New Lancashire government structure unveiled

The first policy speech by Prime Minister-in-waiting, Andy Burnham, coincided with the release of the latest Sentiment Survey undertaken by the House Builders Federation in collaboration with Quantum Development Finance, writes Richard Hemmings of Quantum Development Finance.

From July 2028, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will take over the regional train network – provided Mayor Steve Rotheram can secure approval for his plans from council leaders.

If economic uncertainty and global conflict wasn’t enough for the market, the resignation of the Prime Minister last month is sure to leave many real estate professionals and their clients feeling unsure of what is to come, writes Andy Thompson of BTG Eddisons.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has agreed to push the council’s deadline for submitting its local plan back a month but has threatened further intervention if there are more delays.

Senior leaders at AstraZeneca, Bentley Motors, Great British Energy, and more joined the new combined authority on Friday in making the case for investment in the sub-region.

The government’s £45bn programme needs stronger governance, tighter cost control, and a credible delivery plan, the Public Accounts Committee has warned.

Having now failed to elect a leader on three occasions since May’s local elections, the council is also still to appoint cabinet members. Members will try again on 15 July.

With Andy Burnham seemingly set to become Prime Minister in the coming weeks, the outgoing Greater Manchester Mayor wants combined authority chief executive Caroline Simpson to head what he has called the nerve centre of a rewired Britain.

Reform UK is the last of the major parties to put forward its contender to replace Andy Burnham: Sian Astley, a recently elected councillor for Baguley.

In a speech in Manchester on Monday, Andy Burnham promised to introduce a Finnish approach to housing, roll out GM-style good growth funds across the country, and give more powers to mayors if he becomes Prime Minister.

With the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority in play, Crewe is getting a much-deserved rethink, with a focus on not just the town centre but where it sits in a broader regional picture. 

The current profit-based model for building housing has not worked, argued the party’s deputy leader Rachel Millward at Housing 2026 in Manchester. Her solution is this: a new approach that focuses on housing as a human right and as public infrastructure.

Cllr Bev Craig, who has led Manchester City Council for the last five years, is bidding to replace Prime Minister in waiting Andy Burnham.

Andy Burnham is off to Westminster and the question has turned to who will succeed the so-called King of North.

Here is what we know about the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election and Andy Burnham’s Westminster agenda.

Lancashire Combined County Authority has begun consultation on the implementation strategy for its local travel plan – but the omission of a rail line linking Rawtenstall to Manchester by rail via Bury has the local authority up in arms.

The Lancastrian local authority is among the latest councils to be issued with a notice of designation over the performance of its planning department.

Recognising the chance to make an underground station at Piccadilly a reality, city council chiefs have secured backing to add firepower to the division charged with making the detailed case to government.

A coalition between the Conservatives and localist party Our West Lancashire will lead West Lancs, while the Lib Dems and the Independent Group will continue their pact in Pendle.