User:Stevo1000/Timeline of Manchester Metrolink

The Mayor of Greater Manchester is a planned directly elected political post responsible for the strategic government of Greater Manchester which includes the ten boroughs of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.

including transport, housing, planning, policing and skills. The mayor's powers will be similar to those of the Mayor of London. The creation of the mayor of Greater Manchester has been agreed with the current leaders in the area, but requires new primary legislation. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority is proposed to continue, but the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner is expected to be rolled into the new mayoralty. The first election is expected to take place in 2017.

The role, overseeing a country 2.7 million, will be the third most important sub-governmental position after the Mayor of London and First Minister of Scotland.

Background
The ten local authorities which make up Greater Manchester work together as the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which carries out work through bodies including Transport for Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority. There is a directly elected Mayor of Salford for the City of Salford. In 2012, Manchester rejected a proposal for a mayor for the City of Manchester only. There is also a Lord Mayor of Manchester which is a ceremonial post.

The councils have continued to evolve the transport body which has evolved from SELNEC to GMPTE and Transport for Greater Manchester in 2011. Greater Manchester's key transport policy has been the expansion of the Metrolink tram system which runs through seven of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester with plans afoot for an extension to Stockport and tram-trains to Wigan.

2014 Devolution for Greater Manchester Agreement
The

Reception
It was erroneously reported that the electorate of Greater Manchester had previously rejected a mayor in a 2012 referendum. The proposal for a mayor was rejected in the City of Manchester which accounts for less than a fifth of Greater Manchester's population. Salford however was one of only three cities which did vote for a mayor in 2012. An unofficial poll in the Manchester Evening News in 2012 prior to the mayoral referenda found that a majority in Greater Manchester would be in favour of a metropolitan-wide mayor but were against a mayor for Manchester.

Structure
The Mayor's cabinet will be composed of the ten council leaders (Mayor in Salford's case) who he/she will liaise with on a continual basis to achieve the strategic aims of Greater Manchester.

The mayor can be overruled if six out of ten councils disagree with proposals.

It has been speculated that it would be preferable for first mayor will come from outside the City of Manchester to achieve greater unity amongst the boroughs which are on the periphery of Greater Manchester such as Bolton and Wigan.

Timescale
The proposal for an elected mayor was announced in November 2014 by George Osborne. The creation of an elected mayor for Greater Manchester will require new primary legislation. Elections for the first mayor are expected to take place in 2017.

Powers and functions
Powers of the mayor will include transport, housing, planning, policing and skills. The position of Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner would be subsumed into the mayoral position.