Centre for Local Economies reacts to Andy Burnham’s speech

Dr Tom Lloyd Goodwin, deputy chief executive of CLES commented:

“Andy Burnham is right to reject trickle-down economics and to argue that places need more power to shape their own futures. His recognition that procurement, housing, transport and public investment are economic tools – not simply public services – marks an important shift in the debate.

“But the next step is to move beyond good growth towards an economy organised around economic security. The real question is not simply how we generate more growth, but who owns it, who benefits from it, and whether it leaves people with secure incomes, affordable homes, reliable transport and greater control over the economy they depend on.

“That means paying as much attention to ownership, wealth distribution and the foundational economy as we do to innovation, productivity and investment”.