Why a Better Together win is good for the North, as well as Scotland

This post is written by Kieran Quinn and Mike Amesbury

With the debate raging in Scotland between the pro union and pro-independence camps, I thought it timely to argue the case for greater devolution for the North.

Common ground shared by both the nationalist and many in the “Better Together” camp is that the UK is over centralised and London centric. Whatever the result beyond the Referendum of the 18^th of September, more powers shaped and delivered by the Scottish parliament is inevitable. Surely if it is good enough for Scotland it is good enough for the North. The economy in the North West alone has a Gross Value Added contribution to the UK of some £130billion (ONS) compared to the Scottish GVA of some £106 billion.

I and the other Leaders of the Combined Greater Manchester Authority, as well as those across the North of England, are determined to get have an even greater say and share of resources we need for our communities to prosper.

For too long, the powers that be in Westminster and Whitehall have decided that they know what is best for our localities and people, resulting in huge disparities in wealth, investment, infrastructure provision and services.

This imbalance in our economy is clearly illustrated by the Treasury figures on public supported infrastructure projects.  London’s per capita spend is £5,426 per resident, while in the North West region it is projected at £1,248. per resident. This approach to London centric investment is counter to all the empirical evidence that large scale infrastructure projects will yield greater economic returns for those areas in most need. It also lacks common sense.

The second and related aspect of the imbalance is in our political structures. While Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own government assemblies of government, ours have are fragmented and un-co-ordinated. We must strengthen the voice of the North with greater co-operation between strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). The scale and pace of City Region and area region government needs to be stepped up and a genuine connection between the electorate and local governance needs to be enhanced.

Greater Manchester has been ahead of the game and the recent City and Growth Deals will see significant investment (£476.7million projects will start in 2015/16 and help to create 5,000 jobs, support over 75,000 people learning new skills and generate up to £80million in public and private investment). The One North, Strategic Transport Investment Plan, worth a potential £15bn, has been an exemplar of what can be achieved with greater co-operation between northern city regions. As this co-operation grows,, the North will need to develop more shovel- ready major infrastructure projects to shift resources from the South East to the North.

While the current Growth Deals and talk of devolution have been welcome, the Tory- led government has given with one hand and taken significantly with the other. As well as the imbalance in publicly funded infrastructure projects it has also unfairly cut the budgets of some of the most deprived areas in England. Local government will have suffered a 40%+ cut in central government grants by then end of this parliament. What I and my colleagues expect from the next government is a fairer funding system for those areas in need. Not preferential treatment, but a hand up to help create fairer and prosperous communities.

That is why we welcome proposals outlined by the Labour Party to put fairness at the heart of local government finance while devolving nearly three times as much money from Whitehall to local areas (from 12 billion to £30 billion). I and my colleagues will naturally push for more to be spent “down our street rather than Downing Street”. The English regions are crying out for greater devolution, we need to break the stranglehold of central government, shape our destiny and spend wisely.

The North will be better together.

Kieran Quinn is Leader of Tameside Borough Council and Mike Amesbury is a Labour Manchester City councillor