Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Greater Manchester is one of the country's most successful city-regions. Home to more than 2.8million people and with an economy bigger than that of Wales or Northern Ireland, the vision of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is to make the region one of the best places in the world in which to grow up, get on in and grow old in.
GMCA says it is getting there through a combination of economic growth and the reform of public services. It is made up of the 10 Greater Manchester councils – Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan – and Andy Burnham, the mayor.
During the pandemic, the authority provided equipment to all those who required it for home-working and where this wasn't possible an allowance was awarded for employees to source their own.
For staff (like firefighters) unable to work from home, all measures were undertaken to ensure premises were Covid-secure. GMCA also found alternative accommodation for anyone who had to go in but lived with someone who was told to shield.
The authority supported a Manchester-wide test and trace initiative, providing volunteers, ICT equipment and software, and employees volunteered at mass testing and vaccination centres.
A new plan, ‘Our People, Our Place', written by its members and with help from business and the public, seeks to ensure that every GMCA employee understands how their role and work contributes to the achievement of delivering better outcomes for the region.