Campaign for business – Greater Manchester Mayoral election

Campaign for Business – The Greater Manchester Mayoral Campaign

Residents across the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester go to the polls on 4 May to vote for Greater Manchester’s first ever elected mayor.

It’s the culmination of many years of lobbying, discussion and debate around the need for a devolution of power, which gathered momentum following George Osborne’s 2014 'Northern Powerhouse' speech.

As a key proponent and campaigner for the creation of an elected mayor, Greater Manchester Chamber is committed to ensuring its members have access to everything they’ll need to make an informed decision at the ballot box.

Already published is the Chamber’s Campaign Document, which highlights under five themes what members have said they want to see from the mayor. Chamber members are also being canvassed at regular events held throughout the region, and these will be presented to the candidates for their comment in the build up to polling day.

With less than five weeks to go to Election Day, the Chamber is turning the spotlight on the candidates and their manifestos. Commissioned pieces from the candidates will be published online over the next three weeks with members encouraged to join in with the debate.

Commenting on the level of public awareness, Chris Fletcher Marketing and Policy Director at Greater Manchester Chamber, said: “There is generally very low awareness about the election with many businesses, as well as a lack of knowledge about what the mayor will be able to do.

“The reach and influence of the mayor will be substantial and will be considerably different from any level of decision making we have seen before. For example, the mayor will have powers over a wide range of transport policies and operations so anyone not just living in Greater Manchester but commuting or travelling into the city region will potentially be impacted by decisions that the mayor will take. The mayor will also have far reaching influence on future strategic planning decisions over what gets built and where. It’s quite clear that this level of the mayor’s influence and roll is not fully understood.”

Highlighting the problems this presents, he added: “There is a real danger that many people, already jaded by referendums and politics in general may decide not to vote. The problem with this is it will appear bad to Whitehall and Westminster whom we think still need convincing that having greater devolved local powers is the best way forward.

“We are not endorsing any candidate but instead focusing on raising levels of awareness about the election, searching out candidates’ responses and ideas as to how they will benefit the local business community, as well as looking for the best way to continue working with the mayor once the election is over. This is a new way of taking and making big decisions locally and we hope that people start to understand this better.”