Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has announced an ambitious and extensive strategy designed to 'reindustrialise the birthplace of the industrial revolution'. This significant plan, dubbed 'Manchesterism', aims to transform the regional economy by focusing on five specific 'growth clusters' across Greater Manchester.
A New Economic Vision for Greater Manchester
In a speech delivered at the Institute for Fiscal Studies in London on Tuesday, January 20, Mayor Burnham outlined his vision. He emphasised that while residents have witnessed considerable change in Manchester city centre, there has previously been a lack of clarity regarding job prospects in the surrounding boroughs. "Today we can give them clarity on those prospects," Burnham stated. "We have built a new politics and are now building a new economy."
The Five Strategic Growth Clusters
The cornerstone of the Manchesterism plan is the identification of five distinct 'growth clusters', each dedicated to developing a specific high-growth industry sector. This targeted approach is intended to propel the Greater Manchester economy well past the £100 billion mark.
The strategy pinpoints the following clusters:
- Digital, Cyber, and AI: Centred in Manchester city centre, this cluster already boasts extensive office space with further development underway.
- Life Sciences: Focused around Oxford Road, leveraging the area's universities, hospitals, and the Manchester Science Park. The recent opening of the 'global asset' UK Biobank this year further solidifies this cluster.
- Creative and Media Industries: Based at MediaCity, with plans to work with owner Landsec to double the site's size to accommodate sector growth.
- Low Carbon: An emerging cluster centred around Carrington in Trafford, featuring a new 'liquid air energy storage plant' expected to support 60,000 roles.
- Advanced Manufacturing: Another emerging cluster located in Atom Valley, spanning the boroughs of Bury, Oldham, and Rochdale, with construction beginning on a site projected to host 15,000 jobs.
Confidence in Delivery and Economic Impact
Local leaders have expressed strong confidence in this cluster model, believing it will deliver a substantial economic boost. The plan is forecast to create tens of thousands of new jobs, support the development of thousands of new homes, and generate billions of pounds in economic value for the region.
Mayor Burnham insists the model is "not pie in the sky", arguing that "all five clusters are built or are being built". He highlighted the established nature of the digital and life sciences sectors, while acknowledging that construction is in its early stages for the Atom Valley and Carrington projects.
A Distinct Political Philosophy
Burnham, the former MP for Leigh, framed Manchesterism as more than just an economic plan; it represents a distinct political culture. He contrasted it with what he described as the adversarial and centralised approach often emanating from Westminster.
"Our adversarial politics means it's stuck and we are in hock to the bond markets," Burnham said. He criticised past top-down, Westminster-dictated attempts to address the north-south divide, suggesting they "all combined to leave the country in a low growth doom-loop".
He positioned Manchesterism as "a modern and functional response to the 1980s drive to over-centralise power in the Treasury", asserting that the planned economic growth is only possible due to this alternative, collaborative political culture.
