It sounds like your party politics mean you are not going to accept anything good said about him.
You have no idea what my politics are. Anyone can talk and promise, but you have to deliver. You live in GM and you voted for him. If you've got good things to say about him, persuade me I'm wrong to not rate him. I asked you to give me some examples of what he's achieved for GM in his 6 years of being a mayor. You couldn't give me one.
Also if Manchester was offered £60 million but that was dropped to £22 million, don't you think that shows central government in a worse light than AB O_o Or do you think its ok for places that voted a representative in from a different party to be 'punished' for trying to negotiate a better deal for local people?
Well done. You've just found another skill he hasn't got. Negotiation. When you're negotiating, you need to get what you can but to refuse an offer so you end up with nothing, is not good negotiation. The govt offered 60m as a proportionate amount that had been offered and received by L'pool and Lancs. The 60m was never withdrawn. Burnham just refused to take it. The 22m was a separate amount and was given to help implement restrictions. There's no punishment. There was a formula that was used to calculate the funding for each area. Others, including labour areas, accepted it. AB thought he could push for more and he ended up with nothing. GM businesses still got funding but it was more complicated because of Burnhams actions.
I also find the comparison to the Liverpool mayor in bad taste, given he had lost a close family member to covid he made different choices, who can say if mass testing in GM would have the same effect given the difference *in population size.
Anderson took up the offer of mass testing, indeed he pushed to get it. It had a massive impact reducing Liverpool from having the highest areas to the lowest areas. Why is that in bad taste to point that out because his brother died? Anderson looked at the science and made the appropriate decision. Burnham was actually critical of the mass testing and told L'pool they were wasting their time because it wouldn't work. Except it did.
I'd have been for it but as far as I can see nowhere else in England took it up either.
You are very wrong. After seeing L'pool's success, 67 areas in England started doing mass testing. It was so successful that they couldn't keep up with demand and by the time it got to where I lived, they targeted it at certain groups rather than to the whole population.
Plus the funding offered to Liverpool was more per head than Manchester, you can't just compare the lump sum, and that was one of AB arguments for continuing the negotiations.
As I said above, it was worked out based on a formula. No one else refused the package they were offered other than the Burnham. While he was arguing, the hospitals were pleading for a lockdown because they were on the verge of being overrun. Ultimately, the govt locked GM down and Burnham walked away with no money. He's a tactical genius.
Having said all of that, I'm happy to hear your description of his successes as mayor. Prove me wrong for thinking he's a dud.