As it happened: BBC's mayoral election debate

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Mr Burnham says he would clamp down on rogue landlords by introducing a "good landlord charter" if he is re-elected, as well as building an extra 10,000 homes for social rent over the next mayoral term.

The issue has come to the fore after various scandals in the region involving mouldy homes, including the death of toddler Awaab Ishak in Rochdale in 2020.

"It is really important for young people because often young people who rent can find themselves really badly and unfairly treated," Mr Burnham said.

"There are good landlords out there in Greater Manchester and the charter will give them recognition but it will also identify those who are not prepared to do the right thing.

"The days of people renting out homes that damage the health of the people who live within them and drag down the communities around those homes are definitely coming to an end."

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Asked how she would help young people buy their first homes, Conservative Ms Evans said not enough affordable housing had been built - particularly in areas outside of Manchester city centre.

Labour's Andy Burnham pointed to his Places for Everyone scheme, a 15-year development plan aiming to build 175,000 new homes. He also promised to crack down on bad landlords in the rental sector.

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Moving on, the Greens Ms Spencer said one of the first things she would do in the mayoral role would be to try to tackle rising rent costs.

"I would immediately commission the impact of bringing in rent controls," she said.

"It could be short term but it would mean that if we can potentially keep things a bit more affordable for people, they can save a bit more towards a deposit."

But Mr Barker, of Reform UK, disagreed about rent control measures.

"They were introduced in Scotland and they don't work. They actually reduce the supply of rented properties on the market so doesn't work. Any economist will tell you that," he said.

Mr Austin said there are two problems that need tackling to make the region's streets safer.

He said Greater Manchester Police is "overstretched" and "we need to fight for more resources" - but he also said trust in the force was "at an all-time low".

"People continue to not report crimes. They do not feel safe with the police with them and it continues to be a problem for everyone in Greater Manchester," he said.

He said work needs to be done to solve the issue of poor trust for people from all communities, particularly marginalised communities.

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The BBC's Roger Johnson, who is hosting the debate, has asked the audience how many of them feel safe in their community walking out and about on the streets?

About half the audience in Stretford raised their hand.

Ms Evans says she wants a wide-reaching review of child sex exploitation in the region - after various grooming gangs have been sentenced, including the rings in Rochdale.

"So many people who talk to me all the time about these grooming gangs and the fact that it is still continuing and it has not been dealt with," she said,

She said it should be "top priority" and a full review should be carried out to "make sure grooming gangs are still about are dealt with".

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Ms Spencer says she would introduce a special independent commissioner to deal with complaints against police.

"I don't think we should have a system whereby people are marking their own homework," she said.

She also said she would immediately reinstate the serious sexual offences unit after being "really disappointed" when it was closed in 2017.

She said it had sent a message that sexual offences weren't been taken seriously.

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Turning attention to policing, Mr Barker, for Reform UK, pledged to "get a grip of crime".

In tackling grooming gangs, he said he would instigate a public inquiry to find out why there were "96 offenders at large in the community in Rochdale alone" who are "still traumatizing victims".

"One girl bumped into her attacker in the supermarket," he said.

"Something needs to be done about this. This region is famous for the grooming gangs now, it is a shame."

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Mr Burnham says one of the things he is proudest of is the "positive energy" and "opportunities" in the region.

"Greater Manchester is growing faster than the UK economy. It has been doing for the last few years," he said.

"That has not happened in our lifetimes before.

"When I was in my early 20s I came back here after university and I tried to find a job here and I couldn't. The only thing I could find was an unpaid reporters job.

"To get on in life you had to move south and that was the story but it's not true right now.

"There are the opportunities in our city region."

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Mr Austin, of the Lib Dems, said proper investment in "our industries as well as our people" was key to ensuring Greater Manchester has the talent to succeed in the future.

He says he wants to extend projects in the town of Stockport to ensure adults have digital skills across the region and provide a pathway for them to upskill.

Conservative Ms Evans says she would be "visionary" and entice companies to Greater Manchester in places like Tameside, Rochdale and Oldham "where we have a huge amount of workforce that need those opportunities to up-skill".

However, in order to incentivise businesses, she says "you need to make sure the area's really safe and you need to have good, affordable houses".

Moving onto skills and opportunities in the region, Mr Barker, of Reform, praised the apprenticeships on offer.

He said they have been seen as a "poor relation" to the university graduate route into work, but can actually provide great skills for people's futures.

He said it was important to get employers involved in developing courses "that we need for the future jobs in industries in Greater Manchester".

He stressed the need to "make our mark on 16-19 years education" including "work readiness" skills as well as life skills such as budgeting and other financial planning.

The Green's Hannah Spencer said she would like to bring down the cost of living in Greater Manchester and allow people to spend more - while encouraging them to pursue the careers that can help the region thrive.

"At the very heart of the Green Party is to make sure that everybody is paid fairly for what they are doing and the way that they contribute," she said.

"If we are working and living in this region we can spend some of our wages on things we actually enjoy."

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Ms Evans, the Conservative candidate, says she would put in a more localised plan to clean up the air in particularly polluted spots.

She said her alternative to a full Clean Air Zone was to "focus on those areas which have most need and have a problem and fix it".

Liberal Democrat Mr Austin said the solution was investing in making public transport more attractive for people.

"That means we have a transport network that works for everyone across all of Greater Manchester," he said.

"We can't expect people to use public transport or cycle if they don't feel safe.

"We need that infrastructure is in place and that is how we get to clean air not by punishing people with a chargeable zone."

Ms Spencer, of the Green Party and also a trained plumber, said there was a lot of concern in the trade about any clean air charges that come in. She pledged to "make sure any costs brought in would not fall on the shoulders of the hardest working people who can probably afford it the least".

Mr Barker, for Reform UK, said there should be a rigorous public consultation on the zone, which he said was "clearly an attempt to bring in a congestion tax". "I think we have spent £100m of our money and we've not got anything for it," he said.

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Andy Burnham says the Bee Network integrated travel roll-out is key for "how we should clean up the air".

The scheme aims to link up the city's transport network of buses and trams into a set-up more reminiscent of London.

Mr Burham says he wants to give people incentives to make green transport choices rather than charges."Give people good affordable public transport. That is the best way to do it. Put more electric buses on our roads. Buses were the biggest cause of polluted air in our community," he said.

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Plans for a Clean Air Zone are among the first issues being discussed by the candidates.

The zones are already in operation in many cities across the UK, including Birmingham, Bristol and London, aim to improve air quality by cutting the number of high polluting vehicles on the road.

But the rollout in Greater Manchester has been on hold since February 2022 following a backlash over the potential of charging drivers of certain vehicles.

What have the hopefuls had to say about the plans?

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Polling stations will open at 07:00 BST on 2 May and close at 22:00, with the result expected to be declared at about 16:00 on 4 May.

For the first time, the winner will be decided using the same first-past-the-post system used in general elections.

Jake Austin, from Stockport, is standing for the Liberal Democrats. He has said he wants to be "the progressive alternative" to the major parties and the region deserves "a mayor who will fight its corner".

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Dan Barker, from Sale, is standing for Reform UK and believes there is "an historic opportunity to provide the leadership Greater Manchester needs to improve the lives of all of us that live here".

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Nick Buckley, from Manchester, is standing as an independent. He says he believes people kept voting for "political parties and career politicians and things are not getting any better so more of the same is not a sensible option".

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Incumbent mayor Andy Burnham, who has served two terms in the role, is standing for the Labour Party and has pointed to his long record in the job, insisting "we can be really ambitious for everyone".

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Laura Evans, from Altrincham, is standing for the Conservative Party. She has remained critical of Mr Burham's tenure and wants to provide an alternative approach, saying she has "always stood up against most of the proposals he has put forward".

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Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer, from Trafford, says she believes voters have "a chance to make society fairer than it is now" and she is "passionate about addressing the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis".

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People across the 10 boroughs that make up Greater Manchester will head to the polls next week to choose a new mayor.

Five of the candidates came together for an hour-long debate, which was filmed in Stretford on Monday.

Among some of the powers the successful candidate will inherit are:

• Control over some public transport
• The ability to set region-wide planning policies
• A £115m pot of cash to redevelop brownfield sites

You can read a bit more background from BBC North West political editor Kevin Fitzpatrick's guide.

We'll be with you until after 21:00, talking about next week's Greater Manchester mayoral elections.