Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, wants to give English cities and regions much more control over their own money and decisions. He announced this plan in June 2026, saying it would help deliver "good growth in every British postcode," according to Reuters. If he becomes Prime Minister one day, this is what his government might try to do.

Right now, most major decisions about money and policy come from London—from Westminster, the seat of Parliament. London itself is far wealthier and growing faster than other parts of England. Burnham thinks the answer is to let regional mayors and councils make more of these decisions themselves, not ask Westminster first.

What the Plan Actually Does

Currently, a few regions—Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, the West Midlands—have deals with the government to control some powers locally. But most of England is left out. Burnham wants to change this so that regions across the whole country can have these same powers. The phrase "every British postcode" means he wants nowhere to be left behind.

Right now, power is spread unevenly. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own parliaments that make laws. But English regions don't have that power. Instead, they negotiate one-by-one with the Treasury in Westminster to get permission to do certain things. There's no standard set of powers everyone gets. It's confusing and unfair.

In Greater Manchester, Burnham has used his local power to make changes in transport, housing, and services. He believes that if other regions could do the same, they would grow faster too. But getting Westminster departments to give up power will be hard—they like controlling the money.

Why Now?

Burnham is a possible future leader of the Labour Party. By putting forward this big idea now, before any leadership race officially starts, he shapes what people will debate. It also sets him apart from other politicians who might just promise tax cuts or more spending, rather than changing how the system works.

The gap between London and everywhere else in England is real and long-standing. No government has managed to close it. Burnham is saying the problem isn't just that the regions need more money—it's that they need the power to make their own choices about how to spend it and what to build.

Economists agree that this idea makes sense in theory. When decisions are made locally by people who know their area, they often work better. But the government in London has always held tight to control over money and policy. That's partly because the system works that way—it's what people are used to—and partly because it helps whoever is in power at Westminster stay in power.

Will It Actually Work?

Burnham's plan will face two big tests. First: money. If regions just get to decide how to spend money that London sends them, that's not real power. Real power means regions can raise their own taxes and keep the money they earn—things like business taxes or a share of income tax. Right now, that doesn't happen in England. If Burnham's plan doesn't include that, it might just be the same old system with a new name.

Second: fairness. Devolution could help some regions but hurt others. A rich city with a strong local government might do very well. But a smaller town without those advantages could fall further behind, even if it has the legal right to make its own choices. The promise of helping "every postcode" sounds good, but making it actually happen is harder.

What Burnham has done is put a big constitutional question back into British politics. For years, people focused on immediate economic problems and foreign affairs, not how power should be organized. Now that conversation is live again. Whether his actual proposal becomes law depends on whether voters like the idea as much as Labour members do. Those are two different groups with different wishes.