Greater Manchester Combined Authority's chief executive has expressed doubts about whether his region would be able to cope with a second wave of coronavirus infections. Giving evidence to the Public Services Committee, Eamonn Boylan admitted he was not confident his authority would have the resources. Mr Boylan said he had been forced to spend reserves 'like it's going out of fashion' and they would not be there to spend again. He also used his appearance in front of peers to highlight the 'weaknesses and barriers' between national and local government and said the pandemic had accentuated frustrations with the way Whitehall works. Mr Boylan continued: 'National government - despite its best efforts - still works in departmental silos and within departments in individual silos. One of the things that the pandemic has shown is that it really makes little sense to try to deliver local services from a national level because local agencies are much better equipped to co-ordinate, to bring together both public and voluntary and private sector players in communities in order to deliver.
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