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Manchester Governance and AGMA

504K views 4K replies 264 participants last post by  VDB 
#1 ·
How many seats does Greater Manchester have?

I know we've got the 4 "city of manchester" seats, but there are plenty of places in greater manchester that aren't included in this, like Stretford, Oldham, Rochdale etc.

How many seats do we have in total, and how does it compare with rival cities like Liverpool and Birmingham?
 
#1,583 ·
Officers work for local councils or public bodies, their civil servants that advise, manage and implement the decisions of the elected its Members who make the decisions, officers cant vote.

Members in attendence

BURY COUNCIL Councillor Michael Connolly
MANCHESTER CC Councillor Richard Leese
OLDHAM COUNCIL Councillor Jim McMahon
ROCHDALE MBC Councillor Colin Lambert
SALFORD CC Mayor Ian Stewart
STOCKPORT MBC Councillor Sue Derbyshire
TAMESIDE MBC Councillor Kieran Quinn
TRAFFORD COUNCIL Councillor Matthew Colledge
WIGAN COUNCIL Councillor Peter Smith (in the Chair)
JOINT BOARD AND OTHER MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
TfGMC Councillor Andrew Fender
GMWDA Councillor Neil Swannick

Officers in attendance

Howard Bernstein GMCA Head of Paid Service
Gillian Bishop GMCA Secretary
Susan Orrell GMCA Monitoring Officer
Richard Paver GMCA S151 Officer
Sean Harriss Bolton Council
Mike Kelly Bury Council
Janice Gott Manchester CC
Carolyn Wilkins Oldham Council
Jim Taylor Rochdale MBC
Barbara Spicer Salford CC
Eamonn Boylan Stockport MBC
Steven Pleasant Tameside MBC
Theresa Grant Trafford MBC
David Leather TfGM
Baron Frankal New Economy
Andrew Cliffe MAG
Penny Boothman Greater Manchester Integrated Support Team
Joanne Horrocks Greater Manchester Integrated Support Team
Kerry Bond Greater Manchester Integrated Support Team
Nicola Ward AGMA Scrutiny Officer
 
#1,587 ·
Look to the Agenda then...

Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive, Manchester City Council presented a report
GREATER MANCHESTER ENTERPRISE ZONE DELIVERY MODEL

Steve Pleasant and Sean Harriss, Lead Chief Executives for Public Service Reform
GM COMMUNITY BUDGET PILOT – PROGRESS REPORT

Susan Orrell, GMCA Monitoring Officer
LOCALISM ACT 2011 – NEW GMCA CODE OF CONDUCT FOR MEMBERS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO DEAL WITH COMPLAINTS

Mike Emmerich, Chief Executive, New Economy
QUARTERLEY ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

Eamonn Boylan, Lead Chief Executive Planning & Housing Commission
DELIVERING HOUSING GROWTH IN GREATER MANCHESTER
GREATER MANCHESTER SPATIAL INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK - UPDATE

David Leather, Chief Executive, TfGM
GREATER MANCHESTER ROAD ACTIVITIES PERMIT SCHEME

Howard Bernstein, GMCA Head of Paid Services and David Leather, Chief Executive, TfGM
NORTHERN HUB AND RAILWAY FUNDING 2014 - 2019

Richard Paver Treasurer to the GMCA
REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING 2012 - 2013
CAPITAL MONITORING REPORT 2012 - 13

Then of course the normal housekeeping minutes, Scrutiny reports and staff organising the actual meeting.
 
#1,591 ·
GMCA are currently considering an application to Government to pool business rates (assessment, collection and spending) across the whole region. This would likely exclude Trafford (who will be in reciept of safety-net payments which would be lost in a pool) and possibly Stockport as well, they will know when 2013/14 settlement estimates are released by Government in mid December. Although the proposal should be a revenue neutral change it has the benefits of spreading the rewards of investment like Metrolink and housing programmes made with pooled money beyond the direct environs. A decision on whether to apply or not will be made in December, it will require all districts to agree and will then be subject to annual renewal so can consider 2013/14 a trial.
 
#1,593 ·
Its assessed annually, you know how local councils collect business rates then Government takes them and apportions them back to local councils. The safety net exists to stop a councils income dropping too far as a percentage from the previous year, as Trafford has a low population but a large amount of businesses its pretty reliant on the bussiness rate over council tax, with the economy doing poorly theres a drop and Trafford would suffer more than most so it gets safety net payments. Stockport potentially could be elligible because its population has shrunk according to the latest census so their could be a large negative adjustment to its share.
 
#1,594 ·
I know this is more about Scotland, but it does mention the whole of the United Kingdom as a full Federal State.


The Lib Dem commission was chaired by Sir Menzies Campbell

'Home Rule' plan to be unveiled

October 16, 2012 12:31 AM Scotland would raise around two thirds of all the money it spends, under proposals due to be unveiled by the Scottish Liberal Democrats. The plan is contained in the party's blueprint for 'home rule' which has been obtained by BBC Scotland. The Lib Dems hope other parties will adopt the proposals if voters reject independence in the 2014 referendum. It proposes, however, that the Act of Union between England and Scotland should be scrapped. The radical plans are among 56 recommendations made by a commission chaired by former party leader Sir Menzies Campbell. The commission's report is due to be released on Wednesday. A leaked copy suggests allowing the Scottish Parliament to collect almost all income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax and air passenger duty - but not VAT, alcohol or excise duties. It also proposes the UK adopting a federal system, which would create a series of regional and national parliaments and assemblies across the United Kingdom, with a federal government retaining powers over foreign affairs, defence, currency, welfare and pensions. The report acknowledges that different parts of the UK may wish to move at different speeds towards federalism, adding: "The move to home rule status for Scotland, in which it enjoys a federal relationship with the rest of the United Kingdom, is a first stage that can proceed ahead of the rest." In his introduction to the report, Sir Menzies said it was his "firm belief" that the proposals were in the best interests of every part of the UK - not just Scotland. He wrote: "The ideas and structure we have laid out are unlikely to be achieved in one leap. Our priority is to secure and entrench a broader home rule settlement for Scotland, but there can be no doubt that this would benefit from major change at Westminster too. "Over time, we are confident that the constitutional debate in England, currently under-developed, will progress and reach a conclusion -but time will be required for that debate. "We expect that Scotland will contribute to the terms of that debate, at least by example, but it is for people in England to determine how they wish their own national and regional identities expressed within the constitutional structures of our United Kingdom." He added: "Scotland will thrive with the fiscal responsibility and authority that comes with home rule, but that home rule settlement can only be stable if it forms part of the move to a truly federal United Kingdom. We shall promote home rule and federalism at every opportunity. Home rule has been an ambition of the Lib Dems for 100 years, and the commission provides the party with an argument with which to fight independence, BBC Scotland's political correspondent Tim Reid said. And a federal system, Sir Menzies argues, answers the age-old West Lothian Question of how purely English matters should be dealt with at Westminster, and he says the Act of Union should be replaced with a Declaration of Federal Union.

BBC © 2012
 
#1,595 ·
As you may know through the City Deal and other Government pilot schemes Greater Manchester has been chosen as a 'Low Carbon Hub', of course this will be doing some of the work of the existing AGMA/GMCA Envrionment Commision including the local Green Bank. The Government has asked that the Low Carbon Hub governance be set up like a LEP (an independent board made up of public bodies, business, charity, education representatives etc...) so of course this has implications for the Environment Commision which is currently directly led by the GMCA/AGMA board of council leaders. What their proposing is to fold the current Environment Commision into the new Low Carbon Hub and set up a sub commitee or joint committee of the Leaders Board (AGMA) and/or GMCA (the councillors) to be the interface between the bodies, their leaning towards it being a committee of the GMCA.
 
#1,602 ·
I think Heseltine's overall proposed structure looks quite sensible - unitary authorities across the country, but with Greater London and the met counties having over-arching Mayors to provide city-wide governance. Then with the government regions brought back as a top layer.

I get the feeling that Heseltine's report will get completely ignored by the government. The Tories can't stand Heseltine because he refuses to give in to the right-wing of the party and can actually propose sensible, bipartisan ideas which don't suck up to the vested interests of the Tory right.
 
#1,610 · (Edited)
Just gone live on the BIS website.

Some key findings:

Localism - Building on our strengths

1. Central government should identify the budgets administered by different departments
which support growth. These should be brought together into a single funding pot for
local areas, without internal ring fences.

2 Local partnerships should bid for funds from central government on a competitive basis.
Bids should be for a minimum of ive years starting from 2015/16.

3. Government should streamline its management of EU Common Strategic Framework
funds in England, strip out the bureaucracy of multiple programmes and align local
allocations from the four funds with the single funding pot.

4. Taking full account of the Government’s national growth strategy, all LEPs, in collaboration
with local stakeholders, should lead the development of a long term strategy and business
plan for their area that will be used to bid for economic growth funds from central
government.

5. The Government should allocate LEPS up to £250,000 of new public funding, resourced
through departmental efficiency savings and underspends, in each of years 2013/14 and
2014/15 specifically to devise their local economic strategies, and create the foundations
for their implementation.

6. The Government should invite LEPs to review their boundaries within a three month period
to ensure they have a good match with their functional economic market area and that
they do not overlap.

7. In light of the new role and vision for LEPs, each LEP should ensure that their board has
the necessary skills and expertise to deliver their expanded functions and pay particular
attention to the representation of employees from both private and public sector.

8. At the earliest opportunity civil servants based across the country should be brigaded into
Local Growth Teams, structured around clusters of LEPs, primarily tasked with joining up
government and local partners in the areas of their responsibilities to facilitate, identify and
realise economic opportunities.

9. Ministers and permanent secretaries should be associated with individual LEPs, not to
advocate individual plans but to add an understanding of place to the existing culture of
function.

10. Local authorities should have a new overarching legal duty to have regard to economic
development in the exercise of all their activities and functions. Where local authorities
share a functional economic market area they should be required to collaborate on
economic development.

11. All two-tier English local authorities outside London should pursue a path towards unitary
status. The Government should encourage this and work with authorities to clarify the
process and enable it to happen.

12. Proposals for formal collaboration between local authorities that reinforce the standing of
the LEP and enhance the partnership with the private sector across a functional economic
market area, should be encouraged and prioritised for government approval. All proposals
to move to unitary or combined authority models should be scrutinised by the Prime
Minister’s Growth Council.

13. The Government should remove all legislative barriers that are preventing local authorities
from collaborating within functional economic market areas, including moving to a unitary
status.

14. Local authority council members should be elected using the same electoral cycle across
England where the whole council is elected at the same time every four years.

15. Legislation should be passed to enable combined local authorities, and other
combinations of authorities, that wish to elect a conurbation mayor to do so.
 
#1,611 ·
^^

Good on yer, Hesseltine. It's what I've always been saying. Can't happen soon enough in my opinion.

No stone unturned

A government-commissioned report into boosting the UK economy has recommended ending a century of centralisation and moving growth funds nearer to industry.

The review, carried out by Lord Heseltine, makes a total of 89 recommendations to help industry. One of its key aims is to move £49bn from central government to the regions to help local leaders and businesses.

The main points of the report, called No Stone Unturned: In pursuit of growth, include: a major devolution of funding, making a smaller and more skilled government machine, enhancing the standing of Local Economic Partnerships (LEPs) to bring together private and public sectors, more government leadership for major infrastructure projects and a role for employers in education.
 
#1,612 ·
I would have preferred it if Heseltine had actually outlined a formal structure for local government, rather than give vague encouragement for councils to simply work together.

I'm not a fan of the structure of Local Enterprise Partnerships for the following reasons:
- Some of them are so big that they're unlikely ever to develop a single, cohesive strategy (eg. Leeds City Region seems to cover half of Yorkshire)
- There is too much overlap as Heseltine identified (eg. Barnsley sits in both Leeds and Sheffield city regions)
- There is very little match with the current local govt set-up meaning it's difficult to understand who is accountable for decision making (eg. the South East Midlands LEP spreads across parts of 4 different counties - some with county councils & district councils, some with unitary authorities with different election cycles)
- Rather than bring city-wide governance, some LEPs actually seem to work against this (eg. the West Midlands councils of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton have all formed the Black Country LEP which completely leaves out Birmingham despite all of those areas clearly being part of Birmingham's city region)

Heseltine's suggestions will help a bit with resolving some of these problems. But I think it would have been better if he'd actually tackled the mess of England's local government head on and recommended a clear structure that both helps to provide city-wide government where it's needed, whilist being easy for the public to understand.
 
#1,614 ·
Greater Manchester councils team up in 'bulk-buy' bid that could slash £200 a year off fuel bills
Exclusive by Deborah Linton
November 01, 2012



Energy bills across Greater Manchester could be slashed by up to £200 a year in a pioneering ‘bulk buy’ scheme. All our 10 town halls are joining forces to negotiate bargain prices for gas and electricity.

The scheme is based on energy co-operatives run by Oldham and Rochdale councils, but now anyone across the region is invited to sign up.

Council bosses say anyone taking part should get cheaper bills from next February. They say the energy collective would be the biggest of its kind in the country.

The town halls would use the bargaining power of tens of thousands of customers to negotiate for better deals. They say that the more people who join, the higher the potential saving, – and they are already talking to other local authorities in a bid to get them to join. The scheme has been pioneered in

Belgium but Greater Manchester is leading the way in Britain.

Coun Arooj Shah, from Oldham council, said: "It is fantastic news that our collective energy switching programme is being joined by all ten of the neighbouring Greater Manchester authorities.

"Together, we now have around 1.2 million households who can come on board with this, and we are still speaking to other interested local authorities up and down the country. This should significantly swell the size and purchasing power of the collective group – and that means even bigger potential savings for residents.

"Retail energy prices have more than doubled in under seven years. More price rises have been announced in recent days and this is a major financial headache for families everywhere."

With average annual energy bills now topping £1,300, the scheme could give cash-strapped families a significant saving. The town halls will apply for funding from the Department for Energy and Climate Change to promote the scheme, which already has the backing of government.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey, who visited Oldham and Manchester this week, told the M.E.N he was impressed by the work.

He said: "Energy bills are high and a concern for families and businesses. Bringing people together through co-operative deals, we can help people move the market so they get a better deal. With energy prices going up, I think everybody wants to see how they can cut their bills, so I would urge people across Greater Manchester to look at this fantastic scheme and consider signing up."

To register visit www.oldham.gov.uk/fuel_coop . Anyone who registers will receive an offer once the contract has been awarded in January, with no obligation to take up the deal.
 
#1,615 ·
I think it's incredulous that LA's haven't done or thought about this before. Surely it's pretty basic commercial common sense to bulk buy, it is after all our money. Unfortunately it says it all about the type of ambition and political self interest these local 'leaders' have, they are commercially illiterate and economically wasteful to say the least!
 
#1,617 ·
I don't see how a joint procurement process can be anti competitive? If the legislation means you can't buy more for less jointly surely that is anti competitive in itself? The fact they are looking at it now would suggest that is not the case. In my opinion they have picked up on the joint purchasing power clubs operating in countries like Belgium where thousands of consumers are getting together online to do mass joint deals, saving in many cases about 50% on electricity prices. I've worked in purchasing for many years and I know through people in the business that Central and Local Government procurement is shambolically wasteful, I even know somebody who is retired at 44 because of the millions he made out of LA contracts, he said he couldn't believe his luck!
 
#1,646 ·
I don't see how a joint procurement process can be anti competitive? If the legislation means you can't buy more for less jointly surely that is anti competitive in itself? The fact they are looking at it now would suggest that is not the case. In my opinion they have picked up on the joint purchasing power clubs operating in countries like Belgium where thousands of consumers are getting together online to do mass joint deals, saving in many cases about 50% on electricity prices. I've worked in purchasing for many years and I know through people in the business that Central and Local Government procurement is shambolically wasteful, I even know somebody who is retired at 44 because of the millions he made out of LA contracts, he said he couldn't believe his luck!
See in todays MEN the 'People Power headline' about a joint procurement club operating in Oldham. This is what I was referring to in my post from a month ago. Why can't our councils in GM do the same, it could save millions. of course complete amalgamation would save even more!
 
#1,618 ·
Manchester seeking devolved inward investment powers

8th November 2012

MANCHESTER'S next big goal in terms of wrestling power from Whitehall is for control of inward investment strategy, city council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein said.

He told members of pro.manchester that UK Trade and Investment - the Government's export promotion and inward investment body - is not the right model for Greater Manchester, which has its own agency, MIDAS, but which is under-resourced.

"The reality is UKTI is like London Enterprises. We need the authority to do our own thing, to grow, to add value, to drive the economy forward."

He insisted such a local solution was not "about me jetting around the world", but was part of the overall strategy of providing a "customised approach" to economic success in the city region.

He told the event's 180 attendees that the "defining moment" for him in the last 12 months was the Government's City Deal - a pioneering initiative announced in April, which allows Greater Manchester to reinvest its own national tax revenues in local schemes.

The arrangement - a first for any UK city, gives Greater Manchester the ability to 'earn back' up to £30m a year of tax for growth it creates.

He praised the Government's approach to empowering cities, adding: "I have been articulating for as long as I can remember that cities are an engine for growth, and there has been a significant shift under this government towards this."

Having secured such a "one-to-one engagement with the government machine", he said the challenge for Greater Manchester is now to deliver on its promises, by improving skills, tackling worklessness and generating growth.

He said engaging and trading with China and other fast-growing economies was a key challenge for the next 10 years, along with capitalising on opportunities in the low carbon economy.
 
#1,619 ·
MEN.

Manchester's town hall boss has said the West Coast mainline fiasco has proved the case for the north west taking control of its own railways.

Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein said the region’s train network is key to driving its economic growth.

And he says Greater Manchester should forge ahead for plans to take over the Transpennine and Northern Rail services.

In March, the M.E.N revealed transport chiefs planned to team-up with their counterparts in South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to bid to take control of the local networks. Since then, a formal expression of interest document which sets out the proposals has been submitted to the Department for Transport.

Prepared by Transport for Greater Manchester, it puts forward the case for merging the Transpennine Express and Northern Rail networks and having them managed by a new chief executive.

A probe into the West Coast fiasco is underway after the government awarded the running of the franchise to FirstGroup, then reversed its decision after discovering major ‘flaws’ in the tendering process.

The DfT has said it will include a review of the way rail networks are franchised, including the possibility of devolving control of them.

Sir Howard said that presented the perfect opportunity for those behind the Greater Manchester and Yorkshire bid.

He added it went hand-in-hand with £530m of improvements set to be made to Greater Manchester’s railways through the Northern Hub project.

Sir Howard said: "Once this government has got over the debacle of the West Coast Mainline, we need to push to take control and responsibility of the Transpennine and Northern Rail franchises.

"We have put together a consortium and we are going to be the centrepiece for a big bid for the rail franchise."

Sir Howard was speaking at a lunch for pro.manchester, which represents lawyers, accountants, bankers and other professionals.


Let us take charge of our own trains, says Manchester Council boss Sir Howard Bernstein
 
#1,620 ·
Some turnouts for the Police Commisioner elections in, their even worst than the pessimistic prediction of 15% and the Electoral Reform Societys prediction of 18%.

Bolton 14.2%
Salford 13%
Rochdale 12%
Wigan 11.4%
Bury 14.5%
Oldham 12.6%
Stockport 13.7%
Tameside 14.6%
Trafford 18.3% (Good old Conservative Trafford.....)

With Manchester still to come County average so far of 13.8%!

20% Turnout in Ardwick council byelection, 6% PCC turnout in some parts of Manchester, final number not in yet. Manchester Central MP election turnout as low as 11% in some wards, was a 48% turnout last time and that was during the University break as well.
 
#1,621 · (Edited)
Final Greater Manchester PCC turnout 13.46%

Recount for Manchester Central MP, UKIP and Conservatives are both arguing over voting slips that will decide which of them came third, possibility of Conservatives losing their deposit.

Update 2: Lucy Powell Labour wins with 11,507, 69.1% of the vote, 2nd Lib Dem 1571 votes, 3rd tories 754, 4th ukip 749, Tories beat UKIP to 3rd by just 5 votes and both Conservative and UKIP lose their deposit.
18.4% turnout (Lowest in any by-election since WW2), Labour majority 9936.
 
#1,622 ·
WatcherZero said:
Final Greater Manchester PCC turnout 13.46%

Recount for Manchester Central MP, UKIP and Conservatives are both arguing over voting slips that will decide which of them came third, possibility of Conservatives losing their deposit.

Update 2: Lucy Powell Labour wins with 11,507, 69.1% of the vote, 2nd Lib Dem 1571 votes, 3rd tories 754, 4th ukip 749, Tories beat UKIP to 3rd by just 5 votes and both Conservative and UKIP lose their deposit.
18.4% turnout (Lowest in any by-election since WW2), Labour majority 9936.
Do you know when we get the result? I really hope we don't get some right wing idiot.
 
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