Is Lancashireism an alternative to Manchesterism?
A Lancashire politician has proposed 'Lancashireism' as a decentralized alternative to the 'Manchesterism' growth model. The proposal advocates for distributing economic power across a network of towns rather than focusing investment on a single city center.
Why it matters
This reflects a broader debate on regional development strategies and the effectiveness of city-centric devolution deals.
Image caption, Dr Ged Mirfin has come up with "Lancashireism" as an alternative to Manchesterism
Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Manchesterism model for growth is the wrong approach for areas without a major city at their heart, according to a member of Lancashire's ruling party.
Reform Lancashire County Council member Dr Ged Mirfin said he instead believed in something he has termed "Lancashireism" - which would favour a "polycentric county-region, where power, investment, economic growth and public services are distributed across a network of towns and communities".
Independent economic advisory firm Oxford Economics produced a report in June that argued Manchester city centre had seen the most growth, but that growth in the wider region had still been higher than the national average.
Lancaster University political expert Dr Matt Cole said a potential challenge of Lancashireism was that places in the county did not have a strong shared identity.
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