Rotheram, Burnham won their mayoral elections. What next?
After they each secured more than 60% of the vote, Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham have a clear mandate in Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester, respectively. So what does this mean for the property industry?
Looking at both their manifestos, Burnham and Rotheram have made clear their ambitions to improve transport infrastructure in their regions, promote active travel, and deliver more sustainable and affordable homes during their third term in office.
- Read more: Election results from across the North West
Here are some of the key campaign pledges from the Greater Manchester Mayor and Liverpool City Region Mayor, as well as a snapshot of how they performed in the election.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham
Election result
Burnham secured 63.4% of the vote, a decrease from the last election in 2021 where he had 67.3%. The 63.4% of the vote figure is virtually the same as his 2017 win. The closest challenger to Burnham this go-round was Conservative Laura Evans, who claimed 10.4% of the vote.
In his acceptance speech, Burnham said: “I am ready to fight harder than I have ever fought for anything before for a Greater Manchester where people can live free from the fear of debt, hunger, and eviction – and where everyone is set up to be a part of the growing success story that is our city region today.”
Manifesto promises
Development
- Continue to support Atom Valley, connecting it to Metrolink network
- To move to establish a Bolton Mayoral Development Corporation similar to that in Stockport
- Support Ashton Mayoral Development Zone
Housing
- Create GM Housing First, a multi-agency unit dedicated to improving housing standards and availability
- Build 10,000 homes before the end of the mayoral term in 2028, with 1,000 in every Greater Manchester borough
- Give all Greater Manchester renters the right to request a property check and expand the resources available at the combined authority to deal with these checks and any subsequent actions that need to be taken
- Create Greater Manchester Good Landlord Charter
Skills
- Introduce Greater Manchester Baccalaureate, aka the Mbacc. This would create a centralised applications system for T levels and other technical qualifications that are attached to a work placement with a named employer. The first list of subjects to be part of the Mbacc is set to be announced later this year.
- Lobby central government for control of funds related to the apprenticeship levy
Transport
- Integrate eight commuter rail lines before the end of his mayoral term in 2028
- Work with Rotheram to establish a Liverpool-Manchester Railway Board to oversee the creation of a publicly operated Liverpool and Manchester Railway
- Expand Metrolink, with Middleton, Heywood, and Stockport being main priorities
- Build business case for a Bolton Metrolink extension
- Add Metrolink stop at Sandhills in North Manchester (this has been in the works since 2018 as part of Manchester City Council and FEC’s Victoria North plans)
- Improve the availability of EV charging
- Resist introducing a charging Clean Air Zone
- Continue developing segregated cycling and walking network across Greater Manchester
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram
Election result
While Burnham’s election result shows a slight waning in excitement, Rotheram’s results show a surge in popularity. In 2017, he had 59.3% of the vote. In 2021, that number shrunk, slightly, to 58.3%.
But this year, Rotheram claimed 68%. His closest competitor, Conservative Jade Marsden, only received 10.2%.
Reflecting on his win, Rotheram said: “It’s a ringing endorsement of what’s happened in the last seven years but also, now a full mandate to go ahead and deliver on the 72-page manifesto that I put to the electorate.
“That means that we want to concentrate on the things that are really important to people, right the way across the Liverpool City Region: more council housing, for instance, better transport links, more opportunities for people, lots more apprenticeships, and of course innovation, and financial investment from central government,” he continued, concluding with a promise to work to make the economy grow year on year.
Manifesto promises
Development/Environment
- Develop a pipeline of Grey Belt sites
- Make a design review panel an intrinsic part of investment strategies
- Make the city region carbon neutral by 2035
- Triple volume of energy from offshore wind by 2032
- Invest £10m in zero carbon refuelling stations by end of the mayoral term
- Develop full business case for Mersey Tidal so that it is shovel-ready by 2028
- Create six urban parks by the end of 2030
- Plant 100,000 trees by the end of 2030, partly by making tree planting a requirement for any developments that receive funds from the combined authority
- Sign a memorandum of understanding with United Utilities within the first 100 days to have a discharge-free Mersey by 2030
- Gather more data on air pollution across the city region
- Consider using digital twins to help with planning
- Introduce an infrastructure levy
- Explore the potential of land value capture
Economy
- Increase foreign direct investment in the city region by 25% by the end of the decade, with the city region as one of the top 10 areas for FDI by 2028
- Create 13,000 jobs and attract 100 new businesses through the Freeport
- Meet quarterly with a Mayoral Business Forum to hear from local businesses
- Launch Business Relocation Taskforce to bring more companies to the city region
Housing
- Explore establishing a housing revenue account or management organisation to create more council homes
- Ensure that the combined authority only funds projects that deliver a minimum of 20% affordable housing
- Create a Good Landlord Charter
- Support legislation for a minimum letterbox height in future homes
- Lobby central government for £500m over five years to retrofit up to 50,000 homes
- Use Stamp Duty receipts to fund a programme of affordable housebuilding in the city region
- Lobby central government for full powers over the Affordable Homes Programme and the housing and funding powers that are currently controlled by Homes England
Skills
- Lobby central government to give the city region authority over apprenticeship levy funds
- Craft a green jobs and skills plan that will enable the upskilling of 65,000 workers by 2035 and create 55,000 new jobs by 2040
- Lobby central government for power to reintroduce Foundation Apprenticeships
- Lobby central government for powers over skills and technical education, in line with Greater Manchester’s Trailblazer deal
Transport
- Open Liverpool Baltic station by 2027
- Rebrand MerseyTravel as Transport for the Liverpool City Region, which will use open data to do reliable live travel updates and have more control over advertising on the network
- Introduce capped and integrated ticketing to the whole TfLCR network by 2028
- Launch Merseyrail in Bloom, where local community groups will work alongside TfLCR and the combined authority to improve the areas around train stations
- Rename the stations and lines to better reflect the area’s culture
- Begin work on developing new stations at Woodchurch on the Wirral, Daresbury in Halton, and Carr Mill in St Helens before 2030
- Accelerate franchising of the bus network to ensure publicly controlled services operate in St Helens in 2026, with the entire network active by end of 2027
- Introduce express services throughout key routes by 2027
- Create a 24/7 bus service by end of 2030
- Reintroduce bus lanes
- Create a rapid bus transit scheme between Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Liverpool city centre, Anfield, and Bramley Moore Stadium by 2028. This would be inspired by the Belfast Glider
- Expand the rail timetable at weekends and evenings by 2028
- Make all rail platforms and stations fully accessible by 2030
- Regenerate the Moorfields station and its area to be a better gateway
- Create a new commercialisation and station density strategy
- Ensure a half-hourly train between Liverpool, Runcorn, and London Euston is in place by end of this year
- Build a new ferry at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead
- Spend £50m to improve cycling and walking infrastructure in the city region by 2028
- Lobby central government for long-term, devolved transport funding
- Work with Burnham to establish a Liverpool-Manchester Railway Board to oversee the creation of a publicly operated Liverpool and Manchester Railway
