GREATER Manchester is set to get its own directly elected mayor — with voters going to the polls in less than two years. The Bolton News' political correspondent Liam Thorp spoke with London Mayor Boris Johnson's chief of staff Sir Edward Lister to find out how the new position could benefit the region.

IN 2017 Bolton residents will vote to elect the first ever Greater Manchester mayor — a figurehead who will be responsible for key areas such as health, planning, transport and the police and fire authorities across the region.

The advent of the mayoral position comes as part of a huge devolution package agreed by the Chancellor George Osborne and the leaders of the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs.

The aim is to move power away from Whitehall, allowing major decisions for the region to be taken at a local level, by those who know the area best.

However, there are some who are not happy that this major constitutional change has been forced upon people in Bolton and across the region.

Bolton North East MP David Crausby has suggested that a referendum should be held to find out whether people here want a so-called 'metro mayor'.

And Bolton Council leader Cllr Cliff Morris — who will play a key role in the delivery of health devolution — has admitted that a city region mayor would not have been his preferred way forward.

So what will the creation of this position mean for the region and what kind of person is needed for such a hugely important role?

Perhaps the closest example to the job being created in our region is that of London Mayor Boris Johnson, and his chief of staff, Sir Edward Lister believes the position can work well in the North West.

He said: “The situation with the Greater Manchester mayor will be similar to what we have, but it will be different because the needs there will be different. The government has made it clear that it has not got a one-size-fits all model for this.

“In London we are more about the economic regeneration for the city.

“It is all the strategic stuff — we don’t do what the individual boroughs do, such as deal with social care, schools and libraries. We tend to stay on the upper levels of growth, infrastructure and the economic agenda.”

As Sir Edward recognises, the priorities for Greater Manchester’s new mayor will be different.

Whoever takes up the post will be tasked with delivering a £6 billion health and social care package for the region.

But Sir Edward maintains that the enormity of the task at hand is similar and having a single, powerful figurehead — in the form of a metro mayor — can help with the process.

He said: “Having an elected mayor creates a focal point for all of this.

“We have one individual who leads a city and who can focus all this growth around him, can lead the city and direct where we want it to go. In London this is working extremely well.

“We have had two Mayors of London since the position was created and they have both been quite controversial, but they have both been big personalities.”

So does a job of such magnitude demand a vibrant and powerful personality like the charismatic and mercurial Mr Johnson?

Sir Edward, who has been in his current position since 2011, believes that the position naturally invites that kind of character.

He added: “I think it attracts the big personality. You pretty much get that whether you like it or not.

“What the people in city regions like London and Greater Manchester need is a person who is going to clearly be on their side, carrying the case for the city.

“I think you will end up with a big personality and beneath them you bring in all the necessary structures and people to carry out that vision, who are enthused by it.”

Sir Edward believes that one of Boris Johnson’s biggest achievements was to galvanize the support of the people of London, despite difficult decisions and challenging strategic shifts.

He explains: “A good example of this was in 2008, when the financial crash occurred. London was heavily dependent on financial services — with 330,000 jobs at stake.

“So the question was, how do you preserve those jobs but at the same time become less dependent on banking and move the agenda?

“This is why you need a leader, to drive that change and I’m sure whoever comes in as Greater Manchester mayor will face similarly big challenges — what are the jobs we need, the skills we need and where will the money come from? These are all things that a mayor can lead on.”

The former leader of Wandsworth Council said he had not always been an advocate of the mayoral position.

He added: “I must admit I am a convert — I didn’t fully support it at first.

“But I have seen, first-hand, the power of the mayor and what can be done with a strong leader in place — it really does work.

“I am convinced that in a few years the people of Greater Manchester will feel that this was the right decision.”