Greater Manchester
English city region of ten boroughs with a directly elected mayor.
On 30 July, Bev Craig won Greater Manchester’s mayoralty after Andy Burnham became prime minister, taking 66.3% after transfers in the region’s first second-round mayoral count.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026
Timeline for Greater Manchester
Mentioned in: Labour takes Hirst and Amble from Reform
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: Civo announces first UK edge data centre at Navigate London
European Tech SovereigntyMentioned in: Craig puts £20m into high streets
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: IFS: mayors to get 6% to 9% of income tax
Is Britain Actually Broke?Elected its mayor on 30 July 2026
UK Local Elections 2026: Craig wins Manchester in its first second roundBackground
Greater Manchester is an English city region formed from ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan. It has had a directly elected mayor since 2017, alongside the borough councils. Its electorate numbered 2,142,779 at the 30 July 2026 mayoral declaration.
Andy Burnham held the mayoralty until 2026, when he won the Makerfield by-election on 18 June and went on to become prime minister. Bev Craig succeeded him as mayor on 30 July.
English mayors are elected by the Supplementary Vote, restored by the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 for contests from 18 June; second preferences settle any race where no candidate wins outright. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said in August that government plans would assign England's mayors 6% to 9% of local income-tax revenue from April 2028.
Greater Manchester chooses a new mayor
Greater Manchester needed a new mayor after Andy Burnham left the office to become prime minister. On 30 July, Bev Craig won the contest against Reform UK's Sian Astley, the first Greater Manchester count sent to a second round under the restored Supplementary Vote. Her share rose from 47.1% on first preferences to 66.3% after transfers, on a turnout of 25.1%.
Craig's first big announcement came on 10 August, when she launched a £20m Good Growth High Streets Fund on a visit to Middleton, with a new taskforce. The money comes from the mayor's economic development powers rather than the region's much larger transport budget, and bids open later in 2026.