THE frontrunner in the Greater Manchester mayoral race told an audience in Bolton this evening that transforming the region’s transport infrastructure is his main priority.

Andy Burnham was the latest guest to join broadcaster Gordon Burns for the popular "an evening with" event at the University of Bolton tonight.

The Leigh MP, who is Labour’s candidate in the mayoral race, said that tackling congestion and improving rail services were vital to Greater Manchester’s future.

During a wide-ranging talk that also covered topics such as his unsuccessful Labour leadership bids and his involvement with the Hillsborough inquests, he said: “My worry for people coming to Greater Manchester from elsewhere is that they might think you can’t get around this place.

“There is no single thing that will solve that, we have to regulate buses, build cycle lanes.

“We need a plan to tackle congestion.”

He added that East to West rail lines across the North of England need to be the government’s number one transport investment priority.

On the same day that he launched his campaign manifesto, Mr Burnham also said that more should be done to support technical education courses – like many of those offered by the university – after decades of government neglect.

Responding to a question from the Bishop of Bolton, the Rt Rev Mark Ashcroft, Mr Burnham spoke of the need for clergy to take up important campaigns in the same way that the former Bishop of Liverpool did in working with families of the victims of the Hillborough disaster.

He also outlined his hopes for the NHS to be transformed into a “true social wellbeing service”, following a question about the vast difference in life expectancy in different parts of Bolton.

See Friday’s edition of The Bolton News for an exclusive interview with Mr Burnham.