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Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told council leaders he wants to ‘create a new settlement between central and local'.Burnham said the centralisation of political power over the last 40 years was among a ‘series of wrong turns'.The letter's promise to hand power to council leaders came before ministers shocked the sector by unexpectedly pausing local government reorganisation.In the letter to council leaders, seen by The MJ, Labour's Burnham promised councils an ‘end to duplicating functions in the centre when powers now rest with you as local leaders' and asked them to ‘pull with me – regardless of your political persuasion – to build a country that works for all'.He pledged to ‘work with you to change our country for the better' and to work ‘much closer with you to unlock the economic growth and regeneration opportunities that exist right across the UK'.Burnham wrote: ‘You understand your communities better than anyone. You see both their challenges and their strengths every day. You know where investment is needed, where barriers need removing and where opportunities can be unlocked.‘I hope you can see from my first days in office that my belief in the power of local government is not simply sentiment.‘The door to No10 North is always open – and that means a genuine commitment to working in partnership with you to unblock issues, speed up decision-making and drive forward growth projects at local and regional level. Where Whitehall isn't working for you, No10 North is there to change that and deliver for your place. I am determined that central government steps up and supports you to deliver good services for your residents.'Burnham used the letter to recount his ‘personal experience that real change can only be delivered through a genuine partnership between local, regional and national government'.He continued: ‘Only a few weeks ago, like you, I was frustrated with a Whitehall that lacked the local knowledge you possess about what your residents need – with a system in which control is surrendered, leaving councils exposed, subject to the whims of centralised power and spiralling costs. No wonder some councils are struggling to deliver even the basic statutory obligations.‘I know that for too long local government capacity has been hacked away. I saw this in Greater Manchester, and I know it is the case across the country.‘Councils have been at the forefront of supporting residents through years of unprecedented pressure, and for too long central government has left you out in the cold – I've seen it happen. During the Covid pandemic, local leaders were held back by the centralising arm of Whitehall. I want to create a new settlement between central and local.'The cross-party Local Government Association said it would be ‘working hard over the next period to shape and influence' the devolution White Paper – a key policy document that is expected to be published alongside the Budget next month.

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POLICY AND POLITICS

EXCLUSIVE: Burnham wish for new settlement with sector

By Dan Peters | 10 September 2026

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