What Rachel Reeves didn't say in the Spending Review and what it means for Greater Manchester

Many questions remain unanswered following some glaring omissions

Rachel Reeves has unveiled how the government plans to spend our money between now and the next general election.

The Spending Review sets out how much money each government department will get and which big projects the Treasury will back. The Chancellor listed a number of specific schemes in her 45-minute speech with more detail published later in government papers.

However, many questions remain unanswered with Ms Reeves omitting to mention key projects local leaders were looking out for.

This includes the regeneration of Old Trafford and plans for a new railway line between Manchester and Liverpool via Warrington.

But just because the Chancellor did not explicitly mention these schemes, that doesn't mean they won't get government backing.

All eyes are now on the 10-year infrastructure strategy which the Manchester Evening News understands will be published next week.

New railways

In her speech, Ms Reeves dropped a hint that plans for a new Manchester-Liverpool railway line could become a reality.

Among the schemes she mentioned was Northern Powerhouse Rail which she said the government would 'take forward'.

This project has taken different forms since it was first announced by then-Conservative Chancellor George Osborne more than a decade ago.

Once dubbed 'HS3', the programme was originally envisaged as an entirely new high-speed railway line between Liverpool and Hull.

But in recent years, much of the focus has been on the Manchester to Liverpool section which Andy Burnham has been lobbying for.

The M.E.N. understands that 'hundreds of millions' of pounds have now been set aside for the development and preparatory building work involved in the project which see half-hour express trains running from a new underground station at Piccadilly every 10 minutes.

The Chancellor did not confirm this in her speech, but promised more details on Northern Powerhouse Rail 'in the coming weeks'.

Mr Burnham and other local leaders will also be hoping that the 10-year infrastructure strategy, which is set to be published next week, will also address the need for better links between Manchester and the Midlands in lieu of the ill-fated northern leg of HS2.

Housing

As part of the spending review, Ms Reeves confirmed that £39bn of government cash would go towards social and affordable housing.

The news has been welcomed in Greater Manchester - but it's not clear yet how much of this money will be spent in the city-region.

In her speech, Ms Reeves said that Blackpool, Preston, Sheffield and Swindon already have plans that could benefit from the cash.

But so does Manchester, with the council have put the 15,000-home Victoria North development forward as a project worth backing.

The government has already put money towards the scheme which includes a sizeable chunk of affordable housing as well as backing plans to build a new tram stop at Sandhills near Collyhurst as part of the project with the funding confirmed by Ms Reeves last week.

Councils across Greater Manchester will now be hoping to get a slice of the 10-year Affordable Homes Programme confirmed today.

Old Trafford

Earlier this year, Ms Reeves said that 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.

Speaking at a property conference at the French Riviera at the time, Mr Burnham said he wants £300m to relocate a freight terminal behind the current stadium, creating more space on the site and freeing up the city's other lines to put on more passenger services.

However, since March, the mayor has been much quieter about the project, focusing instead on other schemes he wants support for.

There have been fears among some local leaders that support for the Old Trafford plans could come at the expense of other schemes, such as the Atom Valley development which promises to create more than 20,000 jobs on the border of Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.

Setting out his asks ahead of the Spending Review, Mr Burnham said 'major upgrades' are needed on the M60 to open up Atom Valley.

Neither of the schemes were mentioned by the Chancellor today, so all eyes are now on the infrastructure strategy next week.

Police

Greater Manchester Police's chief constable Stephen Watson was among those who called for a boost to police budgets nationally.

And it looks like he got his wish with Ms Reeves announcing a yearly-average increase of 2.3 per cent in police 'spending power'.

Ms Reeves said the extra cash for police forces will allow Labour to fulfil its manifesto pledge of introducing 13,000 extra officers.

However, Gavin Stephens, who is the Chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, described the funding as 'incredibly challenging'.

He said: "In real terms, today’s increase in funding will cover little more than annual inflationary pay increases for officers and staff."

We still don't know how much money each individual police force will get, but Mr Stephen's reaction suggests finances will be tight.

Asked about concerns raised by policing figures, Ms Reeves told the BBC she recognises not everyone has got what they want.

Responding to the news, Mr Watson said the Spending Review 'provides clarity' on the national picture, insisting that GMP is 'well-positioned' to meet whatever challenges lie ahead and promising that the force is already working more 'efficiently and effectively'.

Strangeways

No one was expecting the Chancellor to announce the closure of HMP Manchester today - but there was some news that could help.

Ms Reeves announced £7bn to fund 14,000 new prison places as well as up to £700m per year into reform of the Probation system.

It's no secret that Manchester council wants to shut Strangeways prison as part of its plans to redevelop the area near the city centre.

The only problem is, prisons across the country are so overcrowded that inmates are being released early. Closing one is a tough sell.

Nevertheless, the council made its case to the government ahead of the spending review - and the funding for new prisons will help.

If any of the new prisons are built in or near Greater Manchester, there'd be a stronger case to shut Strangeways later down the line.

However, while the council wasn't expecting a commitment to closing the infamous prison from the Chancellor this week, local authority leaders will be hoping for more details as to where the money to build new prisons - or expand existing ones - will be spent.

Civil servants

The government had already announced plans to move more civil servants outside of London ahead of the Spending Review.

Last month, the Cabinet Office confirmed that plans for a new Government Digital and AI Innovation Campus in Manchester.

Manchester council, which bought Central Retail Park for £37m in 2017, has been working with the Government Property Agency on the plans to bring civil servants working in digital and AI-related jobs together in a new building at the site off Great Ancoats Street.

The new hub, which the M.E.N. understands is unlikely to open before 2028, is expected to accommodate 7,000 civil servants.

However, there was no mention of the new government hub in Ancoats during the Chancellor's speech or in any of Treasury papers.

There was mention of another new civil service site in the documents though - the First Street Hub which will be home to 2,600 jobs.