Since devolution, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has already invested loads of power in itself, via things like Health and Social Care, and the controversial Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which will dictate where and how many houses and workplaces can be built across the region.
Now, a new white paper on a Greater Manchester Model to integrate and unify virtually all public services, first mooted at the end of last year, is set to be rubber stamped this week.
The six key features of the GM Model are...Geographical Alignment; Leadership and Accountability; One Workforce; Shared Financial resource; Programmes Policy and Delivery; and Tackling Barriers and Delivering on Devolution.
Under the title of Unified Public Services for the People of Greater Manchester, the white paper states that the GM Model is "a radical new approach to how public services will be delivered across Greater Manchester, for the people of Greater Manchester. Drawing on our learning from our reform journey over a number of years it is recognised that there is now a need for a unifying operating model for public services to ensure the best outcomes for the residents of Greater Manchester.
"Devolution provides the opportunity to bring together funding and services to deliver greater efficiency, effectiveness and support that is much more responsive to the needs of people and places" it adds, while talking about 'economies of scale' and an 'entirely new operational model'.
...The Model, the report explains, will begin with welfare reform and unemployment, and include health and social care, apprenticeships and skills, digital and information, and criminal justice...but "Over time we will develop schedules to cover other policy areas, such as housing, early years, policing and community safety."
While the power and finance appears to be held by the GMCA, the white paper is at pains to point out that "the primary geography is that of the neighbourhood level, defined as encompassing populations of around 30,000-50,000 residents small enough to enable connectivity to communities but large enough to form the framework for integration of public services...
"Our focus is on bringing services together at the neighbourhood level, designed around the person and their needs rather than around themes, policy areas or organisations" it adds.
"We will pull integrated neighbourhood models and teams into a single integrated function for each neighbourhood, encompassing the full breadth of public services" it explains "including: social care, mental health, community care, primary care, policing, housing, homelessness support, environmental health, community safety, substance abuse, early years and early help, schools, GPs and primary care providers, VCSE provision, Jobcentre Plus, employment and skills support...."
So where does this leave Salford City Council, given that councillors complained that they might have no power over the final proposals of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework?
The white paper stresses that "Implementation of The GM Model of Unified Public Services does not require, and is not intended for, any transfer of statutory responsibilities from public bodies up to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority" and that "Individual public service organisations in Greater Manchester should consider themselves accountable locally for the implementation of The GM Model of unified public services..."
While the integration of health and social care, kind of done on a GM level, was eventually welcomed by front line staff, this latest Model takes it all a step further with re-written job descriptions and 'efficiencies'.
Is it about cuts? Is it about improvements to services? Is it about power grabbing by the GM Mayor, Andy Burnham? Is it about going back to the doomed days of the Greater Manchester Council? Or is it something else?
Despite loads of statements in the white paper on how great it's all going to be, the details are sketchy and incredibly complicated to understand...with lots of talk about "coterminous delivery footprints"...
What we do know is that while the usual 'stakeholders' have been consulted, there doesn't appear to have been any consultation with residents or any discussion within Salford City Council meetings.
The Salford Star asked the GMCA for a comment as the white paper looks 'suspiciously like the end of local government at an area level'.
GMCA didn't respond directly to that question but stated that "you would need to speak to individual organisations to find out what is happening at a local level to better integrate public services..."
Except that at a 'local level' there's hardly been a word about a new GM Model, and Salford City Council doesn't respond to any questions from the Salford Star and hasn't done so for over six years...
GMCA did, however, provide a link to the 2018 proposals, with a quote from Andy Burnham saying "This new way of working requires a seismic change in thinking as radical as the creation of the welfare state and the NHS..."
To read the GM Bulletin click here
To read the full 45 page White Paper on the GM Model click here and scroll down to Item 11
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