6/10: Mayor says Budget is ‘modest start’ in helping north
of Manchester either, something local leaders had specifically requested.
Some £5bn previously announced for bus services was mentioned again, but no detail is now expected until the autumn.
“No commitment to platforms 15 and 16 and Piccadilly, which was an ask for us,” he said. “That wasn’t in there.
“I’m not saying it’s not got good news, because it has got good news – to have that investment coming in in a couple of years’ time – but it could bet better. They led us to believe there could be money to support the funding of buses a bit quicker. So that’s a bit disappointing.”
The mayor also said government had ‘missed a trick’ in not explaining how it would help Greater Manchester to clean up its air, which on some measures is worse than London.
“We are under instructions from government to have a clean air zone and we are a year from having to introduce that – and we still don’t know what our allocation is,” he said of requests from Greater Manchester for cash to help move people out of dirtier vehicles.
Should the government fail to provide scrappage funding for taxi drivers and the self-employed, he said any clean air charging would be seen as a ‘Tory clean air tax,’ adding that he would speak about it as such.
Mr Burnham also said he was ‘frustrated’ that the day-to-day funding of public services did not feature in the Budget, aside from extra cash to deal with coronavirus.
“Levelling up cannot just be about infrastructure. It’s got to be about people,” he said. “That means councils funded to support people and the NHS and social care.”
He welcomed extra cash for people trapped in tower blocks covered in dangerous cladding, which has been the focus of a major campaign in Manchester – although he noted that it only applied to buildings of more than 18m. The Cube student block in Bolton, which burned down last year, was 17.5m, he pointed out. Mr Burnham also said he would wait to see whether any of the funding promised, such as housing cash for Manchester, would come with any strings attached.
“The clock is ticking on them showing they’re delivering in the North of England,” he added.