Purpose

• On the 13th February 2026, the GMCA approved high-level budget allocations to resource the implementation of the GMS Delivery Plan for the 2026/27 financial year.

• On the 27th March 2026, the GMCA approved the proposed list of economic programmes and projects and their respective budget allocations. These programmes are essential to achieving a number of end states in the GMS Delivery Plan.

• This decision is required to award contracts and/or grant funding to providers/recipients for the delivery of these programmes and projects in the 2026/27 financial year.

• The intention to make this decision was published on the GMCA Forward Plan of Key Decisions on 27/01/2026.

Decision

The economic programmes and projects approved by the GMCA on the 27th March are to be funded at the approved allocations. The specific award of grant funding and contracts are set out below:
• That Local Authority Economic Development and Regeneration Grant Funding be awarded as grants to the 10 Greater Manchester Local Authorities as follows:
Local Authority Amount
Bolton £1,988,593
Bury £1,791,650
Manchester £3,072,680
Oldham £2,171,726
Rochdale £1,262,423
Salford £1,663,283
Stockport £1,379,526
Tameside £1,702,414
Trafford £1,151,792
Wigan £3,745,113

• That grant funding be awarded as follows:
Programme / Project Recipient Amount
Build A Business in GM Libraries Manchester City Council £850,255
Made Smarter Adoption North West The Growth Company £948,059
GM Colleges Innovation Connector Network Oldham College £1,000,000
GM Good Employment Charter The Growth Company £800,993
Access to Innovation Capital GC Business Finance £1,500,000
Business Growth GM Business Growth Hub £16,200,000

• That contracts be awarded as follows:
Programme / Project Provider Amount
Innovation Navigator GM Business Growth Hub £4,500,000
International Promotion and Inward Investment Marketing Manchester £3,157,000
International Promotion and Inward Investment Invest Manchester £3,193,000

Alternative options considered

The high-level budget allocations to resource the implementation of the GMS Delivery Plan, approved by the GMCA on the 13th February 2026, were the result of a “zero based” budgeting process to align allocations to the delivery of the GMS and GMS Delivery Plan. The programmes and projects outlined above were considered alongside a range of other programmes and projects as part of this process, taking into consideration their contribution to the delivery of the GMS - particularly the ‘A great place to do business’ workstream – and the Integrated Settlement Outcomes Framework.