Is ‘Manchesterism' a model that can - or should - be replicated elsewhere?

‘Manchesterism' has gone national.

With Andy Burnham now in Downing Street, the experiment in regional leadership, devolution and place-based growth that has developed in Greater Manchester is no longer simply a story about Manchester. It is potentially a blueprint for how the UK is governed based upon greater public control of essential infrastructures and services, reindustrialising ‘left behind places’, and enhanced devolution.

Burnham has promised “good growth in every postcode” and rewiring the state with a new era of devolution, with power and resources shifted from Westminster to the regions. His experience as Greater Manchester Mayor - and almost a decade of running a combined authority and negotiating with Whitehall - is now shaping national policy, including new powers and resources for mayors and a more explicitly place-based approach to economic growth.

But what does this mean for the North East?

Is ‘Manchesterism' a model that can - or should - be replicated elsewhere? What can the North East learn from Greater Manchester's experience? Where are the differences in economic structure, institutions, political leadership and opportunities? And could a national government led by a former regional mayor fundamentally change the way devolution works across England?

Join us for a lively and insightful panel discussion bringing together senior voices from the North East, Manchester and central government, alongside leading academic perspectives.

We’ll ask what ‘Manchesterism' really means, what happens when the Manchester model meets the realities of other places, and whether Burnham’s premiership marks a genuine shift in the geography of power or simply a new chapter in the long-running debate about how to rebalance Britain.

Come and join the debate. Networking, drinks and refreshments will follow the discussion and audience Q&A.

Registration from 17:00, panel discussion starts promptly at 17:30 in the main theatre on the ground floor of the Catalyst, networking from 18:30

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