Manchester's chief executives and officers are united by a sense of place
Greater Manchester is evolving, and central to its development is a shared sense of place among politicians, senior officers and people from the private and third sector. It's a growing city region with 2.7 million people, a productive and diverse private sector, world class educational institutions, an outstanding sport and music culture and a unique urban history – from Cottonopolis to a confident post-industrial city.
The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities is underpinned by a common commitment to deliver prosperity and reform to all its communities. The city region has become increasingly interconnected over time. Its labour, housing or retail markets, transport networks, cultural attractions, education and training opportunities and even its public services, all have one thing in common: the geography makes sense.
Greater Manchester's growth strategy, Stronger together, sets out our joint priorities, informed by strong evidence and analysis.
The relationship between chief executives and council leaders
We might not always be on exactly the same paragraph, but you can guarantee we're on the same page. One of the keys to our success in Greater Manchester is that we have evolved from the bottom up.
The 10 local authority chief executives work alongside chief officers from partner organisations such as the health, police and fire services and Transport for Greater Manchester. Decisions that will have the greatest benefit for the whole city region are taken collectively, but at the same time we seek to empower council leaders and members to carry out their roles at a more local level.
Greater Manchester has been an example of how important local leadership is in shaping local places and driving economic growth. Our strategy argues that this role is not simply about generating jobs and growth but also reforming public services. To achieve this, we must reduce our residents' dependency on high cost public services and help them get jobs. This is the only way we can realise our ambition of reducing the gap between the cost of public services – a figure still around £4bn a year despite sweeping public spending cuts – and tax revenues.
Delivering this change requires tools that cut across barriers – not just those between Whitehall departments but also the (often artificial) barriers between central and local government. This is not simply about the wholesale devolution of funding pots, funding decisions or tax raising powers. A more sophisticated approach is needed if the risks associated with devolution are to be managed and the rewards maximised.
For our part this will demand greater engagement with central government departments and national agencies. For their part it will mean new ways of working that offer real and meaningful devolution of resources and functions.
We want to build on the strengths and capabilities of individual places, support long term growth and share risk and reward fairly. With this shared vision, effective governance arrangements and proven track record, we believe Greater Manchester is uniquely placed to drive this agenda.
Sir Howard Bernstein is chief executive of Manchester city council. This collection of articles on the relationship between public managers and politicians is supported by Solace and will run on the Guardian Public Leaders Network from March to June 2014.
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