Theme three: Our city

The things that will secure our future – making us one of the best places in the world.

Have a growing economy that provides jobs and equal opportunities for everyone:

Promoting growth in Manchester’s strongest sector’s such as life sciences, digital technology, advanced manufacturing, and the creative economy to generate jobs.
Working with the Business Growth Hub to provide resources and spaces for entrepreneurs, helping them start and grow their businesses.
Supporting Greater Manchester level work to improve the productivity of businesses in Manchester.
Investing in highstreets to make them more attractive and sustainable, such as through Wythenshawe Town Centre regeneration.
Ensuring Manchester residents have the skills needed for highly skilled jobs in the city through partnerships with Manchester employers and training providers.
Increase the number of employers paying a living wage and working with the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter to promote fair wages, secure contracts, and good working conditions across the city.
Promoting Manchester as a global business destination and supporting businesses to have a positive impact in the city through or leading work on social value.

Adapt to a changing climate and rapidly reduce our carbon emissions:

Rapidly reduce carbon emissions to become zero carbon by 2038 by delivering Manchester’s Climate Change Framework – including retrofitting more homes and buildings, increasing use of renewable energy, and helping people to access electric vehicles.
Help the city to adapt to the changing climate such as more frequent and extreme flooding and heat stress.
Help people to choose walking, cycling and public transport over using private cars where possible.
Facilitate the development of low carbon economic growth opportunities such as supporting new technologies.
Organisations in Manchester reducing their direct carbon emissions associated with things like buildings and travel.

Enjoy world-renowned things for everyone to see and do, showcasing our passion for sport and culture:

Supporting major spaces like Aviva Studios, HOME, Contact Theatre and Manchester’s elite sporting venues as well as venues throughout the city and our neighbourhoods to provide diverse, accessible and exciting programs for all.
Bringing world-class sporting and cultural events to the city, from international sports championships to the Manchester International Festival, further developing our unique spirit and creativity.
Promoting community arts, culture, sports and physical activity, ensuring that neighbourhoods benefit from local initiatives and have access to sporting and cultural facilities and activities. This includes delivering Manchester’s Cultural Strategy and continued investment in local arts projects and sports and physical activity programmes.
Embracing Manchester’s unique music, art, literature and industrial history while also nurturing new and diverse talent in creative and athletic fields.
Deliver Manchester’s Sport and Physical Activity Strategy to increase sport and other physical activities across the city.

Have reliable transport that gets you where you want to go, quickly, cheaply, safely and cleanly:

Continue to work with Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester to develop the Bee Network, a fully integrated, affordable, and sustainable transport system for Greater Manchester, bringing buses, trams, trains, and active travel together by 2030.
Deliver Manchester’s Active Travel Strategy to expand cycling and walking routes and create safer, more accessible travel options to enable more people to walk and cycle reducing car reliance and promoting healthier travel.
Investing in cleaner, greener buses and extending tram and rail networks to reach more neighbourhoods, making travel affordable and reliable.
Reducing emissions from commercial and private vehicles including through updating and replacing Manchester public sector vehicle fleet.
Work in partnership to improve Manchester’s connections regionally, nationally and globally.

Embrace technology to achieve the city’s aims, safely and ethically:

Deliver Manchester’s Digital Inclusion Strategy and work to make sure everyone has access to affordable data, digital tools and the skills and confidence to use them, reducing the digital divide across communities.
Delivering Manchester’s Digital Strategy to make Manchester a world-class digital city by 2026.
Collaborating with Manchester’s businesses and universities to foster innovation in areas like artificial intelligence and green technology, boosting the local economy.
Ensure that data is held securely, used transparently and made available to others to help tackle the city's biggest challenges.
Responding to the impacts of automation and displacement of jobs as well as the creation of new roles and opportunities.

The Council and democracy Our Manchester Strategy 2025-35