MANCHESTER WILL KNOW TODAY WHO WILL BE IT'S FIRST EVER ELECTED MAYOR

Voters went to the polls yesterday to elect a brand new figurehead for Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester will today find out who is to become its first-ever elected mayor.

Voters across the region went to the polls yesterday to elect a brand new figurehead – in charge of just under £1bn in public spending and with considerable influence over a range of issues.

Last night each town hall in the region checked and verified all the votes cast, ahead of a count today at Manchester Central conference centre. That starts at midday and is likely to continue until late afternoon or early evening, when a final result will be declared.

Eight candidates went for the role of elected mayor in a race prompted by the wave of devolution granted by the government three years ago.
Conservative Sean Anstee, Liberal Democrat Jane Brophy, Labour’s Andy Burnham, English Democrat Stephen Morris, Ukip’s Shneur Odze, the Green Party’s Will Patterson and independent candidates Mohammed Aslam and Marcus Farmer all threw their hats in the ring.


Who will become the region's first elected mayor?

The winner will start work on Monday morning, taking charge of policing, fire services, buses and hundreds of millions of pounds worth of housing and transport investment – potentially including the expansion of the tram network.

He or she will also have influence over the devolved health and social care system, although they will not singlehandedly be in charge of it.

At the time of writing, officials had not declared a turnout figure for the vote, which took place on the same day as local elections in other parts of the country, but not Greater Manchester. T

The election was carried out under a supplementary vote system, meaning there may be more than one round of counting.

If a candidate wins more than 50 per cent of voters’ first preferences, they will win outright.

But if that's not the case, the two hopefuls with the most first preferences go through to a another round of counting – in which second preference votes are added to their totals – and everyone else drops out.
Most figures close to the campaigns expect a second round count to be needed. In that event a final result, including how each borough voted, is expected around 6pm or 7pm.