New taxes, changes to buses and a new system of government are all planned, writes Whitehall Editor Jonathan Walker.
Andy Burnham has set out some of his plans but not all (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham has promised to publish a “10-year plan for Britain” later in the year, setting out the changes he hopes to introduce as Prime Minister. And Westminster is gearing up for a Budget statement on October 28, when we will discover whether he and Chancellor John Healey plan to increase taxes. It means we still don’t know exactly what sort of Prime Minister Mr Burnham will be.
But at the same time, there are a number of major changes we know are coming because the Prime Minister has already announced them. They include at least one tax rise, a new system of Government and radical reforms to transport services. Here are the biggest official announcements made by Prime Minister Andy Burnham so far:
1) A new tax on holidays
The Prime Minister said he wants to give regions the power “to set an overnight visitor levy to commence towards the end of the financial year 2027-28”. This will mean extra charges on hotel stays in England, and could even include taxes for staying in a caravan park or campsite.
2) New regional councils
Many big city areas already have regional councils, known as combined authorities, led by mayors. But Andy Burnham wants to introduce the regional bodies everywhere, even in places that prefer not to have a mayor. Louise Haigh, Mr Burnham’s deputy, has written to every MP setting out the plan.
3) Putting his Manchester office in charge of economic growth
Andy Burnham has created a new department called Number 10 North, based in Manchester. He said: “The driving force behind it all will be No. 10 North. It will oversee the rewiring of the British state, the rebuilding of resilience in our communities and the re-industrialisation of our regions.”
4) Nationalising buses
He wants bus services to be controlled by elected politicians rather than private firms, although this means regional mayors, not the central Government in London. Mr Burnham said: “Taking back control of essential services such as transport is an enabler of a more productive economy, because it allows local areas to grab hold of the levers of power for themselves.”
5) Taking control of water companies
Andy Burnham thinks private firms are doing a poor job of providing water, although he wants “public control” of water rather than full nationalisation. He said: “This summer has shown us very clearly that water companies are failing to rise to the climate challenge. It cannot go on. Later in the year, our 10-year plan for Britain will set out plans for stronger public control over these essentials, making them work for people and places again.”
6) More council housing
He said: “Bringing forward the biggest council home building programme since the post-war period is the Labour way to get the welfare bill down.”
7) More technical education
Mr Burnham wants schools and colleges to train young people for jobs, even if that means less focus on academic learning, or pushing every child to apply for university. He calls this “reforming our education system, so that it balances academic and technical, and offers a path in life for all young people”.
The Prime Minister said: “Allowing mayors to shape technical pathways and provide work placements for young people, building back into colleges and schools from the needs of the regional economy, is the way to support more young people into work.”
8) Better mental health services
He promised “prioritising more accessible, community-based mental health services”
9) Local industrial strategies
This means that the Government will try to identify which types of businesses could succeed in different regions of the country, and then bring in universities to help them succeed. He said: “This is the way we will build a pro-business culture and an innovation-led economy in all parts of the UK, finally capturing the long-term benefits of the invention that is in the DNA of our nation, backing our start-ups and scale-ups to stay in the UK where they were founded.”