Councils rarely shy away from hyperbole but last week was heralded as a historic one for local authorities. The devolution of health and social care budgets to Greater Manchester was welcomed as not only a new era for the North but for local government as a whole.

But winning influence over more than £6bn of combined budget is certainly not the end of the story. For a region whose above average mortality rates were recently equated by Lord Warner to a jumbo jet full of passengers crashing almost every month, action needs to be taken to improve local wellbeing.