Super-council gets the go ahead

Is bigger better? That’s the question many might be asking themselves this month in the Manchester area, as Communities Secretary John Denham announced “historic proposals” for the creation of the country’s first ever Combined Authority.

Back in 2009, Chancellor Alistair Darling announced that Manchester, alongside Leeds, had been selected to become the first pilot statutory city region. Now the area is one step closer to becoming a Manchester ‘super-council’, as Stockport agreed to plans that will see ten local authorities joining forces to create an authority with increased powers in education, transport and economic development.

United front

“Greater Manchester is an economic powerhouse in the North West making a huge contribution to regional and national output,” said Denham. “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.”

If the proposals go ahead, it will mean the new authority will wield devolved powers from Government previously only seen in London. In particular, new transport protocols could enable Manchester to have a much bigger say in the way public transport is planned and implemented across the region, working closely with the Department for Transport (including the Highways Agency). “These new arrangements put passengers first,” said Transport Minister Sadiq Khan. “This will mean improved service for commuters and residents throughout the region.”

According to the DCLG, 90% of residents live and work in Greater Manchester and 96% of 16-18 year olds live and study within Greater Manchester. Three-fifths of business purchases are from the local economy and the city has extensive public transport networks which provide connectivity across the ten authorities. “"The people of Greater Manchester live, work and study across local authority boundaries,” said Denham. “Councils need to work closely together on local needs and priorities across the whole city-region from transport links to jobs to affordable housing.”

While initiatives like the Combined Authority sound good on paper, whether they will work in practice is another matter. Kevin Jaquiss, partner at Cobbetts LLP, says the scheme is strategically imaginative, but could be trickier at operation level. “It’s a good idea in principle, although the Councils will only be able to deliver collectively if they are willing to give up some of their individual resources in pursuit of efficiency,” he says. However, with a history of working together on projects including waste management, Greater Manchester is a good place for a pilot. “In other parts of the country, however, where alliances have not been established, similar schemes might meet with more resistance,” he says.

With an election looming, whether these proposals will still go ahead remains unclear. However, with Brown’s election manifesto promising the opportunity for residents to elect a mayor with “London-style powers”, it certainly is an interesting experiment.