Tony Lloyd appointed Greater Manchester's interim mayor

Mr Lloyd will hold the interim mayor post until a public election in 2017

Tony Lloyd has been officially appointed as the interim mayor of Greater Manchester.

The former Labour MP was chosen in May over Wigan Council leader Peter Smith by a panel from the area's 10 boroughs.

Mr Lloyd will combine the job with his current responsibilities as the region's police and crime commissioner. He said he would only take one salary.

The roles will be combined formally in 2017 after an election for the region's first directly elected mayor.

Extra £2bn

Chancellor George Osborne announced plans for an elected mayor last year as part of a proposal to devolve more powers to northern England.

The 10 councils in Greater Manchester currently control a total of £5bn of public money each year, but the devolution deal would give them an extra £2bn.

In 2017, the mayor will be granted powers on transport, housing and planning. They will also oversee social care and police budgets.

'Behind closed doors'

Mr Lloyd said: "Politics is often seen as something that happens down in London with no relevance to us here. The devolution agenda changes all that."

He said he "understood" criticisms that the interim mayor selection had been "taken behind closed doors and the public has been largely excluded".

"I want to assure the people of Greater Manchester that they must and will be involved. We are on the brink of change that is real and will be lasting."

As interim mayor, he will chair the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), which incorporates the region's 10 councils.

His role includes overseeing a strategy to make the area "a place with buoyant economic growth and opportunities for job creation", a spokesman said.

"[The strategy] also seeks to cultivate an environment where public services work more closely with each other."

Mr Lloyd was appointed at a meeting of the GMCA in Oldham.

Greater Manchester

• Metropolitan area formed in 1974

• Made up of 10 councils: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan

• Population is about 2.7 million

• Covers an area of about 500 sq miles

• Has an economy bigger than Wales or Northern Ireland

• Designated a City Region in 2011 when the Greater Manchester Combined Authority was established