Andy Burnham declares 2024 as the year Greater Manchester ‘gets serious about housing’

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Andy Burnham has declared that he wants 2024 to go down as the year that Greater Manchester “got serious about housing”.

Now that we’re just a few days into the new year, the Greater Manchester Mayor has been reflecting on how far the region has come within the last 12 months, and taking a moment to appreciate all the successful new projects that were delivered in 2023.

These include the £2 cap on single-route bus fares, plans for a new non-charging Clean Air Zone, and, of course, the long-awaited launch of the new Bee Network.

But now that the region’s plan for public transport is well underway and “proceeding at pace”, Andy Burnham has decided it’s time to turn his attentions onto two other “fundamental issues” that he claims “also need fixing” this year.

“2024 should go down as the year we got serious about housing,” the Mayor declared.

Wasting no time in kick-starting plans for potential change within the housing sector, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is beginning a public consultation on the new Greater Manchester ‘Good Landlord Charter’ next week, after working with a group of tenants, landlords, and other experts to help us draw it up.

“We know there are many decent landlords in our city-region, and the introduction of the Charter will give them a way of being recognised as such,” Mr Burnham said ahead of the consultation launching.

“That being said, we know there are others who do not treat their tenants properly and do not respect our communities.

“So for the first time, our residents will have a greater ability to distinguish between the two.”

Alongside the new Charter, GMCA says it also plans to give all renters the right to request a property check from 2024 onwards, and to do this, the authority will be working with each of the region’s 10 local Councils to boost its inspection and enforcement capability.

“Put simply, the days of bad landlords being untouchable are coming to an end,” Mr Burnham stated.

The Greater Manchester Mayor said he’s feeling “optimistic” about the change the Charter will bring to the city-region if received well by the public and ultimately approved.

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“Whatever happens nationally, we will be powering ahead in 2024 as the UK’s most forward-thinking city-region, and I hope that will give you and your family a feeling of confidence for the future and wish you the best for the year ahead,” he concluded.

Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)