Burnham must use a powerful North as the engine for UK growth or risk hollowing out trust, says IPPR North

Responding to Andy Burnham’s speech Mirte Boot, principal research fellow and interim head at IPPR North, said: 

“Andy Burnham is right to call for bold, transformative change to our country’s economy. The writing on the wall is clear; the status quo isn't working. People feel acutely that their places are not getting back what they’ve been putting in, and political trust is at rock bottom.

“For two decades, IPPR North has seen successive governments promise change, transport spending, and regional growth in the North. But to drive real change, we must turn the system on its head, and power must be handed down to people and places.

“Mayors must be given the powers and capital to build local infrastructure like transport and housing, and we must see a push against Whitehall orthodoxy, so local leaders are given control over revenue and borrowing.

“This cannot just be words anymore. We have to see delivery. Devolution is for the whole country: when our regions prosper, so does the UK. This is not about north versus south, it is action versus inaction.”

ENDS

Mirte Boot is available for interview 

CONTACT  

Maeve Schaffer, communications lead: 07585772633 m.schaffer@ippr.org     

NOTES TO EDITORS

IPPR North is the leading think tank for the North of England, developing bold ideas for a stronger economy and prosperous places and people. For more information, visit ippr.org/north.