Devolution policy position statement

For us in Greater Manchester, devolution has always been about who gets to shape the conditions of everyday life and about enabling those closest to the challenges to also have the power to solve them.

This is what drives us to go further and deeper on our devolution journey.

Facing reality

Back in 2009, the Manchester Independent Economic Review set out two stark truths.

Firstly that if the city-region acted as one joined-up place, it had the potential to help re-balance the UK economy; and secondly, that poor health in the area was holding people back from participating in that growth.  

In some of our neighbourhoods, healthy life expectancy still differs by more than a decade and access to employment, housing, green space and opportunity remains uneven.

These problems are one and the same because health and wealth inequalities are deeply intertwined, and physical inactivity is at the heart of it,yet this isn’t a result of personal choice but a product of environment, policy, culture and design work.  

Movement and physical activity have often been engineered out of daily life, especially in communities facing the greatest disadvantage.

By 2015, when the first Greater Manchester Moving strategy – Blueprint for Change – was developed, the data was clear.

Where inequality was top level, inactivity was also the highest; and the costs – financial, social and human – were enormous.

A true change of tactics against inactivity

The price of inactivity was at least £27 million a year and far higher if you took into account the cost of long-term conditions, mental health, social isolation and the impact of exclusion.  

The response couldn’t be another short-term campaign or an isolated programme. The people of Greater Manchester deserved better.

We needed to reshape the whole system – from transport to planning, from health to education and from workplaces to public spaces.  

This meant a shift from blaming individuals for being inactive and unhealthy (indeed 55% of people in our city-region wanted to be more active), to redesigning the conditions that were shaping their behaviour.

Devolution in Greater Manchester, along with the support of key partners like Sport England, has made that kind of systemic change possible.

This  approach has made it possible to have power over health, transport, housing and skills for the people and places they affect but, more importantly, it has enabled us to work differently. 

The way we work now is rooted in collaboration across ten boroughs, public services, communities and sectors. We are one team! 

In Greater Manchester, prior to devolution, we already had the foundations and had laid the groundwork for this approach as we have a history of cooperation that stretches back generations. 

Devolution accelerated that instinct and drive as it gave us the space and opportunity to align strategies, pool resources and focus on our shared mission of building a thriving city-region where everyone can live a good and active life. This is making a difference.

Evidence suggests that life expectancy has improved faster than expected since devolution, particularly in more deprived areas.  

Employment, school readiness and public health outcomes have all shown signs of progress.  

In terms of physical activity, Greater Manchester reduced inactivity at nearly three times the national rate before the pandemic and has since recovered more quickly.

The latest data shows that in Greater Manchester, 62.1% of adults are now considered active. This is the highest rate ever recorded and there is further progress too, with inactivity falling to 26.9%, down from 28.3%.

Data shows that activity levels for children and young people in Greater Manchester are also the highest they’ve been since the survey began in 2017 and, currently, 50.1% of those aged 5-16 are active for at least 60 minutes a day.

But inequalities remain, particularly for people living in more deprived areas, lower socio-economic groups and for some ethnic communities.

So, while this is encouraging progress, a continued focus is needed to enable active lives for all and to keep the MIER report front of mind.

Moving forward as one

These changes are the result of systems that are maturing, where there is better alignment between local and regional strategies, stronger partnerships, and growing trust across sectors.  

They also reflect a deep cultural change in leadership that drives everything we do.

Here, leadership is more than job titles and institutions – it’s relational, distributed and rooted in a shared purpose. 

Leadership seen in community groups is as important as that of boardrooms because, for us, it is about convening, listening and connecting. 

We are united by the same goal of helping people see how movement links to the issues they care about, from jobs and growth to mental health and climate.

Devolution supports us in this work, but it doesn’t guarantee it. Local power alone isn’t enough and mindsets, behaviours and relationships matter just as much.  

The instinct to collaborate doesn’t come from governance structures alone – it comes from people and that’s the real lesson here.

Whether a place has formal devolved powers or not, the fundamentals still apply and it all starts with a shared vision.  

We use a central community voice, work collaboratively across boundaries and build trust by aligning efforts around outcomes that matter.

Our journey in Greater Manchester’s is far from finished (we are only five years into our 10-year Active Lives for All strategy), but we are an example of what is possible when a place brings together its people, purpose and power. 

To my mind, devolution isn’t about redrawing maps. It’s about redesigning systems so that everyone – regardless of where they live – has a fair chance at a good life.

It’s now been three years since “vesting day,” when Cumbria moved from a two-tier system (one county council and six district or borough councils) to two unitary authorities. 

Setting the Scene 

Active Cumbria has always been a hosted partnership. Before LGR, we sat within the county council; today, we are hosted by Cumberland Council, with a formal agreement enabling us to work across both authorities, Westmorland & Furness Council being the other. 

Looking back, it’s clear that success wasn’t about a single decision - it was about how we approached each stage of the journey. 

The Build-Up: Clarity and Advocacy 

In early 2022, alongside my co-lead, Chair, and the Director of Public Health, we explored options for our future. 

At a Board session in January 2022, we agreed our preferred approach: to remain a hosted service within one of the new unitary councils. We also set clear “red lines” - conditions that would guide any agreement. 

Our rationale was simple: 

• Strong alignment with council priorities 
• Greater continuity and security for our team 
• A clear willingness from both shadow councils to host us 

To support discussions, I developed a Shared Services Prospectus, which became a key tool in conversations with senior leaders. 

One of the biggest lessons during this phase was the importance of advocacy at the right level. The Director of Public Health played a crucial role in opening doors and influencing senior stakeholders in ways I couldn’t directly. That support was vital in securing a smooth transition. 

Alongside this, I was involved in LGR design teams across public health and leisure. These sessions helped shape future services - and gave us a platform to clearly demonstrate the value Active Cumbria could bring to the new structures. 

Supporting the Team Through Change 

LGR inevitably brought uncertainty. Some team members felt this more than others, so maintaining trust and transparency was essential. 

We made LGR a standing item in team meetings and prioritised regular, honest updates, alongside individual conversations. 

This consistent communication helped steady the team during a period where much was outside our control. 

The Transition: The Importance of Proactivity 

Following vesting day, we made a deliberate decision; be proactive, not passive. 

Despite the uncertainty, we actively engaged across both councils: 

• Supporting Change Champion programmes 
• Speaking at staff induction events 
• Demonstrating how our work aligned with council values and priorities 

This visibility quickly positioned Active Cumbria as a trusted partner. 

Early wins included: 

• Embedding physical activity KPIs into both councils’ corporate dashboards 
• Contributing to strategic groups shaping health and wellbeing 
• Building strong cross-directorate relationships 

These early actions created momentum that continues to benefit us today. 

It’s also important to recognise context. While our hosting arrangement was changing, many council services were navigating more complex transformations - merging teams, rebuilding structures, and addressing system gaps. Understanding this helped us remain realistic, patient, and supportive. 

Where We Are Now: Opportunities Growing 

Our proactive approach and strong alignment with local priorities mean we are now embedded across both councils in a range of ways. 

Current areas of influence include: 

• Supporting the development and delivery of active wellbeing strategies 
• Shaping leisure contract specifications 
• Embedding physical activity in emerging strategies and services 
• Contributing to large-scale prevention programmes 

We are increasingly working at a system and place level, supporting both councils to improve health outcomes and tackle inequalities - particularly important in a challenging financial environment. 

Encouragingly, the value of physical activity and the role of the active partnership are more widely recognised than ever. 

Ongoing Challenges 

That said, complexity remains. 

Each council has different priorities, operating models, and timelines - and these don’t always align. A one-size approach simply isn’t realistic, so we’ve had to stay flexible and adapt our work accordingly. 

Final Reflections 

Looking back, a few key lessons stand out: 

• Be clear on your value – and articulate it confidently 
• Invest in relationships – especially at senior levels 
• Be proactive – don’t wait for opportunities to come to you 
• Communicate consistently – especially during uncertainty 
• Stay flexible – systems evolve at different speeds 

LGR has been challenging at times, but it has also created real opportunities to strengthen partnerships, increase influence, and embed physical activity more deeply within local systems. 

For anyone navigating a similar journey: stay visible, stay connected, and stay clear on the value you bring. 

We’ve chosen to engage early, rather than wait for structures to settle. Our starting point has been simple: Position movement, sport and physical activity as a system solution, not a sector offer. We are deliberately challenging and avoiding the trap of being seen as “just leisure", instead, we are framing movement as a contributor to prevention, population health, reducing inequalities, economic productivity, skills, and place-making. 

Our use of language and reference points has been critical: it has allowed us to connect conversations our sector previously wouldn't have been part of. 

We’ve focused heavily on engaging system leaders; Chief executives, council leaders, health partners, and economic and skills leads are central to shaping the future landscape. At the same time, we’ve worked through existing partnerships to stay grounded in Place. 

Our approach has been structured but flexible. We’ve combined one-to-one conversations with senior leaders, wider engagement through surveys, and place-based workshops, this has helped us build a more complete picture of how movement is currently seen, and where it can add most value. It has also created shared ownership of the agenda. 

One of the biggest challenges has been the pace of change. The landscape is evolving quickly, and it’s not always clear where priorities emerge from and decisions will land, there is also a real risk that movement is overlooked if we don’t actively position it. 

Capacity across the system is stretched, which makes engagement harder, however, there are strong enablers too: there is growing recognition of the importance of prevention and demand management, that creates a natural entry point for physical activity. 

We’ve also found that when you use the language of system priorities, people listen; talking about Strategic outcomes rather than assets and activities changes the conversation. 

Another enabler has been co-production; by involving partners early and shaping the work together, we’ve built credibility and momentum. 

One of my biggest learnings is about narrative; if we want to influence system change, we need a clear, consistent story.

In Lancashire, that means positioning movement as part of our health, social, cultural and economic infrastructure, not as an add-on, but as a core contributor to better outcomes. 

My insight for others would be to start with the outcomes your system cares about, then align your offer to those priorities, be proactive in building relationships with senior leaders and don’t wait to be invited into the room. 

This way of working is already changing how we operate, we are more focused on system alignment, governance, and shared outcomes.

We are also developing a clearer, county-wide narrative for movement that resonates with decision-makers, we believe over time this will lead to more integrated approaches across health, local government, and communities and ultimately that’s the prize.

Our goal is not just stronger positioning for sport and physical activity, but real, tangible improvements in people’s lives across Lancashire. 

As Active Partnerships, our role is to convene, connect and advocate, working across systems to make it easier for people to be active in the places they live. That role feels more relevant than ever, and working through devolution has sharpened how we think about where we can add the most value.   

We listened. 

New strategic bodies like EMCCA don't emerge overnight. We’ve taken time to understand the plans, agendas, priorities and the language as these have emerged and we’re clear on our offer. As new colleagues start in post and find their feet, we have sought opportunities when the time is right - a conversation at a network event, a follow-up meeting, an invite to see our place work — knowing that building genuine relationships takes time, repeated contact and a few consistent messages.   

This continues to evolve. 

We found our alignment. 

Two agendas have opened the strongest doors for us with EMCCA. The sustainable travel agenda and EMCCA’s inclusive growth framework, with ambitions around health and wellbeing, better environments and places and connected communities, all mapping closely to what we do every day in our place work.  

This alignment has unlocked opportunities in a number of areas. We've met with our Mayor – officially and informally, and on walks in our communities - and built a strong working relationship with her Sustainable Travel Ambassador. In addition to our place team connecting widely through the voluntary sector and health networks, these conversations have helped us understand where our work can genuinely add value to EMCCA's ambitions. 

We've learned that the role of physical activity isn't always obvious, so we have shared stories, sometimes bringing in local people to tell their own — how a walking group helped someone feel less isolated, how an active travel route changed a family's daily routine — and we have guided those stories towards the people ready to hear them. 

We've taken practical steps, as well as strategic ones. 

Where the opportunity has arisen, we've moved quickly. Our Walk Notts and Walk Derbyshire programmes gave us a natural way into EMCCA's transport planning conversations. We're now involved in forums and networks shaping Transport Plans and convening spaces where communities and organisations can be heard. Through this work we’ve found both a shared vision and strong advocate in the Mayor’s Sustainable Travel Ambassador.  

So what next? We are exploring how to align our Place Partnership work with the Mayor’s Community Development Fund and other place-based investment to embed physical activity and create a stronger, more collective impact. A shared role, a joined-up approach to funding, physical activity playing its part the inclusive growth agenda is where we’re heading.  

Our key learning? 

We've had to be patient, taking time to find the right doors and open them when the moment is right for partners. We’re aiming to be clear on what we can offer, deliberate about our purpose in the rooms we're in, and consistently reinforcing a few key messages. We’ve looked for practical, tangible steps in our work that can be taken whilst we build momentum and the bigger picture takes shape, acknowledging that strategic positioning and building the relationships, trust and genuine alignment is a longer game.   

We're still on this journey, continually navigating…but we’re moving in the right direction. 

At Merseyside Sports Partnership (MSP), the International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport’s Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration gave us the focus and energy to galvanise around something.

According to the latest data from the recent Active Lives Survey, only 58% of women in the Liverpool City Region are active for the recommended 150 minutes a week.

When women face additional inequalities – which are particularly pronounced across our six boroughs – they are even less likely to be active.

With this in mind, we knew we needed to change the way things were being done.

To do this, we adopted a twin city-region approach, partnering with our colleagues at Greater Manchester Moving to share learnings, accelerate the speed of change, and demonstrate trailblazing leadership.

Together, securing the signatures of both our Mayors on the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration was a clear, strong signal of intent.

It makes us the world’s first place-based signatories in the declaration’s 30-year history.

More importantly, it shifted our focus from having an isolated plan as an organisation to collaborating on an integrated, city region-wide plan for women and girls.

We wanted to work at ground level, but we also needed to work bottom-up and top-down all at the same time.

The devolution landscape provides a wrapper that mobilises collective energy and connects across all levels.

Having the Combined Authority and Mayor’s senior backing also gives the work more gravitas, which can be key when creating important conversations.

To make this collaborative effort as effective as possible, we made sure to translate our goals to align with Mayor Steve Rotheram's manifesto pledges to “tackle the epidemic of violence against women,” particularly through travel and safer streets initiatives.

For example, the Mayor has pledged to use his devolved transport powers to take back control of the Liverpool City Region bus network, directly addressing unwanted behaviour on public transport so women can travel across the city region with peace of mind.

This strategic alignment is vital because issues like safer streets and public transport are fundamental to whether women and girls feel safe enough to be active in the first place.

Outside of the Combined Authority, our city region-wide work is driven by a cross-system working group.

While MSP acts as the group’s convener, its power lies in the diversity of its partners, from local government and grassroots groups to football clubs and their charitable foundations, all of which contribute their own pieces to the puzzle.

The city region’s Active Travel team is leading their own specific initiatives, whilst the Liverpool County FA is expanding their brilliant "She Inspires" initiative.

As an Active Partnership, our direct contribution to this wider devolved plan focuses primarily on safety and the workforce.

Through the Liverpool City Region Local Skills Plan, we are focusing heavily on women's experiences working in our sector, investigating and actioning what is needed to ensure they have clear career pathways, continued training, and better work environments.

We are also partnering with the Health Equalities Group to embed active bystander education.

Using a ‘train-the-trainer’ model, the rollout aims to ensure that learnings are cascaded and sustainably integrated across organisations.

By explicitly tying this training to movement, physical activity, and sport, we are actively creating safer environments for women and girls to get moving.

These are just two examples of ongoing initiatives that are all about making sure women feel welcomed, valued, and able to progress.

This localised focus is already yielding tangible structural changes, such as St. Helens Borough Council appointing a dedicated Women & Girls System Change Lead, whose role will have a specific focus on movement, physical activity, and sport.

If we could share one piece of learning with other areas starting their devolution journey, it is to actively seek collaboration at all layers of the system – as well as dedicated mayoral or senior backing.

Find out what matters most to your Combined Authority, and clearly demonstrate how physical activity is the vehicle to deliver it.

Devolution allows us to connect the grassroots directly to the Mayor's office, which ensures our region’s top-down policies are shaped by lived, local realities on the ground.

That is how we can build a landscape where women and girls across Liverpool City Region can safely and actively thrive.