Britain’s aspiring Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, says he plans to reverse decades of decline by using public investment to stimulate private funding for housing, transport, and urban renewal, with development focused on the needs of local communities.
According to him, he sees neglected town centres such as Middleton in Greater Manchester as symbols of failed regeneration policies.
Burnham, who served as Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 until June, is expected to succeed Keir Starmer as Britain’s seventh prime minister in ten years.
Although he has revealed little about his first 100 days in office, people close to him say his regeneration strategy in Manchester offers a blueprint for national renewal.
Middleton, once a thriving industrial town, now struggles with a declining shopping centre, limited employment opportunities, and residents who feel neglected.
To this end, a long-term regeneration plan proposes up to 1,200 new homes, new commercial opportunities, improved transport, and expanded green spaces to restore the town’s appeal.
Burnham believes town renewal will be a major political test for Labour as support grows for Reform UK in communities frustrated by falling living standards.
Place First
In his first speech after returning to Parliament, Burnham said he wanted to build a more collaborative politics that puts “place first, not party first.”
His approach was first demonstrated in Stockport, where a £2 billion regeneration programme transformed neglected streets into one of Britain’s largest town-centre renewal projects. Since 2019, about 1,500 new homes have been built, including 200 affordable units, with plans to increase that number to 8,000 by 2040.
Former Conservative adviser Gavin Barwell described the success by saying, “Collaborative politics is part of the secret sauce.” The project has attracted £600 million in private investment and significantly increased visitor numbers.
Middleton remains at an earlier stage, but Burnham has encouraged cooperation across political parties, including participation from Reform UK councillors.
A National Regeneration Strategy
According to former advisers, Burnham wants to replicate the Manchester model across Britain through faster project delivery, expert involvement from outside government, and cross-party cooperation.
Despite limited public finances and commitments to existing fiscal rules, Burnham argues that public funding should encourage private investment rather than waiting for “the market to ‘magically solve the challenges that were left behind in the aftermath of de-industrialisation’.”
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He points to Stockport’s residential development, built alongside a new transport interchange after private investors considered it commercially unviable. Reflecting on that decision, Burnham said:
“Were we going to let the market decide what Stockport could be, or were we going to do that? It has paid dividends already — that development is fully let.”
He has also insisted that companies involved in regeneration should create opportunities for local people, including apprenticeships for young residents.
Burnham highlights Greater Manchester’s strong economic performance, with the region’s economy growing by 17.4% between 2017 and 2023 the fastest among Britain’s 46 sub-regions as evidence that his model can succeed.
However, analysts warn that reproducing Manchester’s success nationwide will be difficult because many regions lack its long-term investment, strong universities, and large urban economy.
Reuters
