Burnham must deliver ‘new era of power’

Andy Burnham’s arrival in Downing Street must herald a “new era of power in the regions”, the North East mayor has urged, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Daniel Holland.

Mr Burnham became Prime Minister on Monday and used his first speech in the top job to promise an end to rough sleeping in the UK, as well as pledging to take power out of Westminster and “carry it into every postcode in the land”.

The former Greater Manchester mayor, who in succeeding Keir Starmer becomes the country’s seventh leader in the last decade, has already announced plans to set up a Number 10 North operation tasked with leading a major devolution push.

In a letter to the Makerfield MP on Monday afternoon, North East mayor Kim McGuinness urged him to “be bold” and hand local leaders far greater ability to enact change in their communities.

She wrote: “To take us towards a new era of power in the regions, the people of the North East need system change, immediate interventions to tackle the cost of living, and long-term changes that give them hope of a better future. Devolution in these three areas will allow people to see that their place is improving. It is that local delivery which should define your premiership. People trust results they can see.”

Ms McGuinness set out a set of initial demands to the new Prime Minister.

The first is to ensure mayors are given control over a share of national tax revenue, saying that delivering on fiscal devolution plans announced by Rachel Reeves earlier this year was  “the most important next step in our devolution story” and that it is “vital we do not allow this progress to slip”.

She also called for a guarantee of long-term funding to continue a cap on bus fares, currently set at £3 nationally but at £2.50 in our region.

It has been reported that Mr Burnham could seek to reduce the national cap back to £2, which he maintained in his publicly-controlled Bee Network in Greater Manchester when Labour upped the national limit in January 2025.

Ms McGuinness also used her letter to reiterate calls to give mayors funding for housing retrofit, in an effort to reduce people’s energy bills and create a construction jobs boom, and the powers and money to overhaul education and employment support for 16 to 19-year-olds.

The North East has the highest rate in England of young people who are not in education, employment, or training – 21%, totalling more than 64,000 young people, according to latest Government figures for 2025. 

Mr Burnham, who said on Monday that he would announce an initial set of measures to ease the cost of living this week before publishing a 10-year plan for Britain later in the year, used his Downing Street address to promise changes to the education system and extra mental health that would help young people get into work. 

Ms McGuinness wrote to him: “You are the first Prime Minister in British history who genuinely believes in using devolution to tear down the barriers to local growth. If we get this right, we will finally show people what take back control looks like. The North East is ready to work with you on this.”

Glen Sanderson, the Conservative leader of Northumberland County Council, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the North East must be “firmly in the picture” for Mr Burnham’s administration – with the renewed efforts to resurrect the dualling of the A1 top of his wishlist.

Coun Sanderson added: “It means not just ensuring that really important jobs like the dualling of the A1 are done, but also a recognition of the way Northumberland is going now and the great economic growth we are seeing. I want Northumberland to be recognised as somewhere that is not just a faraway land of lovely castles, beaches and lots of sheep – but as a thriving, growing, and ambitious county.” 

Mr Burnham’s stated mission to end rough sleeping in the UK echoes a similar pledge he made at the outset of his nine years as mayor of Greater Manchester, during which time he donated a portion of his salary to a ‘Bed Every Night’ programme to help people off the streets.

However, he failed to end rough sleeping there. Figures published in 2025 by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority showed that rough sleeping rose year-on-year, with the number of people seen sleeping rough on a single night up to 154 in autumn 2024 from 149 in 2023, but had fallen from a peak in 2017. 

Chi Onwurah, Labour’s MP for Newcastle Central and West, said that ending rough sleeping would “make a real difference to vulnerable people in Newcastle and the look and feel of our  streets”. 

Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, added: “Andy Burnham understands that Britain cannot succeed while power, wealth and investment remain concentrated in Westminster and the South East. 

“Now we must deliver the change working-class communities voted for: rebuild our industries, bring good jobs back to places like Jarrow and Gateshead East, build the homes people desperately need, fix social care and put more money in people’s pockets.”

Colin Ferguson, the Lib Dem leader of Newcastle City Council, said that the new PM must “ccelerate plans to tackle the crisis in social care, fix the broken local government funding model, and show real leadership on supporting children with Special Educational Needs”.

He added: “Andy Burnham’s economic growth agenda has to extend all the way to the North, not just southern places like Manchester. Devolution has to extend all the way to local government and not stop at mayors. Real powers and responsibilities have to be shared all the way down to local communities.”