The GMSP is the coming together of 5 Students’ Unions in Greater Manchester, to work in collaboration to be the voice for students across the city region.
Who we are?
The partnership was formed in response to the formation of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), and a mutual interest between both parties to help students to thrive during their studies, and for them to remain here once entering the world of work.
Over recent years, the partnership has met with the mayor and members of the GMCA to form the Greater Manchester Student Assembly; 8 sabbatical officers from across the 5 Unions are a part of the assembly, with the aim of working with the GMCA to better the lives of students in the region.
The GMSP mirrors the Greater Manchester Civic Agreement, a partnership between the GMCA and the 5 Universities affiliated to the Union’s that make up the GMSP.
Why?
Greater Manchester has a selection of world class universities, with over 200,000 students living in the city region.
Our aim is to be the voice of all students, whether that be home undergraduates who are not from the region, post-graduate international students who have come to study, and everything in between.
Greater Manchester is rich in culture, and highly attractive to students from across the country and the world, and students play a key role in the life and growth of the city.
We also want students to feel like Greater Manchester is their home, which means they will be more likely to stay once graduated, and continue to add more to the region.
We want to work with the GMCA on certain areas, which means we have tried to align ourselves with the powers that the mayor and the GMCA has.We have four key priorities:
01 Housing
We want every student to have access to safe, affordable housing that is close enough to the institution that they are studying at. We are working with the GMCA and Civic Universities to see how we can make that a reality for growing number of students in the region.
02 Transport
Transport for students should be frequent, safe, reliable, green, and affordable. The GMCA now has control over Transport for Greater Manchester, and we want to work with them to see how students can make the most out of the transport solutions that are on offer.
03 Safety
Students in Greater Manchester should be able to feel safe on their campuses and around the city region whatever the time of day or time of year. We are working with the GMCA to see what can be put in place to protect students in all ways, especially those which affect students more frequently.
04 Mental Health
We want students to be able to access mental health services as quickly as possible in Greater Manchester. We recognise the great work the Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Hub is already doing, but we want to see improved services for all students.
Civic Engagement
Students are as much citizens of the city region as any other person who lives here, and we want to help students fully engage with Greater Manchester. We will work with the GMCA and Civic Universities to get students registered to vote, and for them to play a more active role in the political and community life of the areas of the city region in which they live.
Upcoming projects
In 2023, we agreed with the GMCA and Greater Manchester Civic Universities to write a Greater Manchester Student Living and Staying Strategy. The strategy will be developed over the coming months and will focus on 5 keys areas: housing, transport, safety, mental health, and graduate retention. Working groups will be created for the strategy, and members of the partnership will be sat on all of them.
Latest News
ADHD among university studentsPosted on: Friday, May 30th, 2025
Broke students and a broken student housing systemPosted on: Wednesday, February 12th, 2025
Students and the Renter’s Rights BillPosted on: Friday, November 22nd, 2024
A GMSP Review of the Mayor’s Question TimePosted on: Wednesday, September 25th, 2024
Members of the assembly board
Komal Ashfaq - President, The Union of Manchester Metropolitan University
Elliot Briffa - City & Community Officer, University of Manchester Students’ Union
George Charlton - Wellbeing Officer, The Union of Manchester Metropolitan University
Megan Cornes - Health & Society Officer, Salford Students’ Union
Ruby Donnelly - President, Royal Northern College of Music Students’ Union
Hina Rehman Khalil - SEE Officer, Salford Students’ Union
Saad Mehmood - President, University of Greater Manchester Students’ Union
Sharon Mary Dominic Raj - Wellbeing & Liberation Officer, University of Manchester Students’ Union