ANDY Burnham, Labour candidate for the post of Mayor of Greater Manchester, has made much of tackling the “north-south divide”. I hope he makes a start on the one that exists right here, on his own patch.

There can be no doubt that the main beneficiaries thus far of the “city region” idea have been Manchester city centre, its immediate environs and the traditionally more prosperous area to the south. Rather than even attempting to balance or counteract this overwhelming concentration of investment, Greater Manchester thinking has exacerbated it.

The GM South authorities have a GVA (gross value added) index more than twice that of the old manufacturing towns of GM North, which include Bolton; above-average growth in the last decade within GM is actually restricted to Manchester, Trafford and Stockport. A form of group-think has grown up that promotes centralisation as the only way forward: basically, turning a conurbation into a city, despite local geography militating against this. If you live in Bolton or Wigan – well, we need to get you out! No trams, though - sorry.

It is no coincidence that Manchester, Trafford and Stockport were the only districts to vote Remain in the referendum, and that TfGM has had to go so far as to issue a plea to people in GM North to respond to its strategic plans for the future of public transport, as – you’ve guess it – the majority of responses have come from those same three areas. This suggests a sense of disenfranchisement, if well over half the area feels they have little stake, that they are falling behind, their priorities are dismissed and that there is no point.

This is democratically dangerous and socially unjust, and it isn’t good enough. There has never been any real GM strategy for shopping centres of former county-boroughs, such as Bolton, or for employment in the northern boroughs, which rely largely on low-pay jobs and cheap retail developments. What counts as GM strategic thinking should not be restricted to the holy trinity of Media City, Manchester city centre and the airport. The same straitjacket has led to the ludicrous situation in which all three planned “super hospitals” are within six miles of Manchester city centre. This cannot be allowed to go ahead. The 600 000 population of Bolton and Wigan deserves better. Whilst the North west needs a strong Manchester, that cannot be at the cost of other areas being left to spin off into economic outer space. I hope Mr Burnham, if elected, isn’t deflected from putting the “region” back into “city region”.

A V Bowyer

Manchester Road

Over Hulton