Housing inequality has emerged as a central issue in the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election scheduled for Thursday, more than a month after Andy Burnham stepped down from the position. The contest features candidates from Labour, the Green Party, and Reform UK, all placing significant emphasis on housing amid ongoing concerns about affordability and inequality in the city and its surrounding areas.

Labour’s Bev Craig, currently the Manchester council leader, is widely viewed as the frontrunner. Since taking her leadership role in 2021, her planning department has overseen a surge in city centre development, characterized by a growing skyline of high-rise towers. Craig acknowledges that economic benefits from this growth have not been evenly distributed across the region. She points to the £1 billion Good Growth Fund, introduced under Burnham’s leadership last year, as an effort to stimulate regeneration projects in every borough — an acknowledgment that the broader economy is not working for all residents.

Manchester’s recent economic expansion, driven by a shift toward professional services and retaining graduates, has led to a boom in the city centre, with property prices and rents rising sharply. However, this growth contrasts starkly with increasing family homelessness and strained incomes, particularly in outlying communities.

Both opposition candidates are critical of the pace and nature of Manchester’s development. The Green Party, which made significant gains in the city council earlier this year by winning 17 seats, highlights the extreme rents seen in new tower blocks, where two-bedroom apartments rent for up to £9,000 per month. Green candidate Geraldine Coggins accuses Labour of prioritizing “growth for growth’s sake,” enabling high-end developments that do not meet local housing needs, and pledges to “take back Greater Manchester from big money.”

Reform UK’s Sian Astley, representing the rightwing populist perspective, echoes similar concerns. Her manifesto criticizes recent housing investments for favoring central Manchester’s luxury developments while neglecting towns and communities across the wider city region. Reform targets the Housing Investment Fund, a government-backed financing scheme initiated prior to Burnham’s tenure to encourage private developer confidence. The fund has been used largely to support residential towers developed by firms like Renaker. Reform promises to scrutinize “luxury developer contracts” and calls for greater transparency and accountability in public spending on housing.

The Housing Investment Fund has also faced legal challenges. Developers Weis Group, who did not receive loans from the fund, have twice brought cases against the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, claiming the distribution of funds was unlawful. The authority has won both cases, the most recent last month.

Labour’s Craig maintains that the housing challenges in Greater Manchester reflect deep-rooted, generational inequality. Aside from promising 50,000 new affordable homes with rents capped to housing benefit rates by 2039, she advocates for devolved powers to suspend the Right to Buy scheme, a national policy allowing council tenants to purchase their homes at discounted prices.

Housing affordability remains a shared concern across all candidates. Reform emphasizes retrofitting existing social housing, leveraging Astley’s background as a landlord and renovator. Meanwhile, the Greens propose building tens of thousands of affordable homes without encroaching on greenfield land, aiming to finance this through borrowing and initiatives like the National Housing Bank. This echoes Burnham’s 2017 pledge, which ultimately fell short due to limited availability of brownfield sites.

Two recent polls indicate Labour is likely to secure victory in the mayoral race’s runoff stage, with Reform and the Greens contending for second place. The outcome will be closely watched as Greater Manchester continues to grapple with balancing economic growth and housing equity.