Andy Burnham's plan for Department for Work and Pensions benefits and the welfare bill has emerged as he looks set to become Labour Party Prime Minister. The outgoing Greater Manchester Mayor will flesh out plans to hand significant powers and money to mayors to get people back into work as a key plank of his drive to cut the ballooning benefits bill.
Major Speech on Monday
Mr Burnham will deliver a major speech on the economy on Monday. It will include a plan to devolve power to English regions to help tackle rising spending on welfare, according to reports in the I paper. The plan is likely to include giving mayors the responsibility for tackling benefits dependence and helping people back into work.
Under Mr Burnham's vision, local authorities will be handed central government cash based on how successful they are at delivering the plan. The Makerfield MP is also believed to be planning to hand powers over post-16 education to mayors to boost skills and help more people into work.
Reaction from Northern Powerhouse Partnership
Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “Having worked with Andy for many years I have confidence that with a strong group of economic advisors and wider No 10 operation in part based in Manchester, that he can through devolution and the deployment of public and private investment deliver ongoing reductions in the cost of out of work benefits and ill health linked to poverty. This will reduce the annual revenue subsidy needed from those in London and the Greater South East to pay for the costs of historic underinvestment in the North.”
Motivation for Leadership Bid
In his speech in Manchester on Monday, Mr Burnham is expected to explain how he would “give Britain the circuit-breaker it needs” when he makes it to Downing Street. Mr Burnham will say his motivation for standing to be Labour’s next leader – likely unopposed – is to “change politics to make it work for us”.
