Westminster Council warns new PM Burnham: Don't 'diminish' London to boost north

In a letter to the new prime minister, Paul Swaddle wrote “the route to a stronger national economy cannot be to diminish London”.“The UK does not have a London problem. It has a national growth problem. A stronger Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast are essential to the country’s future,” Mr Swaddle said. “So is a stronger London. Weakening the capital would not rebalance the economy; it would reduce the tax base, investment pull, visitor economy and global competitiveness on which the whole country depends.”Westminster Council leader Paul SwaddleWestminster City CouncilHe argued that the government “should review existing policy areas that would cut across the growth mission”. “One clear example is the proposed High Value Council Tax Surcharge,” he said. “Westminster does not support the surcharge, either in principle or design It would fall especially heavily on Westminster, where high property values do not always translate into high household incomes, and it risks creating unfair outcomes for residents whose property value does not reflect their ability to pay, including long-standing residents in high-value homes, leaseholders, tenants who may see costs passed through rents, and homes that do not fit neatly into the Government’s assumed model of wealth.”Mr Swaddle added: “Westminster wants Greater Manchester and every major city-region to succeed. But the route to a stronger national economy cannot be to diminish London.Read More“If the capital becomes less competitive, the whole country will feel the consequences through weaker tax receipts, lower investment, reduced visitor spending and a smaller global platform for UK business.”Mr Burnham is set to become Britain’s sixth prime minister in a decade on Monday. The former Manchester mayor has faced accusations that he is pro-north at the expense of London and the south.However, in his speech accepting the Labour leadership on Friday he pledged to be a leader for all of Britain. “I will be a leader for the north, the south, the east, and the west, for Scotland, Wales, and for Northern Ireland,” he said. “Yes, the north of England has given me so much, everything, in fact. And in return, I have sought to give it the strongest voice I could. “That was my job, but now I do the same for everywhere, because I see the same challenges everywhere I look.”