Title

DEVOLUTION

Burnham calls for English Barnett Formula

The Government should create an English version of the Barnett Formula to deliver fair funding outside of London, the mayor of Greater Manchester has said.

The Government should create an English version of the Barnett Formula to deliver fair funding outside of London, the mayor of Greater Manchester has said.

Andy Burnham argued that an English equivalent to the formula, which ensures that extra public spending in England is matched by additional funding for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, would end the ‘tyranny' of the Whitehall bidding culture.

Speaking at an event later today, Mayor Burnham is expected to say: ‘We have had 20 years where there has been a different deal on offer for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the UK and where London has had preferential treatment, and that cannot continue.

‘The hoarding of power at a national level is deeply unhealthy and the UK must embrace a more federal form of government, much deeper devolution to all parts of the UK and an English version of the Barnett Formula.'

DEVOLUTION

LGA: A busy summer sets the agenda for local government this autumn

By Cllr Eamonn O'Brien | 24 September 2026

Chair of the Local Government Association Cllr Eamonn O'Brien sets out his organisation's key asks and calls on government it will be making on councils' beh...

DEVOLUTION

Planning for the worst

By Martin Ford | 22 September 2026

As the UK faces a myriad of large-scale threats that only grows longer with each passing year, how well equipped is local government to cope? Martin Ford rep...

DEVOLUTION

Working together in Wales

By Dan Peters | 21 September 2026

As shellshocked English council leaders bemoan the loss of trust in government over the delay to reorganisation, the picture in Wales couldn’t be more differ...

DEVOLUTION

Madchesterism: Putting music at the heart of devolution

By Tom Kiehl | 17 September 2026

New research makes clear the next phase of devolution is an opportunity to treat music as part of the economic, social and physical part of local communities...

Popular articles by Laura Sharman

-->