Scotland needs to learn from the success of Andy Burnham’s ‘Manchesterism’ project
Published 21st Oct 2026, 06:00 BST
Motherwell has played a significant role in Scotland's story. A steel town, it was forged in the heat of the industrial revolution. Steel created by the labour of the Motherwell workforce found its way into the Forth Bridge, bridges in America and the Middle East and even great ocean liners – including the Titanic.
It has a proud history, but what is needed now is the political vision to chart a new future for towns like Motherwell and others across Scotland.
On Friday last week, the Prime Minister chose Motherwell as the location for a landmark speech on his vision for Scotland and its communities. Importantly, Andy Burnham chose the town's college as the venue for his speech.
Post-industrial revival
This was a symbolic decision that said – as clearly as his words about the need for re-industrialisation – that the future for towns like Motherwell rests in investing in young people. Equipping our young people with the skills they need is key to helping communities across Scotland thrive and helping post-industrial towns once more become centres of industry and prosperity.
Andy Burnham has already shown in Manchester how post-industrial communities can be renewed if there is political will and vision. That is what we need in Scotland too.
And for this to happen, we need to empower those who know best – the people in the communities and their representatives. Because the story of Manchester's recent history and that of Scotland run on parallel lines. Both begin with devolution – the transfer of powers out from Westminster.
I am proud to have been part of the campaign for devolution and for the reconvening of the Scottish Parliament. And it has been an honour to serve in our nation's parliament since 1999. But the harsh truth is that devolution in Scotland remains somewhat of a missed opportunity.
Why? Because we have forgotten that devolution is not a single act but an ongoing process. A process that should be pushing power not just from Westminster to Holyrood but out from Holyrood into our regions, cities, towns and villages. It is the empowerment of local decision-makers that has led to the economic revival that Manchester is now undergoing.
Power concentrated in Edinburgh
The truth is that the Scottish Parliament is one of the most powerful devolved legislatures in Europe but also that Scotland, as a country, is among the most centralised – with power hoarded in Edinburgh. What works for Edinburgh might not be what works in Glasgow, Aberdeen, the Hebrides, the Highlands or the Borders.
That's why the Prime Minister's pledge to work with the Scottish government to deliver deeper devolution to our communities is so important. We cannot have Scotland being left behind while other areas of the UK, which have grasped the potential of devolution, thrive.
The Scottish government needs to understand that it is standing in the way of greater democratic engagement in our country. For towns like Motherwell and others to thrive once more, we need to put power where it belongs – in the hands of the people.
Jackie Baillie is MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader and her party’s spokesperson for health