Manchesterism Warning: Trafford Green Leader Challenges Devolution Rollout 2026

Key Points

• Geraldine Coggins of the Trafford Council Green Group is against the implementation of Greater Manchester devolution models throughout England, calling it “Manchesterism.”
• She said that Manchester’s development has been characterized by growing inequality and increased rent without enough social or affordable housing.
• According to Cllr Coggins, public financing of large-scale developments has only served to build up luxury apartments instead of building more affordable houses.
• Furthermore, she criticized the system of checks for Greater Manchester’s mayor, saying that there are “very few brake levers” for preventing poor decisions.
• Cllr Coggins contested as a Green Party candidate during July’s Greater Manchester mayoral by-election as the replacement of Andy Burnham.
• These views were expressed by her in a statement at the Green Party Conference as well as in an interview with Local Government Chronicle after a housing seminar organized by Cavendish.
• The government has been increasing the scope of mayoral devolution, and Greater Manchester is one of the councils to be given an integrated funding arrangement on housing, transportation, skills, regeneration, and other policy issues.

Trafford (Manchester Mirror) October 05, 2026 – The leader of the Green group on Trafford Council, Geraldine Coggins, has questioned government plans to extend Greater Manchester-style devolution across the country, warning that the model risks embedding inequality rather than spreading prosperity.

As reported by Local Government Chronicle, Cllr Coggins used the term “Manchesterism” to describe what she sees as the political and economic approach associated with Greater Manchester’s mayoral model. She argued that, while the city centre has experienced significant growth, the benefits have not been evenly shared across the wider city region.

Speaking at the Green Party conference at the weekend, Cllr Coggins said she was concerned about the prime minister’s plans to replicate the Greater Manchester Combined Authority mayoral experience elsewhere in England. She said the model had been praised for delivering growth “the like of which we haven’t seen anywhere else”, but argued that this growth had been confined to “a very small sector of the very centre”.

According to Local Government Chronicle, Cllr Coggins said:

“What you see across the rest of Greater Manchester is a story of increasing inequality, and crucially, all these loans to these developers have not brought us pretty much any social or affordable housing.”

Why does Coggins oppose Greater Manchester-style devolution?

Cllr Coggins’s central criticism is that Greater Manchester’s devolution settlement has, in her view, prioritised large-scale development over housing affordability and wider social outcomes. She alleged that Mayor Andy Burnham had been “dolling out huge loans from the taxpayers’ purse to big developments” that built “enormous luxury apartments”, which she said had driven up rents and the general cost of living in the area.

Her comments place housing at the centre of the debate over devolution. She argued that public financial support for major developments had not produced enough social or affordable housing, despite the scale of construction in parts of Greater Manchester.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has previously described its devolution arrangements as designed to support economic growth while improving accountability through clear delivery outcomes. Government guidance also states that Greater Manchester has greater control over how funding for affordable homes is used, with changes taking effect from April 2026.

Cllr Coggins did not appear to dispute the existence of growth in central Manchester. Instead, her argument was that the distribution of that growth, and the housing produced alongside it, had failed to address inequality across the wider region.

What concerns does she raise about mayoral scrutiny?

Beyond housing, Cllr Coggins raised concerns about the governance and accountability structures that accompany mayoral devolution. She told Local Government Chronicle that Greater Manchester is often regarded as the “flagship” of combined authority scrutiny, but said: “I’m not very impressed.”

Her concern is that a mayor may be able to proceed with decisions unless two-thirds of constituent members disagree. She said those members are council leaders rather than individuals directly elected to scrutinise the mayor’s role.

“It feels like there are very few brake levers that can stop bad mayors making bad decisions,” Cllr Coggins said, according to Local Government Chronicle.

She warned that, without stronger governance models, the nationwide rollout of mayoral devolution could create conditions in which “bad mayors” make “bad decisions”.

How does this fit into the wider devolution agenda?

The remarks come as the government continues to expand devolution in England. In December 2024, the government published its English Devolution White Paper, setting out plans to extend mayoral strategic authorities, deepen mayoral powers and place devolution on a more consistent legal footing.

Greater Manchester and the West Midlands were designated as “trailblazer” areas in March 2023, receiving additional powers, funding and responsibilities under deeper devolution deals.

From 2025-26, Greater Manchester received an integrated settlement consolidating funding from more than 20 streams. The settlement covers housing, regeneration, local growth, local transport, adult skills, retrofit and employment support.

The government has also said its Devolution Priority Programme was intended to deliver new institutions and inaugural mayoral elections in May 2026 in suitable areas.

What is Coggins’s political position?

Cllr Coggins is the leader of the Green group on Trafford Council and was the Green Party’s candidate in the July by-election for Greater Manchester mayor, held following Andy Burnham’s departure from the role.

As reported by Local Government Chronicle in June 2026, the Green Party announced Cllr Coggins as its nomination for the mayoral contest. Green Party leader Zack Polanski described the contest as “the Greens v Reform in Greater Manchester”.

The Green Party has also made housing a prominent part of its Greater Manchester platform. Its website says Cllr Coggins set out plans focused on affordable housing, improved bus services and reviving high streets, while separate Green Party material refers to a proposal for 20,000 affordable homes and a three-year emergency brake on private rents.

Her comments on “Manchesterism” therefore reflect both a policy criticism of the devolution model and a broader Green Party argument about housing affordability, public investment and local accountability.

What happens next?

Cllr Coggins’s intervention adds a critical voice to the debate over how far the Greater Manchester model should shape future devolution elsewhere in England. Her argument is likely to be used by opponents of rapid mayoral devolution to press for stronger safeguards on affordable housing, public borrowing and scrutiny of mayoral decisions.

The government’s stated position remains that devolution is intended to give mayors and strategic authorities the tools to drive growth, raise living standards and deliver better services. The practical test for policymakers will be whether expanded devolution can combine investment and growth with measurable improvements in affordable housing and reduced inequality.

Background of the development

Greater Manchester became one of England’s leading devolved areas after agreeing to a directly elected city-region mayor with powers over transport, housing and planning. The original Greater Manchester Agreement expected the mayor to provide leadership across the city region and be directly accountable to its electorate.

In March 2023, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands were given “trailblazer” deeper devolution deals, intended to test new powers and funding arrangements before possible rollout elsewhere.

The government later moved towards “devolution by default”, setting out an enhanced framework in its English Devolution White Paper and giving established mayoral authorities a route to request further powers.

Greater Manchester’s 2025-26 integrated settlement replaced separate funding pots with a single flexible settlement, giving the combined authority more freedom to fund local priorities. It is against this backdrop that Cllr Coggins has argued that the model’s governance and housing outcomes need closer examination before it is replicated nationally.

Prediction: how could this affect local residents and policymakers?

For residents in areas considered for Greater Manchester-style devolution, Cllr Coggins’s warning could increase pressure on local leaders to set clear, enforceable housing conditions before accepting new mayoral powers. Her comments may strengthen demands that public-backed development delivers social and affordable homes, rather than focusing primarily on high-value city-centre schemes.

For policymakers, the intervention could influence the design of future devolution deals by placing greater emphasis on scrutiny arrangements, affordable-housing targets and mechanisms that allow constituent councils to challenge mayoral decisions. The government’s existing framework already includes accountability arrangements and outcome-based funding, but critics may argue these need to be more robust as powers expand.

For Greater Manchester residents, the debate may sharpen scrutiny of how public investment is allocated between regeneration, transport, housing and social priorities. If Cllr Coggins’s concerns gain political traction, future mayoral candidates and combined-authority members could face stronger questions about rent levels, affordable-housing delivery and the distribution of growth beyond the regional centre.