Greater Manchester Mayor: Andy Burnham re-elected
Turnout for the election was 32.05%
Labour's Andy Burnham has been re-elected as the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Mayor. It is his third term in office.
The mayoral role covers ten local authorities: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.
The result of the election was declared at around 3pm on Saturday afternoon.
Turnout for the election was 32.05%.
Out of the 663,631 votes counted, Mr Burnham received 63.4% with 420,749 votes.
Who were the candidates
There were six candidates standing in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Mayoral Election:
• Austin, Jake: Liberal Democrats
• Barker, Dan: Reform UK
• Buckley, Nick: Independent
• Burnham, Andy: Labour and Co-operative Party
• Evans, Laura: The Conservative Party Candidate
• Spencer, Hannah Kathrine: Green Party
What is the Greater Manchester Mayoral Election?
The Greater Manchester Mayoral Election is an election held every four years to elect the Mayor of Greater Manchester, a combined authority area in North West England.
The position of Mayor of Greater Manchester was created in 2017 as part of the devolution of certain powers and budgets from central government to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).
The mayor is elected by the residents of the ten local authority areas that make up Greater Manchester: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester is an important figure in the political life of the city-region, entrusted with unique powers and responsibilities.
What does the Mayor of Greater Manchester do?
The elected mayor works together with the GMCA to deliver their vision for Greater Manchester.
Greater Manchester’s first mayoral election took place in 2017, following devolution deals between the GMCA and central government. The GMCA was formed in 2011, by the ten Greater Manchester councils. Each of the city-region’s councils has one seat on the GMCA, held by the council leader, or, in the case of Salford, the elected City Mayor. The Mayor of Greater Manchester is the chair and eleventh member.
In March 2023, the GMCA agreed its seventh Devolution Deal, the “Trailblazer” deeper devolution deal.
The mayor’s responsibilities include setting budgets and priorities for Greater Manchester’s public services, including transport and the fire and rescue service; fulfilling the role of Police and Crime Commissioner; and acting as an ambassador for the city-region.
Transport
The mayor has a leading role in developing Greater Manchester’s connectivity and active travel agenda, overseeing the Local Transport Plan and key aspects of transport funding, including capital funding for new infrastructure and revenue funding to support the operation of transport services.
The mayor also has a number of specific transport powers, for example relating to bus services. In 2023, locally controlled (franchised) bus services were introduced in Greater Manchester, with the launch of the Bee Network. Through the Bee Network, Greater Manchester has the ability to set the rules for local bus services, including the routes, timetables and fares.
The Bee Network currently operates alongside deregulated bus services. All key decisions are taken by the mayor, in consultation with the GMCA, with some transport decisions having been delegated to the Bee Network Committee.
Planning and housing
The Mayor of Greater Manchester has important powers over housing and planning within the region, which together with the GMCA, includes control of the £300 million Greater Manchester Housing Investment Fund.
Through the devolution agreement, the mayor has a duty to produce a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS). This is a plan that covers the whole of the city-region and requires unanimous support of the GMCA.
Policing
The Mayor of Greater Manchester has the responsibilities of a Police and Crime Commissioner. They are the public’s voice on policing matters, with duties including setting the policing budget and preparing the Police and Crime Plan that decides the priorities for Greater Manchester Police. The Chief Constable retains responsibility for operational matters.
Fire and Rescue
The Mayor of Greater Manchester is responsible for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. The mayor sets the budget and strategic priorities for the service, whilst operational matters remain the responsibility of the Chief Fire Officer.
What does the Greater Manchester Combined Authority do?
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority is a legal body which allows the Greater Manchester Councils and the mayor to formally cooperate with each other and partners on large-scale strategic projects that are of importance to the whole region, like transport, regeneration, skills, public services, fire, policing, business and low carbon initiatives. The GMCA has monthly meetings which rotate around Greater Manchester’s ten districts. The meetings are live-streamed on the GMCA website and chaired by the elected mayor. The GMCA also has powers and responsibilities, separate to those held by the mayor individually.
Health and Care
The GMCA, the NHS, local authorities and other organisations make up Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, and control Greater Manchester’s £6 billion health and social care budget. Individually, the mayor is not responsible for any aspect of health and social care in Greater Manchester.
Transport
The GMCA is the Integrated Transport Authority for Greater Manchester. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) works on behalf of the GMCA to maintain and upgrade many of the region’s transport links, including Metrolink.
Planning and Housing
The GMCA has a statutory function to produce a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) which is a plan that covers the whole of the city-region. The duty is exercisable by the mayor and requires the unanimous support of all members of the GMCA. The GMCA is undertaking work in the cities and towns that make up Greater Manchester to free up land to allow new homes to be built, revitalise town centres and tackle empty homes, including the use of the £300 million Greater Manchester Housing Investment Fund.
Business and Investment
The GMCA invests in local businesses and offers advice and guidance to business owners to help their companies grow. The GMCA works in partnership with the Greater Manchester Business Board (formerly known as the Local Enterprise Partnership) which brings together private and public sectors to support strategic investment in business growth.
Low Carbon and Energy Efficiency
Greater Manchester has an ambition of being carbon neutral by 2038. The GMCA works with businesses, residents and the public sector to help them become more energy efficient and invests in Greater Manchester’s response to climate change.
Skills and Employment
Increasing employment is a key priority for the GMCA. It works with partners to help unemployed people into work and give them the skills that businesses require, whilst also ensuring that high quality jobs are created and maintained within Greater Manchester.
Transforming Public Services
GMCA is working to make the region’s public services more effective by integrating services at a local level and across organisations (e.g. Police, Fire, NHS, Council). This means that problems can be identified quicker, and better support can be provided to find solutions.
What the Mayor is responsible for:
The mayor and the GMCA are responsible for many aspects of life in Greater Manchester, such as oversight of policing, the fire and rescue service, transport, housing and Further Education funding.
What they are not responsible for:
The mayor and the GMCA do not replace, nor can they overrule, Greater Manchester’s ten district councils. The Councils continue to be directly responsible for many of Greater Manchester’s day-to-day services, like council housing, schools, social services, waste collection, street cleaning, parking permits and council tax collection. Central government will continue to lead on many policy areas which affect the city-region, including most forms of taxation.