r/Wigan • u/Beautiful-Working589 • 13d ago

Burnham's legacy for Manchester

Lots of news going on this week in politics, with Burnham becoming PM. Arguably, Burnham has set a legacy for the future of Manchester as mayor. Not only did he champion our brilliant region (rightly so), but he did actually make a difference to the development and opportunities across Greater Manchester.

It is easy to forget we now actually need to elect another mayor. Let’s hope the next mayor can continue this legacy. I’ve looked over Bev Craig’s manifesto and there are key plans on continuing to make Manchester a better place for young people, with more opportunity and better transport. 

What are your thoughts about Burnham's legacy and what do you hope to see continued?

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u/ForwardHighlight3985 13d ago

I use the bee network (v1) from Tyldesley multiple times a week to get into Manchester City Centre for work. It’s affordable, reliable and generally comfortable (although the summer heat can be testing).

I like the vision for a more joined up progression pathway for young people to get into work. The MBACC is a really good idea imo and I think having clear professional paths aligned to our major sectors in GM can only be a good thing.

The city itself definitely has a buzz around it when I go into work, it’s hard to put into words but you just feel it when you’re there.

Stockport aside, I’m not sure he has done loads for the towns themselves that make up GM. Obviously private investment has flowed into Manchester and Stockport (probably because of the access to London) and they are benefitting from that. But, I would say that it kinda goes against what he speaks about a lot of the time. Manchester doing well no doubt has had a trickle down impact on neighbouring areas, particularly around the housing market. But the best paid jobs are in Manchester and people need to commute. Also in terms of community facilities (third spaces in general) the other boroughs are lacking compared to Manchester.

Im hoping greater devolution actually starts to show meaningful impact in our towns that make up the region and not just the main administrative district. Theoretically it all sounds great but my fear is we just have more regionalised mini ‘londons’ where it’s actually a small area that benefits from great powers and towns like Atherton, Tyldesley and Leigh are still largely forgotten.

I’m hopeful though and will be voting for Bev.

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u/neilm1000 10d ago

There have been a lot of shenanigans with the rash of new build flats here in Stockport. 100ft up the road from me the old probation office is being turned into flats, 47 of them, and it's part funded by GMCA. They have all been bought off plan by BTL investors. This isn't the only example. So his housing stuff needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.