Who are the 8 candidates running for Greater Manchester mayor?

Here is a guide to the eight candidates before votes are cast. 

LABOUR

Andy Burnham

WHO THEY ARE

Member of Parliament for Leigh since 2001 and a former health secretary. Mr Burnham twice stood to be leader of the Labour Party, losing out to Ed Miliband in 2010 and Jeremy Corbyn in 2015. The Aintree-born Everton fan, who grew up in Culcheth, was involved in the campaign to get a second inquest into the Hillsborough disaster.

MANIFESTO POLICIES

* End rough-sleeping in Manchester by 2020 and establishing a Homelessness Action Network of charities, businesses and faith groups

* Improve technical education and help with transport costs for students

* A new Clean Air Action Plan for Greater Manchester

* A new GM-wide Rent-to-Own scheme that will be particularly focused on people under-30 to help them on to the housing ladder

* Re-writing the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework

* Introduce in Greater Manchester the country’s first fully integrated National Health and Care Service

WHAT THEY SAID

"We all want to see the city centre doing well and enjoy visiting there, but what we have to do in the next 20 years is apply the same ambition to the surrounding towns as has been given to the city. It is very much my agenda to balance things up in that way."

“We need to make sure that people feel safe. The police cuts have gone way too far, in my view. You can feel it now and the public are complaining of less visibility and longer response times. I feel that in every community there should be a place where people can go to report crime."

“You can’t build a strong and prosperous society by pulling the rug from under the next generation, as the Westminster government has. If we are going to rise to the challenge of Brexit you have to be able to say to investors that Greater Manchester has the most highly skilled workers in the country. And for me that is about making sure our young people have decent opportunities at the end of school."

CONSERVATIVE

Sean Anstee

WHO THEY ARE

Leader of Trafford Council. Grew up in Partington and finished school at 16 to start an apprenticeship at Barclays, before going on to work for American bank BNY Mellon while doing a part-time degree at Manchester Metropolitan University.

MANIFESTO POLICIES

* A £1 billion housing fund to kickstart building on brownfield sites

* Championing the living wage and making sure all employees under the control of the Mayor are paid the living wage

* Establishing a year of service to help young people develop their work skills and play a part in their community

* Encouraging police to spend more time on community issues

* Converting all public service vehicles to lower emissions and by establishing a green bus fund to get polluting vehicles off of the road

* A smart ticketing system ensuring one ticket can be used across buses, trains and trams

WHAT THEY SAID

“I have spent my life in Greater Manchester and the past nine years in politics, helping us get us to the point where we can say that we know how to make decisions ourselves. Westminster politics has obviously failed people here and we have a proven track record here on issues that matter."

“The choice people have to make in May is whether you want someone like me who is consistent in their view and will listen to people, or candidates who are simply manoeuvring to position themselves to gain votes. I think this is too important for that."

“I am very clear that every part of Greater Manchester needs to feel that it is benefitting from the investment in transport that we are making. If you include into that things like smart-ticketing and re-regulating the bus services, then I think we could so something special and create a system that actually works and everybody feels comfortable using.”

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

Jane Brophy

WHO THEY ARE

Timperley ward councillor in Trafford. Works for the NHS and has campaigned for increased awareness of mental health issues.

MANIFESTO POLICIES

* Fighting for more mental health beds in Greater Manchester

* Develop an orbital tram route around the city-region

* Improve cycling and walking facilities, with a goal of making Greater Manchester the cycling capital of the UK

* Reject the current Greater Manchester Spatial Framework and work with local councils to develop better answers to managing sustainable economic growth

* Work to introduce a guarantee that every 16-25 year old is offered suitable work, education or training

* Ensure all Combined Authority public meetings are webcast and include the opportunity for public questions

WHAT THEY SAID

“People are fed up with having nine boroughs in Greater Manchester controlled by Labour.”

“We do believe in local consultation. At the moment a lot of money is wasted on consultations that mean nothing, but we would actually listen to local people and have decisions made by local partnership boards."

“I would be using the mayor’s powers to make it easier to build in the areas where homes are really needed.”

UKIP

Shneur Odze

WHO THEY ARE

Lives in Salford and has previously stood in Salford local elections. Served as a Conservative councillor in north London and ran to be the UKIP candidate in 2014’s London mayoral selection.

MANIFESTO POLICIES

* No political appointments to the mayor's office

* Creating a council of ten advisors from different sections of the community across Greater Manchester

* Setting up an online portal where residents can compare statistics from each borough to see where their own councils are excelling and falling short

* Championing whistle-blowers and running a transparent administration

WHAT THEY SAID

“The signature of my campaign is about transparency. I want to empower people to challenge their local councils."

“Central Manchester has been laid waste to in terms of the nature of community living. It doesn’t exist there any more. If you go out into Bolton and ask people if they want the same kind of daylife and nightlife as Manchester, they will shudder.”

“We have to review our bias towards building on the greenbelt, which is not something that I would contemplate. But it is also about bringing communities on board so that they have a say on where and how things are built."

GREENS

Will Patterson

WHO THEY ARE

Chairman of the Wigan and Leigh Green Party. Became the Green Party’s candidate after the death of previous nominee, Deyika Nzeribe.

MANIFESTO POLICIES

* Protecting green belt land and turning the region into a Great Northern Greenhouse

* Extra investment in the Metrolink network and improving links between boroughs, as well as to the city centre

* Challenging the government to reverse funding cuts to police and fire services

* Establishing a Greater Manchester real living wage

* Setting up a Greater Manchester Renters’ Union

WHAT THEY SAID

“As someone who has been a regular commuter through Bolton for many years, I understand the frustrations people have."

“We are out there arguing that the spatial framework is unsustainable and doesn’t reflect the views of residents, but other candidates are sharing those messages too. It is really heartening to see other parties taking Green ideas seriously."

ENGLISH DEMOCRATS

Stephen Morris

WHO THEY ARE

English Democrats North West Chairman, General Secretary for the Workers of England Union and the Trade Union Congress for England.

MANIFESTO POLICIES

* Abolish hospital car parking charges in Greater Manchester

* Between 70 and 80 per cent of new housing must be affordable housing

* Prioritising the reduction of child poverty

* No building on any green belt land and no fracking anywhere in Greater Manchester

* Making Greater Manchester the "Silicon Valley of the North West", promoting new technology and renewable energy sources

WHAT THEY SAID

"The people of Greater Manchester want change, the status quo is no longer acceptable, with Brexit imminent and Scotland pushing for another referendum on independence we need an English Party that is clearly focused on getting the best for all the people England and of Greater Manchester.”

“My manifesto, my contract with you, guarantees ‘Local Jobs for Local People’, a living wage, social housing and a public transport fit for purpose.”

“I know how to tackle the appalling child poverty, deprivation and homelessness spreading across our area under Labour.”

INDEPENDENT

Mohammad Aslam

WHO THEY ARE

Director of a property letting company, who was born in Pakistan and moved to Manchester 17 years ago.

MANIFESTO POLICIES

* Free transport for school, college and university students during term-time

* Providing housing for all of the region's homeless people

* Improving Greater Manchester's road network and other transport links

WHAT THEY SAID

"I want to bring in outside investment to make Greater Manchester a great and modern region."

INDEPENDENT

Marcus Farmer

WHO THEY ARE

Managing director of Cheadle Hulme-based STE Waste, Mr Farmer also stood as an independent candidate for the Manchester Withington constituency at the last two general elections.

MANIFESTO POLICIES

* Promoting grammar schools across the region to "prevent the private sector taking over our education system"

* Making bus and tram travel free at point of entry, funded by increases in council tax

* Making Manchester the UK's best place to set up a business

WHAT THEY SAID

"The people can either opt for the leadership of the current party political fiasco – which is proving to be rudderless – or choose something completely different."

"We need to get things done quickly and methodically by partnering with leading experts in their fields rather than leaving the decision making process to committees who have been elected on small turnouts."