The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has given nearly £1m to anonymous beneficiaries since 2024 in a series of 'secret' payments.

The payments are listed in the GMCA's public accounts to pay for consultancy work, professional fees, commissioned services, grants, and other things, but there is little detail on what specific services were provided and who the money went to.

A spokesperson for the GMCA said it redacts details of named individuals who receive payments when their name is not their trading name, which it said is 'in line with UK data protection legislation and local government transparency code of practice.'

It added that its system is under 'continual review'.

The combined authority is facing calls for more transparency around where it is spending public money and what services were provided for the cash.

The LDRS trawled through hundreds of payments since 2024 and discovered a combined total of nearly £1m has gone to anonymous beneficiaries over the last three years.

A payment of £210,000 was given to a developer in June 2026 and listed as capital grant expenditure, but the name of the person or company was redacted in GMCA records.

The combined authority said this was down to 'human error'.

In another payment made in May 2026, the GMCA spent £14,900 on 'consultancy' fees, but the name of whoever received the cash was redacted, and what service they provided is not recorded.

Any payments made worth £500 or more are published in the GMCA's accounts which are accessible to the public, with records going back to 2018.

Councillor Sian Astley, leader of the Reform UK group in Manchester, said: "Clearly a combined authority of the size of GMCA is going to have a long list of expenditure – in this case over £3b per annum – that's a lot of individual payments.

"There are though a significant amount noted as 'redacted personal data' and Reform UK would much prefer it if there were more clarity on what these payments are for, who they go to and why they are redacted.

"It seems on the face of it very strange that a payment of £210,000 of public money be made for 'capital grant expenditure' and the taxpayer not be allowed to know who this went to.

"Or 'rent' of over £83,000 going out in December 2025 but to a hidden landlord. Or why branding companies, music commissions, consultancy fees or professional fees are made secret."

Manchester Lib Dems said the public 'have a right to know who is receiving public money here in Greater Manchester.'

A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said: "GMCA is committed to publishing information in a manner which is accessible to residents and other stakeholders.

"We redact details of named individuals who receive payments when their name is not their trading name, in line with UK data protection legislation and local government transparency code of practice.

"We keep how we do this under continual review to ensure that we appropriately balance transparency of our expenditure with our obligations to safeguard personal data.

"One payment was mistakenly redacted, and this error will be rectified."