WILL Paterson, the Green Party's candidate for Greater Manchester mayor, is calling for better housing, transport and air quality across Greater Manchester.

The Green Party's Mayoral candidate has put forward a plan to tackle Greater Manchester's housing crisis. The five step plan aims to tackle homelessness, to protect renters and to bring empty homes back in to use.

Mr Patterson announced a plan to re-open homeless shelters that closed in 2015, but added that simply giving people a bed for the night isn't good enough.

Mr Patterson said, "People who have fallen on hard times need security and stability. The current model expects homeless people with substance misuse issues or mental health problems to show improvement before they become eligible for housing, and this model is failing."“

He also wants to improve conditions for people who are renting - creating a Greater Manchester Renters' Union to support tenants and campaign for renters' rights.

Mr Patterson announced the policies at a Manifesto Launch Party on April 10 at a well-attended launch in Manchester venue TwentyTwentyTwo.

The event was open to the public and live-streamed on Facebook, with manifesto policies tweeted live throughout the event on Twitter. Mr Patterson said that this is part of a wider attempt to re-engage the public in democracy.

He also wants to create Citizens' Forums, where local residents can take part in debates on issues that directly concern them and get their voices heard by those in power.

The Green Party candidate called for the creation of a Greater Manchester Assembly, modelled on the London Assembly which is elected under the proportional representation voting system and holds the mayor to account.

The manifesto launch also included plans to extend the Metrolink Network through an 'Outer Circle' connecting the towns of Greater Manchester, and through new lines to connect Bolton, Stockport and Wigan to the network.