ICENI PROJECTS: METRO MAYOR BRIEFING NOTE

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1 Greater Manchester Labour 63.4% Conservative 22.7% Liberal Democrat 6.1% Green party 2.4% Others 5.4% Andy Burnham, Labour Andy Burnham is the former MP for Leigh ( ). Burnham will look to use his time as a Government heavyweight (Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2007) as a platform to lobby Westminster, establishing himself as the strategic leader of Greater Manchester. Require a radical re-write of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework Prioritise high-density brownfield city-centre housing Aim to get as close as possible to no net loss of green belt Goal of eradicating rough-sleeping in Greater Manchester by 2020 Renegotiate the Housing Fund to allow a greater focus on Council and Social housing Introduce a new Rent-to-Own scheme Control over a 900m 30-year investment fund Control over a 30m a year housing fund Control over strategic planning and CPO s Ability to instigate Mayoral Development corporations Set out a transport plan covering local roads, bus franchising and smart ticketing Planning policy was at the forefront of Burnham s campaign, with a promise to revise the controversial Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) in order to protect the green belt (the spatial framework had called for 4900 hectares of green belt to be released). However, his call to review the GMSF will likely not be looked on as a productive or particularly favourable piece of policy by the ten council leaders Burnham will now be required to work alongside. Local council leaders had previously agreed that the rapid growth of Greater Manchester could not be sustained without Green Belt release. As such, Burnham may have arrived for work on Monday morning facing an uphill battle to convince the relevant councils of the merits in rewriting the GMSF. In terms of planning powers, Burnham will be responsible for preparing a Strategic Plan for the whole of the region by 2020, with the public due to be consulted on the contents of the plan. Once the strategic plan is in place, the mayor can be consulted on specific, important planning applications. However, before taking over a decision on an application, the mayor must agree this with the council leaders who runs the local administration which covers the site. Need to know what a new Metro Mayor will mean for your projects across Greater Manchester? Get in contact with Iceni Engagement. Alun Hayes, Director ahayes.com M DD

2 Liverpool Labour 59.3% Conservative 20.4% Liberal Democrats 6.8% Greens 4.9% Others 8.6% Steve Rotheram, Labour Steve Rotheram is the former MP for Liverpool Walton ( ), a position that he resigned from after winning the Metro Mayor election. Rotheram has a long history in the city, having served as a councillor for almost 10 years and Lord Mayor of Liverpool from Convene a high-level housing summit within the first 100 days of office Launch a Mayor s housing challenge competition to identify new ways to meet housing need Encourage better use of brownfield land Expand the number of Mersey rail stations and support plans for new stations in key locations across Liverpool Control over a 900m 30-year investment fund Responsible for preparing a Strategic Plan for the whole of the region by Once adopted the Mayor will have call-in powers on important planning applications Control over strategic planning and compulsory purchase orders Ability to establish Mayoral Development corporations Set out a transport plan covering local roads and bus franchising Rotheram s commitment to brownfield site development is already known to many within the industry. The new metro mayor has vowed to protect Liverpool s green spaces, and interestingly the Liverpool City Region devolution deal agreement is one of few mayoral agreements which includes reference to mayoral powers over planning decisions. However, there is confusion as to what that will actually translate into. Indeed, it is anticipated that only once a mayoral strategic plan is in place can the mayor be consulted on planning applications the rub being that a strategic plan need only be in place by As the devolution project progresses, it is likely that greater powers will be handed down to the regions and Rotheram s power and influence will grow, allowing him to become an (if not the most) important stakeholder within the Liverpool City Region. However, in current Labour fashion, Rotheram s biggest gripes may lie within his own party. Rotheram has reportedly fallen out with Liverpool City Council Labour members and the ongoing tensions between Rotheram and Liverpool City Mayor, Joe Anderson, are well known. Need to know what a new Metro Mayor will mean for your projects across Liverpool City Region? Get in contact with Iceni Engagement. Alun Hayes, Director ahayes.com M DD

3 Cambridge / Peterborough Conservative 56.9% Liberal Democrat 43.1% James Palmer, Conservative James Palmer has been a councillor for over 10 years, serving as head of East Cambridge district Council for the last 4 - a position that he stood down from when he won the Mayoral election. Palmer is an East Cambridge local, having run a dairy farm in the area before stepping into politics. Support a new university in Peterborough More affordable houses across the region Support an underground railway system in Cambridge To improve road infrastructure across Cambridge, in particular the M11 100m to develop the Oxford to Bedford section of East-West rail Control over a 600m 30-year investment fund Control over a 170m affordable housing grant over the next 5 years Control over strategic planning The ability to instigate Mayoral Development corporations Control of the local roads network through a consolidated transport budget Cambridge and Peterborough, although geographically near, are politically polls apart. The obvious example being Cambridge voting heavily remain (80/20) whereas Peterborough voted leave (40/60). Palmer s first order of business is to establish a connection between the two cities through his leadership, and perhaps as his manifesto has hinted, through transport infrastructure. What will this mean for housing? In the short term there will be a big push, ushered in by the Mayor s affordable housing grant, to build across the region. It is likely that there will be a focus on brownfield, city development reflecting the increased need for this tenure, while avoiding potentially contentious green belt land. The medium to long term prospects of Cambridge and Peterborough are perhaps the most exciting in the country. Palmer s pledge for a new university in Peterborough means an influx of studentled housing, and the prospects of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor are unbounded. Need to know more what a new Metro Mayor will mean for your projects in Cambridge and Peterborough? Get in contact with Iceni Engagement. Patrick McNamara Consultant pmcnamara. com M: DD:

4 West Midlands Conservative 50.4% Labour 49.6% Andy Street, Conservative Not a traditional politician, Andy Street is the former managing director of John Lewis ( ) who stood down from his position to run for Mayor. Street is a leading business figure across the West Midlands having been a centre of multiple enterprise groups in Birmingham and promoted the region as a former member of David Cameron s business advisory group. To spend 200m on preparation and decontamination of brownfield land. Introduce a tax on vacant buildings to speed up housebuilding Push local authorities to build more house Make it easier for developers to convert buildings Support the Government s right to buy policy across the West Midlands Control over a 1.1bn 30-year investment fund Control over Compulsory Purchase powers Ability to instigate Mayoral Development corporations Set out a transport plan covering local roads and bus franchising Andy Street, like many of Mayoral counterparts, has a brownfield-first attitude when it comes to housing and development. That is not to say that he is anti-development, Street has been clear throughout his campaign that the West Midlands needs more housing, but the priority should be to protect green land. To kick start this project Street has pledged to spend 200m on preparing and decontaminating brownfield land ready for housing. No doubt, Street will also instigate a Mayoral Development corporation to start building on these sites where possible. Outside of his manifesto Street has made some bold soft pledges to accelerate housebuilding across the West Midlands. One such pledge is to prioritise 2,000 football pitches, situated on brownfield land, for housing. Such bold, forward-thinking initiatives, coupled with a new tax on vacant buildings and easing planning rules around conversions, makes the West Midlands a prime target for housebuilding. We can expect the region to undergo a sustained period of growth up to 2020, in time for the next Metro Mayor election. Need to know more what a new Metro Mayor will mean for your projects across the West Midlands? Get in contact with Iceni Engagement. Christian Cosby Senior Consultant ccosby.com M: DD:

5 Tees Valley Conservative 51.1% Labour 48.9% Ben Houchen, Conservative A Stockton Borough Councillor since 2011, Ben Houchen, is the current leader of the Conservative group at the Council. A trained solicitor born and raised in Teeside (or Tees Valley), Houchen is the chief executive of Australian sportswear brand BLK UK division. At 30, Houchen is the youngest of the new Metro Mayors. Bring Durham Tees Valley Airport back into public ownership Build a new garden village of 3,000 homes Control over 450m 30-year investment fund The ability to instigate Mayoral Development corporations Set out a transport plan covering local roads and bus franchising Unlike other candidates in the election, and other Metro Mayors, Ben Houchen has not set out an extensive manifesto instead focusing on key headline issues. Houchen s key manifesto pledge was to purchase Durham Tees Valley Airport, bringing it back into public ownership. Since his shock win there have been mixed reactions to the proposal, with many questioning the feasibility of buying an airport not yet up for sale. More exciting for planning and development is Houchen s pledge of a new garden village. In distinct contrast from his Labour counterparts Messrs Burnham and Rotheram, Houchen is pro-green belt development. In a bold plan, Houchen has pledged to consolidate the regions housing need in a new 3,000 home garden village. However, like his pledge for Durham Airport, the feasibility of this new garden village is not yet clear. The first problem is that this would require significant investment, not yet afforded to the Tees Valley Metro Mayor. The second, perhaps more pressing, issue is that any major proposal require a 2/3rd majority from the Labour run authorities across Tees Valley, no easy task for a Conservative Mayor. Need to know more what a new Metro Mayor will mean for your projects across the Tees Valley? Get in contact with Iceni Engagement. Roseanne Green Consultant Rgreen.com M: DD:

6 West of England Conservative 51.6% Labour 48.4% Tim Bowles, Conservative A Gloucestershire councillor since 2011, Tim Bowles is a local businessmen who emphasised his business credentials during his mayoral election campaign. Bowles argues his business knowledge is a key skill to unite the four local authorities under the new Metro Mayor role and help drive forward growth in the area. Brownfield first approach to development, easing pressure on Green Belt and green field Invest in transport and infrastructure through improving road and rail networks Control over a 900m 30-year investment fund Control over strategic planning and Compulsory Purchase powers The ability to instigate Mayoral Development corporations Set out a transport plan covering local roads, bus franchising and smart ticketing Set out an education and skills plan covering: apprenticeship grant for employers, adult skills budget and post-16 further education system One of Tim Bowles first jobs as the newly elected metro mayor will be to make good a promise to review plans for a new 3,000 home Garden Village in South Gloucestershire, with the view to stopping this unpopular development. This unofficial pledge during his campaign gives a strong indication of how Bowles plans to steer house building in the region; he is already being referred to by commentators as a brownfield champion. With a strong local economy in the West of England, Tim Bowles is keen to promote the region as a business hub and an area to invest in. His campaign focussed on driving forward infrastructure investment and generating jobs house building is a key part of this vision and Bowles recognises it. However, it is clear that Bowles will prioritise urban growth and brownfield development first, but in an area where such land is limited and the need for a significant number of houses recognised by residents and businesses alike, it will be interesting to see how long Bowles can keep to this stance. With such housing pressure it will not be long before the Metro Mayor will need to consider a strategic review of the green belt. Need to know more what a new Metro Mayor will mean for your projects across the West of England? Get in contact with Iceni Engagement. Charlotte Hunter Associate choward.com M: DD: