Parties challenged to pledge tax rise for NHS

GREATER Manchester’s first mayor Andy Burnham has outlined his vision for his three years in office – and called on all parties to pledge a tax rise for the NHS at the general election.

In his first full interview, the ex-government minister says he was humbled by support from voters and was glad to leave the ‘trivia’ of Westminster behind.

He will now turn his attention to fulfilling pledges which include cut-price travel for 16 to 18-year-olds by the end of the year and ensuring parity between mental and physical health services.

Mr Burnham outlined his worries about children’s mental health services, including a ‘shameful’ lack of treatment in Greater Manchester for teens with eating disorders.

Mr Burnham is also expected to launch a new homelessness fund today into which he will pay 15 per cent of his salary.

He said Labour in Greater Manchester was now building its own separate brand, unique to that of the ailing Westminster party.

Speaking at Churchgate House, his office in Manchester, he said one of his first tasks was to cut tram and bus travel fares for young people, although he has yet to confirm by how much.

Ultimately he intends to make travel completely free for 16 to 18-year-olds, a measure which will cost more than £20m a year.

Mr Burnham also made a headline pledge during his campaign for mental health to get equal priority within the NHS.

He said: “What I want to pioneer here is a social prescribing scheme that’s really ground-breaking.

“First port of call, people should be getting counselling, exercise referral, debt advice, bereavement support.

“That is what we should be doing. How do we pay for that? Well we’re over prescribing at the moment. There’s a huge budget for prescribing. Someone goes to the GP? Anti-depressants.”

He said he was influenced by a programme in Rotherham which has seen people handed a prescription by a GP for a same-day referral to an organisation able to provide advice, counselling, support or exercise. He also highlighted issues with child and teen mental health, which only receives 6pc of the already inadequate mental health budget nationwide. He added: “I was told there was no eating disorder service at all in the whole of Greater Manchester.

“How can that possibly be right? Also the idea of any child here in crisis having to go hundreds of miles to get help appals me to be honest.”

On that score he said all parties must now pledge a tax increase at the general election for the NHS and social care – and challenged all parties to say they would find more money for the health service.

On the evening of his win on Friday there was some controversy after Mr Burnham declined to appear on stage with Jeremy Corbyn at a victory rally held to celebrate, although the new mayor insists this was not a snub.

Many Labour figures believe his success came precisely because he distanced himself from the leadership, however and he says it is ‘fair to say’ a separately evolving identity for Labour in Greater Manchester means he does not necessarily need to appear on stage with the Westminster leader.

“We’re building a distinctive brand of Greater Manchester Labour, northern Labour, because the idea that one line works for the whole country, UK, well Scotland has disproved that, hasn’t it?

“Devolution has got to mean what it says. We’re proudly members of the Labour family and we’ll never hold back from being anything other than that, but let’s get the brand of Labour that’s right for people here.”