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By Liz S

“Far more probation officers and far less re-offending – that’s where you live, really”

Also potentially “far more” newly created Mayors and “far less” powers for the Scottish government – “that’s where you live” , as in perhaps coming soon within Scotland under a Andy Burnham UK Premiership.

BBC website politics section article dated 23 August 2026:

(English) “Mayors to get powers to overrule local councils on planning decisions”.

“Mayors across England will be given new powers to overrule local councils on some planning decisions“.

“Mayors in 13 areas including Manchester, Liverpool, the West of England and the West Midlands will gain similar powers to Sir Sadiq Khan in London, who is already able to “call in” planning decisions”.

(The UK government) “also said mayors will get a “bigger say” over how housing funding is spent in their area, with the government directing national agency Homes England to focus on local mayors’ priorities”.

“New Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who served as mayor for Greater Manchester for nearly a decade, has repeatedly expressed his desire to transfer more powers to local mayors”.

A post on BlueSky by Prem Sikka , who is a member of the HOL’s and who is very vocal on the failings of both the former Tory UK government and also the new various subsequent Labour ones (including Burnham’s new government) stated this:

“England Mayors to get powers to overrule local councils on planning decisions. Local democracy? New homes not accompanied by investment in water/energy infrastructure, NHS, public transport, roads, schools, environment. No playing spaces for children in high-rise builds”.

So I wonder if Burnham’s plans for changes to devolution within Scotland and his desire to perhaps introduce Mayors in Scotland would then mean that Mayors here would get to “overrule the Scottish government” , Mayors here would have a “bigger say” than the Scottish government , it would be a case of more focus being on Mayors priorities as opposed to the Scottish government’s priorities and that there would be a “transfer of more powers to local Mayors here” ( as in some powers transferred away from the Scottish government).

Burnham’s vision for devolution in Scotland but not devolution as we know it within Scotland.

Burnham thinks that we are all stupid up here in the real North (as in in the North of Britain) , as we all know that Manchester feels “just as distant” to us as London does , as in Manchester this so called new No 10 in the North.

So basically there is now two No 10’s in England , one in London and one on Manchester, and both London and Manchester also have Mayors.

“England also currently has the UK government directly responsible for their national policy , funding, public services (NHS, Education and Justice) operating through central departments like the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education” .

Yet there is a Q often asked (by some English politicians as in chancers) where they ask “Who speaks for England” ?

Answer – well there seems to be a helluva lot of different sources who do constantly speak (up) for England compared to how few (pro) UK politicians speak (up) for all of the other nations within the UK State.

Pro UK Mayors in Scotland will be no different, as they too will not speak (up) for Scotland , but instead they will be yet another opponent talking down Scotland and also talking against the SNP as the Scottish government (while speaking -up- for England and the UK State).

Liz S

Help Talking-up Scotland keep going

Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going

Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421