Today residents from across Greater Manchester have gone to the polls to elect the first Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Having supported this Government’s ambitious devolution agenda through Parliament, I am excited about the prospect about bringing more powers back to Greater Manchester and the Northern Powerhouse.

A new Mayor will have greater powers over how some of our key public services operate, how our housebuilding and long-term strategy works, and importantly what our transport will look like.

I have always campaigned for better transport infrastructure in Cheadle at the highest level. Most recently I supported the Bus Services Act, working with Transport for Greater Manchester to ensure that we can make public transport more attractive, because better public transport is better for our environment and reduces congestion on our roads.

Now more than ever we need to ensure that Greater Manchester continues to lead the way in the North of England and that with the new devolution deal, we have the framework in place to make the most out of the new powers and funding the Mayor will have.