Greater Manchester Leaders approve new budgets for year ahead

• Annual budgets for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) have been passed at a meeting in Trafford today (Friday 7 February) 
• Mayoral and Fire precept to increase by just 24p a week for an average Band B property in Greater Manchester  
• Police precept, agreed at Police, Fire and Crime Panel in January, remains one of the lowest in the country at an increase of 21p per week for a Band B property 
• Funding is critical to maintain and drive further improvements in fire, police, and transport services – and will sustain a £2 single bus fare cap for 2025
• Completion of bus franchising on time and within budget helped bring down planned rise in Mayoral precept 

Greater Manchester Leaders have approved new Combined Authority budgets for the coming year, which will see the city-region continue to drive improvements across public services. 

The leaders of the 10 boroughs and Mayor of Greater Manchester passed the budgets for the next financial year (2025-26) at a meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority today (Friday 7 February). 

This included an increase in the Mayoral and Fire precepts equivalent to 24p a week for a Band B property, and 31p increase per week for a Band D property. 

The majority of homes in the city-region fall within Bands A and B.  

These precept increases will help Greater Manchester maintain and deliver further improvements across public services, including: 

• Increasing the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service fleet with a 52^nd fire engine, and increasing the number of firefighters to crew it 
• Funding the final delivery of the bus reform programme, including the potential for more buses and new routes 
• Commitments to improve road and transport safety, including the launch of a new TravelSafe Live Chat system for reporting safety concerns on the Bee Network, and the expansion of the international award-winning Operation Vulcan

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:

“We know these are still challenging times for residents and businesses across Greater Manchester. That’s why we’ve worked hard to make every pound count, and to drive the improvements to our public services that make a real difference to people here. 

“We’re building a game-changing integrated public transport network, we have one of the best performing fire and rescue services in the country, and Greater Manchester Police is one of most improved forces in the country.  

“These funding proposals will enable us to keep the £2 cap on single bus fares for the whole of 2025, giving residents using the Bee Network the ability to more than recover the proposed increase many times over. 

“Everyone has a stake in these services, and it’s our priority to ensure they keep delivering for people in Greater Manchester.” 

Article Published: 08/02/2025 09:35 AM