We explain what Devo-Manc and the 'Northern Powerhouse' could mean for Bolton

You might be mistaken for thinking we are talking about the stage titles of some fierce pro-wrestlers or perhaps nicknames your dad might give to his prize motor — but sadly this is not the case.

What they do in fact refer to is a pretty important deal that has been signed that will change the way key aspects of your daily life are managed — and who is in charge of them.

The “historic” devolution deal was signed last November by the Chancellor George Osborne and Greater Manchester’s 10 borough council leaders, including our very own Cliff Morris.

The basic principle is simple — people in our region must know more about what we need to run things around here, so we should have more power to do just that and the flexibility to tailor policies and initiatives to local needs and priorities - not a 'one size fits all' national approach.

You may agree that David Cameron – who hails from leafy Witney in Oxfordshire and was educated at the prestigious Eton School— could struggle to understand the needs of 87-year-old Bingo fanatic Doris, who has spent her whole life ‘up Daubhill.’ So the idea is that big decisions about where money is spent and what it exactly it is spent on are made by our locally elected leaders, as well as other decision-makers such as health bodies.

‘Hmmm, the government have been rather kind offering us up all this devolved power’, you might think — so what is the catch?

Well one stipulation of the Devo-Manc deal is that we must elect a Greater Manchester Mayor: A figurehead who will take on the chief responsibility for major areas like health, transport, planning and housing —backed up by the assembly of borough council leaders.

Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd took on the temporary mayoral role earlier this year to get the devolution ball rolling, but an elected figure is expected to take the helm in 2017.

So, what will this all singing, all dancing mayor and his band of merry law-makers be in charge of exactly? Here are a few of the key areas:-

Health

For many, the most significant part of the Devo-Manc agenda is that the region will take on responsibility for our whopping £6 billion health and social care budget.

This means decisions about healthcare and social services will be taken locally and not in Whitehall.

It also means that health and social care can be joined up in a bid to avoid 'fragmentation' in the system.

As part of the plan, leaders will work to extend seven day access to GPs and other primary care services, upgrade public health schemes and also work to develop new and innovative treatments.

Transport

For most Boltonians, the very mention of the ‘T’ word gets the old shackles up — we have had more road closures and disrupted rail services than you can shake a stick at in recent years.

Under the devo-deal, Dave, George and their government pals will pool and devolve a chunk of central funding to Greater Manchester and provide a “multi-year settlement” in the same way they do for Transport for London.

“But what about the buses!?” scream the hordes. Well, the government says it is happy to support new laws that could see Greater Manchester move to a franchised model of bus service.

Under the plans, our new elected mayor will get to decide which companies run buses on which routes.

There are also plans for Greater Manchester to bring in an ‘Oyster style’ smart ticketing system for all buses and trams — which could arrive by the end of the year.

Skills

The main idea about devolving the so-called 'skills agenda' is to help local residents get the skills they need specifically for local jobs.

Before devolution, the region had little influence over skills training and that meant there would often be a mismatch between the skills people needed for available jobs in their local area.

Something many (including politicians from all sides) can agree on is that apprentices are a good thing and we need more of them to get the economy going.

Currently, employers get a £1,500 cash injection for every qualifying apprentice they take on and Greater Manchester leaders will now assume responsibility for this and will be able to vary the level of support they offer out depending on what they think is needed.

Police and Fire

The current Police and Crime Commissioner role will be absorbed into the mayoral position – sounds painful, I know – meaning whoever is elected will oversee policing strategy and hold the force to account. The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority will be abolished and its functions will be transferred to the mayor as well.

Planning and Land

There will be a new Greater Manchester Land Commission — which will oversee how the public sector estate will be best used.

A huge database of public land will be put together in a bid to help the region meet its target of building 10,000 new homes each year.

The government aren’t handing all of this over to us though — with the Housing Minister chairing the commission alongside our new mayoral leader.

These are just a few of the areas where new powers could arrive. Many agree it is a positive move to take the ability to make these decisions out of the hands of those in Whitehall and into those of the people who should know what is needed where we live — after all we elected them for that purpose.

But as with everything in politics and in life, it is not a straight forward matter. There are genuine concerns among leaders, health professionals and the general public that we will not get the settlement needed to really push forward with this historic deal.

Much remains to be seen about how the much heralded “northern powerhouse” will come into being and The Bolton News has joined with other newspapers across the region to call on the Chancellor to give us a Fair Devo Deal.