Steve Yemm column: Andy Burnham is right - Britain needs to trust its towns again

His argument is that Britain’s problem is not a lack of talent, ambition or ideas outside London – it is that we have built a system that too often fails to trust the people and places that have the greatest stake in our country’s future.

His vision of a more devolved Britain – sometimes described as ‘Manchesterism’ – starts from a simple belief that those closest to the problems are often closest to the solutions.

For decades, too much power, investment and decision-making have been concentrated in Westminster and Whitehall.

The result has been an economy where some parts of the country have been given the tools to succeed, while others have been expected to accept decline as inevitable.

Burnham’s argument is that this is not good enough.

A country cannot be truly united if prosperity and opportunity are concentrated in a handful of places.

There is a lesson here for towns like Mansfield.

We do not need to be told that our communities lack ambition.

We need the powers, investment and confidence to shape our own future.

That means giving local areas greater control over the things that matter most, like skills, transport, housing, regeneration and economic development.

It means bringing together colleges, employers and communities to create opportunities based on local strengths.

The success of Andy Burnham’s approach in Greater Manchester shows what can happen when local leaders are given responsibility rather than simply asked to deliver decisions made elsewhere.

Whether it is reforming buses, developing skills programmes or creating a stronger voice for the region, the principle is that communities should have a say over their own destiny.

But devolution cannot simply mean moving power from Westminster to city halls.

It must mean putting ordinary people and local communities at the heart of decision-making.

The future of Britain should not be a choice between London and everywhere else.

Our towns, cities and rural communities all have a role to play.

A Labour Government that wants to renew Britain must understand that place matters.

People are not just economic units, they belong to communities with histories, identities and pride.

That is why the debate sparked by Andy Burnham is so important.

It is about more than administrative reform. It is about rebuilding trust between citizens and the state.

A country that believes in itself must believe in all of its communities.

The next chapter of Britain’s story should not be written only in Westminster.

It should be written in Mansfield, Manchester and every town and city where people are ready to contribute, create and build a better future.