The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Resources Committee was scheduled to discuss the organisation's Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting for March 2025. The meeting's agenda also included the approval of minutes from a previous meeting and a report on the establishment of a new Director of Organisational Development post.

GMCA Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting March 2025

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to reviewing the GMCA's Gender Pay Gap (GPG) and Ethnicity Pay Gap (EPG) reports for March 2025. The GPG report, mandated by the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, details the difference in average hourly earnings between male and female employees. The GMCA's report indicated that, contrary to national trends, female employees earned more on average than male employees, with a mean hourly pay gap of 6.2% and a median gap of 9.7% in favour of females. This was attributed to the concentration of male staff in lower-paid uniformed roles within the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and female staff in higher-paid Strategic Delivery & Support Services (SD&SS) roles. The report also highlighted that female representation in the upper pay quartiles had increased.

The GMCA also voluntarily reported its EPG, which is not a legislative requirement. The report indicated a mean EPG of 5.3% and a median EPG of 5.4% in favour of the ethnic majority group. This represented a narrowing of the mean gap compared to the previous year, attributed to higher average pay growth for ethnically diverse employees and increased representation. However, the median EPG had widened, reflecting differences in role and rank distribution. The report detailed EPGs within both the Uniformed and SD&SS workforces, noting progress in narrowing gaps in uniformed roles but persistent under-representation of ethnically diverse employees in senior leadership positions across both groups.

The report also included comparative data against national and regional benchmarks, as well as analyses for the Core Combined Authority, GMFRS, and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) separately. The TfGM report, for instance, showed a male-favouring GPG of 6.7% (mean) and 8.4% (median), attributed to the disproportionate representation of men in higher-paid technical and operational roles.

The report recommended that the GMCA approve the publication of the Gender Pay Gap report and endorse the proposal to publish the Ethnicity Pay Gap report annually.

Minutes of the GMCA Resources Committee held on 28 November 2025

The committee was scheduled to approve the minutes from its previous meeting held on 28 November 2025.

Establishment of a Director of Organisational Development (Group) Post

A report was presented to provide an update on progress regarding senior management roles within the GMCA. It outlined the need for a permanent resource to support organisational development and requested the committee's recommendation for the establishment of a new post: Director of Organisational Development (Group). The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, reportedly highlighted the importance of this role in integrating teams across Greater Manchester.