The Mancunian Way: ‘My choices are different’
What does the Chancellor’s Spending Review mean for Greater Manchester?
Hello,
It’s Spending Review day! Said no excited child ever. But for the political nerds in our newsroom, it’s like Christmas.
And of course the decisions laid out by Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves a couple of hours ago have huge implications for us all.
Our politics writer Joseph Timan is still getting to grips with the finer detail, but there are a few big headlines we can give you now.
The biggest news is not really news, as we already found out last week that £15.6 billion earmarked for transport across the country will see £2.5bn fund Greater Manchester transport projects.
It will allow mayor Andy Burnham to expand the Metrolink to Stockport, fund another 1,000 electric buses, create new interchanges in the city centre and at Leigh, new tram stops in north Manchester, Bury and Oldham and new tram-trains in Rochdale.
So what’s actually new?
Ms Reeves set the tone for the spending review by declaring austerity had been a 'destructive choice for the fabric of our society'.
"My choices are different," she told MPs. Here’s how.
Northern Powerhouse Rail
Andy Burnham would have been looking for a commitment from the government to build a new railway line between Manchester and Liverpool.
And though the Chancellor did not directly mention those plans in her speech, Jo says ‘she's given it a nod’.
She promised to set out plans to 'take forward' Northern Powerhouse Rail - a new high-speed line across the North first announced more than a decade ago by the then-Tory Chancellor George Osborne - in the coming weeks.
“The Manchester-Liverpool railway line is just one part of this project, but it's the bit we've heard the most about in recent years. Watch this space,” says Jo.
And East to West
Ms Reeves also announced £3.5bn for the Transpennine Route Upgrade - which is already electrifying existing rail lines between York, Leeds and Manchester.
Ms Reeves said a quarter of that route is expected to be electrified by this summer.
Strangeways here we come?
Police 'spending power' is set to rise by an average of 2.3 per cent per year in real-terms. It follows fraught negotiations over funding.
Greater Manchester Police's chief constable Stephen Watson was among those who called for a boost to police budgets nationally.
Ms Reeves said the extra cash for police forces will allow Labour to fulfil its manifesto pledge of introducing 13,000 extra officers.
The Chancellor also announced £7bn to fund 14,000 new prison places and up to £700m per year into reform of the Probation system.
This could have implications for Manchester Council's plans to move Strangeways prison and revamp the area - though there’s not much meat on the bones yet.
Jo says more prison places would need to be created locally before the council can even start talking seriously about closing HMP Manchester.
“It all depends where those new prison places are and we don't know that yet.”
More, more, more
Ms Reeves confirmed £39bn of funding for affordable and social homes, telling MPs it is the 'biggest cash injection into social and affordable housing in 50 years'.
She said that this funding would directly support housebuilding - made easier by recent planning reforms - especially for social rent.
This could have implications for the 15,000-home Victoria North development.
Created, protected and renewed
The NHS will get a 'record' cash investment with a 3 per cent increase every year, amounting to an extra £29bn per year in total.
Ms Reeves said the government was spending £10bn digitising services as part of the government’s 10-year plan for the health service.
She said: "The National Health Service, created by a Labour government, protected, by a Labour government, and renewed, by this Labour Government."
Out of the capital
The development of the Manchester Digital Campus at the old Central Retail Park in Ancoats is part of a trend to take more government jobs out of London.
The new hub - which the M.E.N. understands is unlikely to open before 2028 - is expected to accommodate 7,000 civil servants.
There was no specific mention of Ancoats made by the Chancellor today, but the Spending Review does mention the Manchester First Street Hub, which will accommodate 2,600 civil servants.
Anything for OT?
Earlier this year, Ms Reeves announced the government would back the regeneration of Old Trafford where a new stadium is planned. But ministers did not say how exactly they would be supporting the major project other than to rule out funding the stadium itself.
Manchester United unveiled their plans for a new 100,000-seat stadium and more than 17,000 new homes around it back in March.
Andy Burnham says he wants £300m to relocate a freight terminal behind the current stadium, creating more space on the site.
But today, Ms Reeves made no mention of Old Trafford.
Manchester headlines
Pep: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Manchester, saying the city 'embraced' him and 'made everything easy'. "Manchester means so much to me," Guardiola said, accepting the award.
Beetham: One of Manchester's best known hotels - the Hilton based in the landmark Beetham Tower on Deansgate - has been taken over by a rival hotel group amid huge transformation plans. IHG Hotels and Resorts made the surprise announcement that they have signed up the hotel to become part of its luxury hotel group, to become the InterContinental Manchester Deansgate in due course. More here.
Deal: 110 jobs have been saved after a deal to rescue a historic Manchester steel firm. Thomas Storey Fabrications Group, which is based in Openshaw, went into administration last week. They have now completed a pre-pack sale of the business and its assets to Thomas Storey Fabrication Limited, part of the TAL Engineering Group. Details here.
Revamp: A major refurbishment is planned at Stockport Crematorium and Cemetery, which could cost around £14m. An extensive package of repairs and modernisation has been proposed for the site. More here.
Weather
Thursday: Sunny changing to cloudy by late morning. 23C.
Roads: A572 St Helens Road southbound, Leigh, closed due to roadworks from A578 Twist Lane to Bonnywell Road. Until June 30.
A6 Chapel Street westbound, Salford, closed due to long-term roadworks from A6041 Blackfriars Road to A34 New Bailey Street. Until January 19.