Greater Manchester Mayoral Election

[rudemedic]

Given the upcoming Greater Manchester Mayoral Election in May, and how popular the other Election topics tend to be, thought I should post a topic for some sensible debate.

 

I may actually properly vote in this (usually spoil my paper in non-referendum elections) and can't see much further than Andy Burnham winning, given the general Labour majorities in the areas.

[disjointed]

1 hour ago, rudemedic said:

Given the upcoming Greater Manchester Mayoral Election in May, and how popular the other Election topics tend to be, thought I should post a topic for some sensible debate.

 

I may actually properly vote in this (usually spoil my paper in non-referendum elections) and can't see much further than Andy Burnham winning, given the general Labour majorities in the areas.

Will you get a vote living in Heywood? I would have thought those that pay council tax in Manchester and residents of said households are the only ones entitled to vote.

[rudemedic]

1 hour ago, disjointed said:

Will you get a vote living in Heywood? I would have thought those that pay council tax in Manchester and residents of said households are the only ones entitled to vote.

It's for Greater Manchester. Everyone in the boroughs of Greater Manchester gets a vote, including Oldham/Rochdale. Andy Burnham is the MP for Leigh (part of Borough of Wigan) is using that as his base platform.

[JoeLatics]

Some exciting opportunities coming with this role if played right - DevoManc with devolved Health & Social Care budget could enable the region to set the standard for how things should be run. I'm behind Burnham all the way, think he's got some great ideas (not least the nursing bursary) & the experience needed. Although I will still refuse to say that I'm from Manchester!!!

[opinions4u]

6 hours ago, JoeLatics said:

Some exciting opportunities coming with this role if played right - DevoManc with devolved Health & Social Care budget could enable the region to set the standard for how things should be run. 

Serious question.

Devolved budgets are lovely.  You get to pick and choose what you want to do.  But it's still one pot of pretty much the same amount of cash.

When "setting the standard" is likely to involve spending more, what services should be removed to enable that standard to be set?

[leeslover]

I'm not having a Scouser telling me what to do.

[JoeLatics]

15 hours ago, opinions4u said:

Serious question.

Devolved budgets are lovely.  You get to pick and choose what you want to do.  But it's still one pot of pretty much the same amount of cash.

When "setting the standard" is likely to involve spending more, what services should be removed to enable that standard to be set?

 

I'll talk about health since that's my field - I do think there's something to be said for doing things better & more efficiently rather than just throwing more money at it. As an example, health & social care really does need to be better integrated (currently the former sits under NHS and the latter under LAs) - I've seen dozens of medically fit elderly patients sat around in expensive hospital beds because there's nowhere for them to be discharged to. Having all the H&SC money in a single pot could be a great opportunity to rebalance the system and hopefully stop this from continuing to happen.

[rudemedic]

2 hours ago, JoeLatics said:

 

I'll talk about health since that's my field - I do think there's something to be said for doing things better & more efficiently rather than just throwing more money at it. As an example, health & social care really does need to be better integrated (currently the former sits under NHS and the latter under LAs) - I've seen dozens of medically fit elderly patients sat around in expensive hospital beds because there's nowhere for them to be discharged to. Having all the H&SC money in a single pot could be a great opportunity to rebalance the system and hopefully stop this from continuing to happen.

For the most part I'd agree with this. It is looking quite likely that of the 8 acute hospital trusts and 3 mental health trusts in the Greater Manchester area there will be 6 acute trusts (at most) and 2 mental health ones after Devo-Manc. That's 3 less Medical Directors (usually the best paid member of staff), Chief Executives, Finance Directors etc. Those savings all add up, in theory.

 

An integrated health and social care organisation is great on paper, but having looked in hard detail at the only one in the NW (Southport) it doesn't always work out in practice, then again Southport has had some reasonably well publicised issues with its senior team for the last 2 years. People in hospital beds unnecessarily isn't just down to social care, it can often be down to inadequate members of staff in allied health professions, where the recruitment has hit a bit of a brick wall due to an increase in university charges, loss of bursaries etc. Devo-Manc isn't going to solve that. Nor is it going to solve the problems of recruitment into GPs, nor A&E staff etc. The organisation with a big percentage of that responsibility is being asked to make 30% savings having already made significant savings in the last 2 years due to a merger of organisations, see above.

 

Throwing money at it won't work, but the budget cuts imposed at a national level will still affect the situation for Devo-Manc. 

 

Andy Burnham is very strong on healthcare but he will have to be to get Devo-Manc to work, a lot of the issues probably won't see their effect for a few years, but some of the cuts (not those caused by merging organisations) reek of false-economy, the savings being made now will cost more in future years.

 

There is definitely something to be said about the efficiency savings being undertaken, but sometimes these savings aren't very popular with the public. For example Booth Hall was shut 15 years later than it should have been due to public pressure. The savings made with the Pennine Acute merger will not be popular with the public as their Out-patient appointment runs late because the Doctor was at one of the other sites in the morning etc. (Note despite the likelihood of that merger being partially undone, the same problem will still exist).

 

As someone who lives in Heywood, the thing I'm most looking forward to is the potential for public transport improvements. The disparity in services between different parts of Manchester, and even different parts of the same borough is startling.

[Oafc88]

Will the local policing budget sit with the Mayor or is that with the crime commissioner?

[HarryBosch]

On 25/03/2017 at 0:11 AM, JoeLatics said:

Some exciting opportunities coming with this role if played right - DevoManc with devolved Health & Social Care budget could enable the region to set the standard for how things should be run. I'm behind Burnham all the way, think he's got some great ideas (not least the nursing bursary) & the experience needed. Although I will still refuse to say that I'm from Manchester!!!

 

You think Andy Mid Staffs Burnham will be a good thing for people's healthcare? 

 

Wow, just wow. 

[opinions4u]

1 hour ago, HarryBosch said:

 

You think Andy Mid Staffs Burnham will be a good thing for people's healthcare? 

 

Wow, just wow. 

Labour innit.  Must be best for health cos the Tories are going to privatise it honest.

[Matt]

Can't be arsed with any of it. I'm sure there are far too many jobs in Government - I'm not voting any more, and please spare me the 'But, but you don't have a voice' line. I can't determine who's the least incompetent to vote for, and when it's come to that it's time to stop.

 

[Matt]

...in fact, it's time to put a RE-OPEN NOMINATIONS BECAUSE I CANNOT VOTE FOR ANY OF THESE CUNTS box on the ballot paper.

[rudemedic]

6 hours ago, rummytheowl said:

...in fact, it's time to put a RE-OPEN NOMINATIONS BECAUSE I CANNOT VOTE FOR ANY OF THESE CUNTS box on the ballot paper.

Would wholeheartedly support this. IIRC there was a bloke trying to get candidates together to stand on this issue in 2015, but given there weren't any I would suspect other issues were going on, as he was looking for funding towards deposits.

[HarryBosch]

On the day we started the formal process to have a lot less government Greater Manchester is 5 weeks away from getting a bit more government. 

 

Marvellous. 

[Zorrro]

On 25/03/2017 at 0:34 PM, leeslover said:

I'm not having another Scouser telling me what to do.

 

Added some missing letters.

[beag_teeets]

On 29/03/2017 at 0:02 PM, rummytheowl said:

Can't be arsed with any of it. I'm sure there are far too many jobs in Government - I'm not voting any more, and please spare me the 'But, but you don't have a voice' line. I can't determine who's the least incompetent to vote for, and when it's come to that it's time to stop.

 

 

I used to trot that line out but considering I have now actively abstained in the last 5 elections that I've been eligible for I'm with you. I can't be arsed with any of the candidates, parties, choices or anything else up for elections. It is all a sham that really changes little. Power lives elsewhere, always has.