Greater Manchester Combined Authority
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority is a combined authority for Greater Manchester, England. It was established on 1 April 2011 and consists of 11 members: ten indirectly elected members, each a directly elected councillor from one of the ten metropolitan boroughs that comprise Greater Manchester, together with the directly elected mayor of Greater Manchester. The authority derives most of its powers from the Local Government Act 2000 and Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, and replaced a range of single-purpose joint boards and quangos to provide a formal administrative authority for Greater Manchester for the first time since the abolition of Greater Manchester County Council in 1986.
The planning policies of the GMCA were developed in the 2000s by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities in the Greater Manchester Strategy. It is a strategic authority with powers over public transport, skills, housing, regeneration, waste management, carbon neutrality and planning permission. Functional executive bodies, such as Transport for Greater Manchester, are responsible for delivery of services in these areas. The GMCA appoints a Chair and Vice-Chairs from among its ten executive members.
The costs of the GMCA that are reasonably attributable to the exercise of its functions relating to public transport, economic development and regeneration are met by its constituent councils. Such costs are funded by direct government grant and, as a precepting authority, with some money collected with local Council Tax apportioned between the constituent councils.
History
Background
Greater Manchester was created as a metropolitan county composed of ten metropolitan boroughs on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972. From its investiture through to 31 March 1986, the county had a two-tier system of local government; district councils shared power with Greater Manchester County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986 as a result of the Local Government Act 1985, effectively making the ten metropolitan boroughs unitary authority areas. The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities was established in 1986 as a voluntary association to make representations and bids on behalf of Greater Manchester and continue to manage strategic public services that were delegated to it by the councils, such as public transport and waste management. In the late-2000s, AGMA began actively seeking a formal government structure for Greater Manchester under the appellation "Manchester City Region".Development and formation
Following a bid from AGMA highlighting the potential benefits in combatting the 2008 financial crisis, it was announced in the 2009 United Kingdom Budget that Greater Manchester and the Leeds City Region would be awarded Statutory City Region Pilot status, allowing for their constituent district councils to pool resources and become statutory combined authorities with powers comparable to the Greater London Authority. The aim of the pilot was to evaluate the contributions to economic growth and sustainable development by combined authorities. The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, passed with reference to the 2009 United Kingdom Budget, enabled the creation of a combined authority for Greater Manchester with devolved powers on public transport, skills, housing, regeneration, waste management, carbon neutrality and planning permission, pending approval from the ten, councils.Between late-2009 and February 2010, AGMA debated the constitution and functions of the new combined authority, including matters such as name, voting system and remit. From February 2010 through to April 2010, the ten metropolitan district councils were consulted for their recommendations before submission of their constitution to central government; changes included extra powers for controlling further education, additional provisions for scrutinising the authority, and swapping the draft name 'Manchester City Region Authority' for the 'Greater Manchester Combined Authority', a name approved by the Executive Board of AGMA.
Consultations made with district councils in March 2010 recommended that all GMCA matters requiring a vote would be decided on via a majority rule system involving ten members appointed from among the councillors of the ten metropolitan boroughs without the input of the UK's central government. The Transport for Greater Manchester Committee would be formed from a pool of 33 councillors allocated by council population, roughly one councillor for every 75,000 residents to scrutinise the running of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee. The ten district councils of Greater Manchester approved the creation of the GMCA on 29 March 2010, and submitted its final recommendations for its constitution to the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport. On 31 March 2010, the then Communities Secretary John Denham approved the constitution and launched a 15-week public consultation on the draft bill together with the approved constitution. The replacement of AGMA by the GMCA, was requested to take place from 1 April 2011.
On 16 November 2010, the Department for Communities and Local Government announced that it had accepted the combined authority proposal and that an order to establish the GMCA would be laid before Parliament. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority Order 2011, which formally established the combined authority, was made on 22 March 2011 and came into force on 1 April 2011.
Schemes and strategies
Localism Act 2011
Following the passage of the Localism Act 2011 on 15 November 2011, the Department for Communities and Local Government began negotiating with groups of local councils for tailored deals to be included in the 2012 United Kingdom budget. The GMCA sought provision for a further transfer of powers that would result in an additional delegation of authority from the UK's central government. This step-change would mean that, instead of the GMCA bidding for government funding on a project-by-project basis, it will receive a sum of money from government ministers and would be able to determine, locally, how it is used. The UK Government is considering a further plan to allow passenger transport executives to raise local rail fares in their areas, and directly invest the money raised in infrastructure and rolling stock alongside the specification of additional or improved rail services.Greater Manchester City Deal
A "City Deal" for Greater Manchester was announced in March 2012 by the then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Cities Minister Greg Clark. The deal included:- A "Revolving Infrastructure Fund" allowing the GMCA to earn-back up to £30million per year against spending on infrastructure projects.
- The formation of a "Greater Manchester Investment Framework" allowing Greater Manchester to make better use of Central Government and EU funding.
- The establishment of a "Greater Manchester Housing Investment Board" to build new housing in the area.
- The creation of a "City Apprenticeship and Skills Hub" to increase the number of apprenticeships available in the area.
- The formation of a "Low Carbon Hub" to integrate multiple carbon reduction measures.
Reduced carbon and economic growth
The GMCA was praised in November 2012 as a model for other city regions by Sir Howard Bernstein and Michael Heseltine, for its economic benefits.
Planning and housing
The GMCA has produced a joint strategic plan for Greater Manchester called Places for Everyone, which includes land allocation for housing, infrastructure and other development. It is the first joint plan of its kind by a city region outside of London.The original scheme, called the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, was published in 2016 following public consultations in 2014 and 2015. After Andy Burnham's election as Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017 the plan underwent a "radical rewrite" with a revised plan being published in 2019. In December 2020 Stockport withdrew from the scheme and the plan was re-scoped and renamed as Places for Everyone.
The plans were submitted to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in 2022, and were the subject of an examination by the Planning Inspectorate during 2022 and 2023. Following the examination, Places for Everyone came in to effect on 21 March 2024 after it was formally adopted by all nine participating districts.
The GMCA also established a housebuilder, Hive Homes, with local housing associations.
Transport
In May 2012, the GMCA proposed to set up a franchisor body with neighbouring metropolitan authorities in West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire, to take over the Northern and TransPennine Express rail franchises, and, from 2014/15, operate their routes under a single franchise, sharing financial risk and operational responsibilities.The GMCA lobbied the government for two stations in Manchester on the proposed High Speed 2 railway from London; at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport.
Bee Network
In 2020, the GMCA and TfGM set out the Transport Strategy 2040, which lays out the city region's ambitions for transport and active travel, including the hope that by 2040, 50% of all journeys made in Greater Manchester, should be made by walking, cycling and public transport.In 2023, GMCA and TfGM started the process of re-regulating the bus network, capping the fare price for a single journey and starting to bring routes under the jurisdiction of TfGM in three 'tranches'. This process completed on 5 January 2025, with all bus routes falling under TfGM's control. This was followed by the introduction of a London-style tap-and-go payment system on 23 March and an announcement of plans to bring eight commuter rail lines and 64 railway stations into the Bee Network by 2028.