need to show us if it's going to add any layers of bureaucracy."

Devon County Council and Torbay Council joined forces to create a new Combined County Authority in 2024 but that has limited investment and powers compared to the billions of pounds expected to be on the table for directly-elected mayors.

The idea of a directly-elected mayor for Devon would be to have somebody in charge of all the new unitary authorities in the county - with a decision on how Devon should be carved up expected shortly.

Torbay Council's Conservative leader, David Thomas, said a directly-elected mayor for Devon would be "positive" but "this may be the best opportunity to bring forward a regional mayor for Devon and Cornwall".

The leader of Plymouth City Council, Labour's Tudor Evans, said he thought it was "likely" that plans for an expanded Plymouth and an expanded Exeter would be approved but councils needed to take the approach to a directly-elected mayor one step at a time.

Evans said: "Can we find out first what powers are actually on offer, what money is on offer and what powers the mayor would have, as opposed to the local authorities the mayor would have to rely upon to deliver so much of their programme."

In Manchester Burnham has been the figurehead for Greater Manchester as the mayor working with the leaders of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester.

Political leaders in Cornwall have flatly refused to entertain the idea of a directly-elected mayor for the county and are even less enthusiastic about invitations to join forces with Devon under a shared mayor.

The Liberal Democrat leader of Cornwall Council, Leigh Frost, insists Cornwall is still on track to become a Single Foundation Strategic Authority, getting increased powers and money but without any need for a directly-elected mayor.

But the issue is not clear-cut as the devolution White Paper says these sort of deals will be granted "only as a stepping-stone towards forming a Mayoral Combined Authority or Mayoral Combined County Authority", while the bill guidance describes them as an "interim" arrangement.

Frost said: "Cornwall is a national minority, we have the right to govern ourselves and that's what we want.

"We'll work with our neighbours, we always do. It's not about isolation, it's about integrity."

But that integrity may come at a cost, according to business leaders in Cornwall.

The county was previously a huge beneficiary of EU funding which was replaced at about half the level by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund post-Brexit which reduced every year and then came to an end in March.

The Local Growth Fund which replaced that funding went to mayoral authorities.

Toby Parkins, the interim CEO of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce and owner of the Fibre Hub business in Pool, said: "We saw that at the end of the Shared Prosperity Fund mayoral authorities actually received a funding package and Cornwall didn't.

"People decided they didn't want a mayor and I respect that but we have to also accept that when we decide we don't want to be in Europe or we don't want a mayor and we then lose out on funding then consequences occur.

"Businesses would generally like to be a bit more pragmatic about saying let's do things that are going to provide the best funding options and the best investment options for the county."

Parkins added that the introduction of a mayor could lead to "better decision making as opposed to an old style of council where they're doing things the way they've always done them".

The woman who launched the revolution in local government is continuing to beat the drum for more directly-elected mayors.

In a speech at the New Economics Foundation, Angela Rayner, former Deputy Prime Minister, echoed Burnham's words when she said: "If councils cannot fix potholes, what chance do they have of bringing forward the major regeneration schemes that could transform a town's high street?"

She said the answer was "real devolution, not the begging-bowl culture of the past, where regional politicians came to Whitehall with their caps in hand, asking permission to run their own bus routes".

As the coronation of Burnham as the new leader of the country looks increasingly likely it could soon become clear what exactly "real devolution" will mean for the councils and the people of Devon and Cornwall.

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