Combined Authority Returning Officer Content

Greater Manchester Combined Authority Mayoral Election

Election Booklet

Information from the Combined Authority Returning Officer and Candidate Election Addresses

Introduction

On 2 May 2024 there are three elections taking place in Greater Manchester:

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Mayoral Election – taking place across all 10 districts, to elect the Mayor of Greater Manchester,
Local elections – taking place in each district, to elect local councillors,
Salford City Mayor Election – taking place in Salford only, to elect the City Mayor.

You must be registered to vote in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford or Wigan, and be 18 or over on 2 May 2024 to take part in these elections.

The Election Booklet

The Combined Authority Returning Officer oversees the delivery of the GMCA Mayoral Election. He is required by law to send this Election Booklet to every registered elector in Greater Manchester. It contains the following information about the Mayoral Election:

a list of every candidate standing in the election, in alphabetical order,
information about the Mayor of Greater Manchester and how the Mayor is elected,
information on how you can vote, how to complete your ballot paper, voter ID requirements and what to expect at your polling station,
an Election Address for each of the candidates who has chosen to be included in the Election Booklet.

You can also find out more about the GMCA Mayoral Election, by visiting www.gmelects.org.uk

Candidate information

There are six candidates standing in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Mayoral Election.

They will be listed alphabetically on the ballot paper as follows:

Austin, Jake: Liberal Democrats
Barker, Dan: Reform UK
Buckley, Nick: Independent
Burnham, Andy: Labour and Co-operative Party
Evans, Laura: The Conservative Party Candidate
Spencer, Hannah Kathrine: Green Party

All candidates submitted an Election Address.

Candidate Election Addresses can be found by selecting the relevant candidate above.

Candidate Election Addresses

Every candidate was given the opportunity to include an Election Address in this Election Booklet. Candidates who have included an Election Address were required to pay £5,000 each towards the Booklet’s production costs. The content of each Election Address included in this Booklet has been provided by the candidate. The views expressed are theirs alone. The order of the Election Addresses in the Booklet was decided by drawing lots.

GMCA Mayoral Election

What does the Mayor of Greater Manchester do?

The Mayor of Greater Manchester is an important figure in the political life of the city region.

Greater Manchester’s first mayoral election took place in 2017, following devolution deals between the GMCA and central government. The GMCA was formed in 2011, by the 10 councils in Greater Manchester (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan).

Each of the city region’s councils has one seat on the GMCA, held by the council leader or, in the case of Salford, the elected City Mayor. The Mayor of Greater Manchester is the chair and eleventh member.

The Mayor has responsibility for:

setting budgets and priorities for Greater Manchester’s public services including transport, policing and the fire and rescue service,
fulfilling the role of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC),
acting as an ambassador for the city region.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester has important powers over housing, planning and transport within the region.

How are decisions made?

The nine council leaders, Salford’s City Mayor, and the Mayor of Greater Manchester together take decisions as the GMCA.

The Mayor is able to make some decisions independently while others require consultation with, and the approval of, the GMCA.

Decisions are subject to scrutiny by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee made up of local councillors. Decisions related to the Mayor’s PCC role and the fire and rescue functions are scrutinised by the Greater Manchester Police, Fire and Crime Panel.

How is the Mayor elected?

The Mayor is elected using the First Past the Post electoral system, where the candidate with the most votes wins. First Past the Post has replaced the Supplementary Voting system, which was used in previous Mayoral Elections.

By default, registering to vote enables you to vote in a polling station. You can apply to vote by post or proxy instead.

Applying to vote by post

Anyone who is registered to vote can apply to vote by post. You can apply online to vote by post. Alternatively, you can complete a paper postal vote application form.

The deadline to apply for a postal vote in these elections is 5pm on Wednesday 17 April 2024.

By the time you receive this Election Booklet the postal vote application deadline is likely to have already passed. However, there should still be time to appoint someone you trust to vote on your behalf as a proxy voter.

Voting by proxy

If you know that you cannot get to the polling station on polling day, you can ask someone you trust to cast your vote on your behalf. This person is called a proxy voter. A proxy voter must be registered to vote and be allowed to vote in these elections. They will also need valid photo ID.

The person voting on your behalf can either go to your polling station to cast your vote, or they can apply to vote on your behalf by post, if the deadline has not already passed. You can apply online for a proxy vote at Apply for a proxy vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or you can fill in a paper form.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote in these elections is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024

Voter ID requirements

It is now a legal requirement to show valid photo ID when voting in a polling station. You only need to show one form of photo ID. It needs to be the original version and not a photocopy. It can be out of date, however the name on your ID should be the same name you used to register to vote and it must still look like you.

Acceptable forms of Voter ID:

You can use any of the following forms of Voter ID when voting at a polling station.

International travel

Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country (including an Irish Passport Card)

Driving and parking

Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence)
A Blue Badge

Local travel

Older Person’s Bus Pass funded by the UK Government
Disabled Person’s Bus Pass funded by the UK Government
Oyster 60+ Card funded by the UK Government
Freedom Pass
Scottish National Entitlement Card issued for the purpose of concessionary travel (including a 60+, disabled or under 22s bus pass)
60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
Registered Blind SmartPass or Blind Person’s SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
War Disablement SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
Half Fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland

Proof of age

Identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)

Other government issued documents

Biometric immigration document
Defence Identity Card (Ministry of Defence Form 90)
National identity card issued by an EEA state
Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland
Voter Authority Certificate
Anonymous Elector’s Document.

If you do not have an accepted form of ID you can apply for free Voter ID, known as a Voter Authority Certificate. You can apply online at Apply for photo ID to vote (called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), or you can fill in a paper form. The deadline for applying for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.

You can find out more about Voter ID on the Electoral Commission's website.

If you have any questions, need more information or support, please contact the Elections Office at your local Council. See contact details below.

The different ways to vote

At your polling station

If you are voting in person, your poll card will include the name and address of your polling station. You can only vote at the polling station stated on this card. You do not need to take the poll card with you in order to vote, but it may save time if you do.

Polling stations will be open between 7am and 10pm on Thursday 2 May 2024 for you to cast your vote.

When you arrive in the polling station, you will be asked for your name and address. You will also need to show valid Voter ID before you can vote. Staff will check you are on the electoral register and that your Voter ID is acceptable, and then give you ballot papers for the elections taking place in your area. If you have been appointed as a proxy to vote on behalf of someone else, you must show your Photo ID.

Privacy screens will be available for anyone that requires them. If you would like your photo ID checked in private, just ask the polling station staff.

Completing your ballot paper

Vote in the Mayoral Election using your yellow ballot paper. You must vote for only one candidate, by putting a cross in the box next to the candidate of your choice. Put no other mark on the ballot paper or your vote may not count.

The ballot paper for the Local elections will be green, and for relevant electors the Salford City Mayor ballot paper will be lilac.

Additional support at the polling station

The Combined Authority Returning Officer together with the Returning Officers in the 10 local authority areas are committed to trying to ensure that everyone who wants to vote can do so. Additional support and equipment provided at polling stations, includes (but is not limited to):

Polling stations that are wheelchair accessible,
Polling-station staff trained to provide assistance where required,
The option for voters to take a companion (a trusted person) with them for assistance,
Tactile voting devices to enable voters with visual impairments to vote in person,
Large-print versions of ballot papers.

If you have specific requirements regarding equipment or support, please contact the Elections Office at your local Council, as early as possible before the election to request what you need. They will consider your request, and let you know if this can be provided.

Information on other languages at the polling station

All voting material in polling stations is in English. Translations of key information will be available in Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Czech, Farsi, French, Hebrew, Gujarati, Kurdish, Mandarin, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya, Urdu and Yiddish.

Voting by post

Once you have a postal vote in place you will be sent your postal voting pack containing your ballot papers, for all elections taking place in your area on Thursday 2 May 2024.

Your postal vote will arrive from Friday 19 April 2024. If you have not received your postal voting pack by Friday 26 April 2024 please contact your Elections Office at your local Council.

You should follow the instructions in the postal ballot pack very carefully. You should leave plenty of time to return your postal vote. If you don’t manage to post it in time you can return it by hand before Thursday 10pm on 2 May 2024 to the Elections Office at your local Council or a polling station in the electoral area. You will be provided with a form which you must complete for the postal votes you are handing in to be accepted. Please note you can only hand in your own postal votes and postal votes for up to five other voters

Where to get more information

To get more help or assistance contact your Elections Office in the Council where you live.

To download paper application forms, go to Electoral Commission's website or contact your Elections Office.

Paper application forms must be returned to your Elections Office in the Council where you live by the relevant deadline.

Contact details

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority area is made up of 10 districts, each with its own Elections Office who look after electoral registration and elections. Please see below for contact details.

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council

Telephone: 01204 333333

Email: elections@bolton.gov.uk

Website: www.bolton.gov.uk

Bury Metropolitan Borough Council

Telephone: 0161 253 5252

Email: electionservices@bury.gov.uk

Website: www.bury.gov.uk

Manchester City Council

Telephone: 0161 234 1212

Email: esu@manchester.gov.uk

Website: www.manchester.gov.uk

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

Telephone: 0161 770 4718

Email: elections@oldham.gov.uk

Website: www.oldham.gov.uk

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Telephone: 0300 303 0345

Email: elections@rochdale.gov.uk

Website: www.rochdale.gov.uk

Salford City Council

Telephone: 0161 793 2500

Email: elections@salford.gov.uk

Website: www.salford.gov.uk

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

Telephone: 0161 217 6026

Email: elections.office@stockport.gov.uk

Website: www.stockport.gov.uk

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

Telephone: 0161 342 8355

Email: elections@tameside.gov.uk

Website: www.tameside.gov.uk

Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council

Telephone: 0800 0234 206

Email: elections@trafford.gov.uk

Website: www.trafford.gov.uk

Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

Telephone: 01942 827168

Email: Elections@wigan.gov.uk

Website: www.wigan.gov.uk

Candidate Address

Each candidate standing in the GMCA Mayoral Election 2024 has supplied a candidate address. You can find each address by selecting the relevant candidate below:

Voting at a Polling Station on 2 May?

Registered voters now need to take valid Photo ID to vote in a polling station. If you don’t have photo ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate. Find out what ID is accepted and apply for free Voter ID, if you need to, by 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID

A pdf copy of this booklet is available on www.gmelects.org.uk.

Braille, large print and audio versions of this booklet are available on request from the email below.

The Combined Authority Returning Officer (CARO) for Greater Manchester is Eamonn Boylan. The Office for the CARO can be contacted using the following details: GMMayoralElections@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk

This Election Booklet has been published by Eamonn Boylan, the Combined Authority Returning Officer for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Mayoral Election, Tootal Buildings, 56 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 6EU.

Printed by Civica Election Services Ltd

The Election Centre, 33 Clarendon Road, London, N8 0NW.