Greater Manchester mayoral by-election: What could the candidates mean for infrastructure and energy?

By Emily Grisewood – Account Director 

As Greater Manchester prepares to elect its next Mayor (election on 30 July), the outcome may be of interest to the energy and infrastructure sector. While the Mayoral office cannot determine national energy policy or approve Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), the office plays an important role in shaping the local conditions in which infrastructure is planned, funded and delivered across the region.

Through the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the Mayor has influence over strategic planning and regeneration, transport infrastructure, housing delivery, local investment priorities and the region’s approach to retrofit and decarbonisation. The role is also central to attracting private investment into low-carbon infrastructure, including heat networks, district energy and sustainable development.

For developers, investors and businesses operating across the built environment and energy sectors, the election provides an important indication of how Greater Manchester intends to balance economic growth, housing and transport delivery and the transition to net zero.

For the energy and infrastructure sector, the clearest policy contrast is between Labour’s emphasis on continuity, regeneration and incremental decarbonisation, and the Green Party’s more interventionist approach to renewable energy, sustainable development and climate-led investment. Reform UK and the Conservatives have also framed their campaigns around issues relevant to infrastructure delivery, including governance, value for money, planning efficiency and the distribution of investment across Greater Manchester.

Labour – Bev Craig

As Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig is closely associated with Greater Manchester’s existing strategic direction and would likely represent a degree of continuity with the approach taken under Andy Burnham’s mayoralty. Rather than publishing a detailed renewable energy manifesto, her campaign builds on the Combined Authority’s current approach to decarbonisation, embedding climate objectives within wider priorities around economic growth, housing and transport.

Craig has consistently supported Greater Manchester’s ambition to become carbon neutral, with a focus on improving energy efficiency across housing, public buildings and transport. Her approach views the transition to net zero as an opportunity to attract investment, create skilled jobs and support long-term economic growth, rather than focusing primarily on renewable energy generation itself.

Infrastructure remains central to Labour’s offer. Continued expansion of the Bee Network, improvements to road infrastructure and active travel, regeneration-led development and accelerating housing delivery all feature prominently. From a planning perspective, Craig’s approach is likely to be familiar to the development sector, with continued support for brownfield regeneration, higher-density city centre development and partnership working with institutional investors whilst embedding net zero principles into new development.

For developers and infrastructure investors, a Craig administration would likely represent policy stability and continuity with the current Greater Manchester strategy.

Green Party – Geraldine Coggins

Geraldine Coggins, as expected of any Green candidate, has placed climate action at the heart of her campaign, making renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure central to her vision for Greater Manchester’s economic future.

Among the candidates, the Green Party has published the most detailed proposals relating to renewable energy. Coggins supports accelerating renewable energy deployment, expanding community-owned energy schemes, increasing investment in retrofit programmes and strengthening environmental standards for development.

Transport and infrastructure are similarly framed through a decarbonisation lens. Alongside improvements to public transport connectivity, the campaign supports extending the Didsbury Metrolink line into Stockport, increased investment in walking and cycling infrastructure and the development of low-carbon neighbourhoods.

Planning and development proposals include establishing a new public housing body to deliver affordable homes, alongside greater scrutiny of major developments, stronger environmental requirements and a focus on lower-car, sustainable development. Whilst this could introduce additional sustainability expectations for developers, it may also create significant opportunities across retrofit, clean construction and low-carbon infrastructure delivery.

Reform UK – Sian Astley

Sian Astley’s campaign differs markedly from those of Labour and the Green Party. Rather than focusing on renewable energy or infrastructure delivery, Reform UK has concentrated on governance, accountability and public spending.

Astley, who leads the Reform UK group on Manchester City Council and has a background in property and regeneration, has campaigned on increasing transparency, scrutinising Combined Authority contracts and improving value for money. Her campaign has placed less emphasis on renewable energy deployment than Labour or the Greens, but has addressed infrastructure through the lens of governance, public spending, transport, roads, housing and the distribution of investment across the city-region.

Unlike Labour and the Greens, Reform has not published a detailed Greater Manchester policy programme covering renewable energy or infrastructure. Consequently, the clearest indication of Astley’s position comes from Reform UK’s national platform, which opposes the UK’s current net zero strategy, argues that decarbonisation policies have increased energy costs and supports greater reliance on domestic oil and gas production.

Given the Mayor’s limited influence over national energy policy, it remains uncertain how far these national positions would translate into changes in Greater Manchester’s local infrastructure agenda. For investors and developers, the more immediate impact would likely be a stronger emphasis on governance, procurement and scrutiny of public investment rather than significant changes to planning policy or infrastructure delivery.

Conservative – Phil Eckersley

Phil Eckersley’s campaign has centred on improving the conditions for investment and development through a more efficient planning system. His proposals include faster planning decisions, reducing regulatory barriers and supporting infrastructure that facilitates economic growth.

Compared with Labour and the Green Party, renewable energy has featured less prominently within his campaign. Instead, the focus has been on ensuring planning and infrastructure delivery better support businesses and economic development across Greater Manchester.

For the energy and infrastructure sector, this would suggest a more development-led approach, with emphasis on delivery, planning efficiency, brownfield regeneration and better infrastructure links between Greater Manchester’s towns and boroughs.

Looking ahead

Although the Mayor’s powers over energy policy are limited, the office remains highly influential in shaping the planning, regeneration and infrastructure decisions that underpin Greater Manchester’s growth.

For the energy and infrastructure sector, the by-election presents distinct approaches. Labour offers continuity, with a focus on regeneration, housing delivery and embedding net zero within existing economic strategies. The Greens propose a more ambitious climate-led agenda, placing renewable energy, retrofit and sustainability at the heart of development decisions. Reform prioritises governance, accountability and scrutiny of public spending, while the Conservatives emphasise planning efficiency, business-led growth and infrastructure delivery.

Whichever candidate succeeds, the result will provide an important signal for developers, investors and infrastructure providers seeking to understand Greater Manchester’s priorities for the next phase of growth and decarbonisation.