The northern mayors can certainly become part of a regional renaissance (Editorial, 3 March), but there are some big issues that need to be addressed if the north is to really benefit. First, there’s a big democratic deficit in the city-region model of governance. One person is elected mayor, but without being part of a team of elected councillors (unlike the old Greater Manchester county council, abolished by Thatcher). All we have is an indirect accountability through the district leaders. It’s not good enough.
Second, the areas covered by the city-region mayors only include parts of the north. Areas such as east Lancashire, with large and economically deprived towns including Burnley and Accrington, are not in the city region.
Finally, there is an issue of identity with the city regions, outside the cities themselves. In your editorial you referred to Andy Burnham being “in Manchester”, though elsewhere you credit him as being the mayor of Greater Manchester, which has 10 large districts including my own town of Bolton, historically a proud Lancashire town. Bolton has never been comfortable being part of anything calling itself Greater Manchester.
Why not extend the present Greater Manchester to take in much of the historic Lancashire to create a powerful county region (with or without Liverpool city region) – a Greater Lancastria, with a mayor working with democratically elected representatives, and strong devolved powers to put us on a par with Scotland and Wales?
Prof Paul Salveson
Bolton, Greater Manchester
• Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
