Mayor opens applications to join the country’s first youth combined authority

The Mayor of Greater Manchester has fulfilled two more manifesto commitments by appealing to young people to join the Youth Combined Authority, and encouraging them to take advantage of Metrolink’s new half price off-peak fares. 

The Youth Combined Authority is being established to ensure young people have opportunities to make real changes to the way the city-region works for them. The half price off-peak Metrolink fares – in addition to the half price bus fares introduced in September 2017 – will make accessing these opportunities across Greater Manchester more affordable.

Members of the Youth Combined Authority will deliver specific pieces of work, developing real policies for Greater Manchester that will improve the lives of young people. They will be tasked with taking forward the Mayor’s plans for a free travel pass, developing it in to a ‘Greater Manchester Opportunity Pass’ that could open up access to leisure, sporting and cultural activities, as well as work placements and apprenticeships. They will also help develop the Mayor’s plans for a Curriculum for Life.

The group will also act as a ‘sounding board’, providing young people’s perspectives to the Mayor and GMCA on key issues and areas of policy, and they will scrutinise the work of Greater Manchester leaders. 

The new Youth Combined Authority will be a gender balanced group made up of 40 young people aged between 11 and 18. It will include two members from each of our 10 youth councils, and two members from 10 other youth groups across the city-region.

The Youth Combined Authority is being created to work for all young people, and its membership will be diverse and inclusive. All members will be encouraged to make links with other young people – inside and outside their own organisations – to ensure they are representing the interests of a broad range of young people and are providing opportunities for others to be actively involved in the work of the Mayor and the Combined Authority.

The Mayor is now seeking applications from organisations who work with young people that are keen to be members of the Youth Combined Authority. Organisations must be able to support their members to reach out to others outside their organisation, play an active role, and develop and deliver a work programme that will make a real difference to the lives of the city-region’s young people.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “For too long, young people have been the target for cuts. In Greater Manchester we want to help them make their way in the world and get their voices heard. While on the campaign trail I spoke to many young people who were already active in their own communities and had many great ideas about how the city-region could work better for people of their age. I am really keen to harness their energy and their knowledge, and give them a platform where they can turn their ideas into real policy and practice.

“My manifesto commitment to create a Youth Combined Authority came from young people, and now I want to encourage those young people to speak to the organisations they’re part of, and encourage them to apply.”

Councillor Rishi Shori, GMCA portfolio lead for Young People and Social Cohesion has overseen the development of the Youth Combined Authority.

Rishi said: “To make sure that Greater Manchester truly works for young people, their voices must be heard. The Greater Manchester Youth Combined Authority can help ensure young people have the opportunities they need to get on in life.

“I implore young people and youth groups to take this chance to be part of this bold new organisation where they can help be part of making Greater Manchester one of the best places in the world to be a young person.”