Burnham optimistic about ‘London-style’ housing funding powers for GM

Andy Burnham has said ongoing talks with Whitehall about the devolution of ‘London-style’ powers over housing development grant to Greater Manchester have been positive.

Burnham, in an exclusive interview with Housing Today’s sister publication Building last week, said that negotiations with central government have progressed over the past few weeks despite this summer’s political turmoil.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA and West Midlands Combined Authority) were named last year as ‘trailblazers’, becoming the first two authorities to discuss devolution deals under the government’s levelling up agenda.

Regarding the power to administer housing development grant in the same way as Sadiq Khan does in London, Burnham said: “That’s under discussion, that is something that is positively going through the trailblazer.”

See also>> Greater Manchester publishes 165,000-home draft plan

He added that the GMCA has a target of building 30,000 net zero carbon homes for social rent and is seeking a “mix of powers, permissions and funding” to achieve this.

He said: “If we can go at that now, we will help build the skills base, help move the industry on.”

Burnham is also seeking more powers over skills, particularly construction skills.  He wants the GMCA to have a co-commissioning role with central government for the education of 16- to 19-year olds and full control over post-19 technical education.

Burnham also said he would prefer Liz Truss to win the Conservative leadership election race “strictly on a test of who has been the most convincing on levelling up”, citing her support for the building of Northern Powerhouse Rail.