Transport coalition pointed way ahead

The national players in the post-election coalition negotiations turned to the region’s public transport authority for examples of how to make it work.

Conservative and Lib Dem party chiefs looked to Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA) where such a coalition toppled Labour from power two years ago.

Tory councillor Matt Colledge, last year’s chairman and now leader of Trafford Council, was asked by Conservative Central Office how he had made it work and this year’s chairman, Lib Dem Manchester councillor Keith Whitmore, advised his party.

The Conservatives took charge of the then GMPTA in 2008, while the Lib Dems controlled Greater Manchester’s fire authority. They swapped roles last year, keeping out Labour, which remained the largest party.

Councillor Whitmore said: “They asked me how we had held it together and I told them. You could say we led the way.”

The local coalition, however, could hit trouble over the next few weeks. Despite losing power nationally, Labour did well in the council elections in Greater Manchester and will be sending more members to the transport authority for the coming year.

The Lib Dems lost overall control of Oldham and Rochdale, as did the Conservatives at Bury.

Each of Greater Manchester’s 10 councils appoint members of the authority according to their own political make-up — meaning Labour, already the biggest party, could retake control.

Should that happen, former chairman Roger Jones, who has spent two years out of local politics after losing his seat on Salford Council over congestion charging, could return.


The authority is to be given a say in rail fares, franchise specification, station standards, and environmental policy in Greater Manchester after a groundbreaking deal with the government after it was named as one of two pilot city regions.