Greater Manchester Combined Authority

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) was established in April 2011 under powers in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. It covers ten local authority areas, Manchester, Salford, Trafford, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Wigan, and Bolton, with a combined population of approximately 2.9 million. The GMCA holds devolved powers over transport (including Bee Network buses and Metrolink), housing and planning strategy, economic development, adult skills, and (from 2016) health and social care integration. It is the UK's most extensive devolution settlement outside London and Scotland.

Andy Burnham has served as the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester since May 2017, re-elected in 2021 and 2024. Under his tenure the authority became a prominent voice for the 'northern powerhouse' agenda and for renationalising public transport, culminating in the Bee Network bus franchising, the first fully franchised public-bus network in England since deregulation in 1986. Burnham became a consistent critic of central government on NHS waiting times, transport underfunding, and poverty policy, projecting a profile beyond local government. In May 2026, Labour MP Josh Simons resigned his Makerfield seat to create a parliamentary vacancy for Burnham, who cannot stand in a Labour leadership contest without a Commons seat. Burnham used his first major leadership-bid speech, delivered in Manchester on 29 June 2026, to pitch 'No. 10 North', a second prime ministerial base outside London, declaring 'Westminster is broken'.

The GMCA model has been used as the template for subsequent English combined-authority deals in West Yorkshire, West Midlands, and South Yorkshire. Its direct-election model, contested across party lines, is now the standard for English devolution. If Burnham leaves for Westminster, the authority faces an unscheduled mayoral election to find a successor.