Elections 2021: Greater Manchester's next mayor's key concerns

Nine candidates are battling it out to be the next Mayor of Greater Manchester. With voters going to the polls on 6 May, we have spoken to people to find out what their key concerns are ahead of the forthcoming election.

A panel of viewers were given the opportunity to put their questions to five of the candidates about the issues that matter most to them.

From restoring confidence in policing to tackling climate change, they explain what they think the region's next mayor needs to do as they step up to one of the "most powerful roles outside of Westminster".

The mayor will oversee Greater Manchester Police (GMP), which is England's second largest force.

In December, a policing watchdog revealed GMP had failed to record about 80,000 crimes in a year and closed cases without proper investigation.

The force was put in special measures as a result of the findings - which was a huge concern for lawyer Jackson Yamba, who fell victim to a racist hate crime two years ago.

In December 2019, Mr Yamba's family home in Salford was vandalised with graffiti saying "no blacks," leaving his 10-year-old son in tears.

His family had only moved into the property five days earlier.

"I reported the matter to the police but the police never attended," Mr Yamba said.

"It was only when I tweeted after a week that the police came to investigate about the crime and the man was arrested and jailed."

He said he was alarmed when he heard about the number of unrecorded crimes within GMP and wants to know what will be done to tackle the problem.

Emma Greenwood, from Ramsbottom in Bury, is one of the co-founders of Youth Strike 4 Climate Manchester - an issue the 17-year-old feels passionate about.

"Covid is rightly being treated as a crisis by politicians but, in the longer term, one of the biggest crisis facing us is the climate crisis," she said.

As part of the fight for change, the teenager agrees public transport should be brought under public control so it can be more accessible.

"It used to cost me up to £20 to £30 a week to get to school and for a lot of young people that meant they had to live with relatives closer to school and couldn't live at home," she said.

"These are true problems that young people face and I just don't think at the moment private bus companies are offering reliable or affordable services for people who truly need them."

Rev Dr Joseph Omofuma has worked on the front line as a GP in Rochdale during the Covid pandemic, where he has witnessed first-hand the need for mental health support.

He believes the region's next mayor should put mental and social care support higher up the priority list as it is becoming a "huge silent crisis" and "people are suffering".

Rev Omofuma, who is also a pastor, said: "The first step would be to shine a greater light on it, put it higher up the agenda, let's be more aware of it and talk about it.

"Obviously the next thing is to think about allocating resources."

He said while the issue has been around for many years, the pandemic has exacerbated the problem which he has seen as part of his role as a mental health lead.

"I just don't think it's been put as a priority, it's always been put on the backburner," he said.

ENGLAND'S ELECTIONS: THE BASICS

What's happening? On 6 May, people across England will vote for new councillors, mayors and police and crime commissioners.

Why does it matter? When parties win control of a council, they decide policies for your area which could affect services ranging from social care to rubbish collection. Find out more about what councils do.

Who can vote? Anyone who lives in England, is registered to vote and aged 18 or over on 6 May is eligible. Find your local election here.

Watch 'A Mayor for Greater Manchester' on 14:20 BST on Sunday on BBC One or catch up on BBC iPlayer.

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