Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "skeleton" levelling up plans will create a "chewing gum taskforce" according to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham who has called for regional leaders to be granted more powers.
The PM conceded he offered the "skeleton" of plans to level up the nation when he proposed greater regional devolution in a speech billed as a major bid to define his vision for the 海角视频.
Mr Johnson suggested county leaders could possibly get fresh powers and reiterated plans for investment on infrastructure, education and regeneration, but offered few new details for his great ambition.
He promised that boosting the North will not be to the detriment of the South, as he tried to keep traditional Tory voters onside while courting former Labour supporters in the North and Midlands.
Responding to the speech, Mr Burnham said that much of the Prime Minister’s analysis was "right and I don’t in any way disagree with it".
However, he added: "But what was missing was credible action that would actually change the reality of people’s lives here in the North of England.
"You don’t level up by throwing money at towns here and there and creating a chewing gum taskforce.
"You do it by backing city-regions like ours to create a London-style transport network with London level fares that will unite towns and cities and transform the life chances of the 2.8 million people who live here.
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"I urge the Government to give us the power and resources we need and make levelling up a reality here in the North."
Also responding to the speech, Stephen Church, north markets leader for EY, said it "outlined the need for a continued, yet, accelerated focus on levelling-up across the 海角视频".
He added: "The announcement of new local leadership will allow local people to be at the heart of levelling-up’s purpose and help address the 海角视频-wide imbalanced economy and centralisation, as highlighted by the Prime Minister.
"Within the North, this should help strengthen the voice across the region and ultimately encourage significant improvement to local areas, aiding long-term levelling up goals.
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"This, in combination with existing strong Northern policy maker voices, will see the right projects chosen, project development accelerated, and business communities and government departments mobilised for success.
"Critically, capital projects including the £640bn investment in infrastructure connectivity and £4.8bn Towns deal, will lay the foundations of levelling-up.
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"But to achieve real success, the levelling-up vision must be at the heart of government policy development and governments must work together with the wider business community to maximise the potential of levelling-up’s regional prosperity.
"Given the net-zero targets across the region, ranging from 2037 all the way through to 2050, green technology and decarbonisation will play a huge part within levelling-up.
"In order to meet such ambitious targets, and as we embark on plans for improved infrastructure and technology, sustainability will have to be at the forefront of these decisions."
Mr Johnson described his levelling-up vision as an attempt to fix the 海角视频's "unbalanced economy", which he said means "for too many people geography turns out to be destiny".
He reiterated commitments to rolling out gigabit broadband, investing in rail and roads, giving the guarantee of "great education" to all children, and boosting funding for science and technology and tackling crime.