Videos of Andy Burnham have been popping up on social media feeds about teatime every day.

In the short clips he's talked about air quality, making authorities more accountable, and rugby league, among other topics.

It's part of a bid in the Makerfield by-election coming up on June 18, where Burnham is hoping to win a seat in Parliament.

The race is looking close according to the polls, which predict that Labour has a fight on its hands to keep hold of the seat, with a challenge from Reform UK and other parties to win over voters in the constituency.

But while Andy Burnham has been out on the campaign trail, the work of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), which he chairs as mayor, is carrying on.

It's work which impacts the lives of three million people living across the region, who are spread out across ten different boroughs, all of which have their own identities and issues.

The GMCA is run jointly by the leaders of the ten councils across the region, and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.

Its work covers a huge range of issues from housing development to health, jobs, and culture.

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But who exactly is running Greater Manchester while Andy Burnham is focused on Makerfield?

Officially, Burnham remains the mayor of the region even though he is standing in the by-election.

There's nothing stopping him from staying on as mayor during the by-election, but he would need to stand down if he were to win and return to Parliament.

A GMCA spokesperson said: "Andy Burnham still serves as the elected Mayor of Greater Manchester, and only last week co-chaired a meeting of our Integrated Care Partnership, which brings together NHS services and local partners.

"The work of GMCA continues throughout this period, and decisions are being taken in line with our constitution.

"We are focused on serving our communities, supporting our partners, and ensuring the benefits of good growth are shared by everyone living and working in our city region."

However, the recent GMCA meeting on May 29 where the region's ten council leaders were due to come together was cancelled.

The GMCA explained that this was to give councils more time to sort out their leadership arrangements after the local elections.

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This has been an issue at Oldham council, where no political group has more than a third of the seats in the chamber, and which is still to appoint a new council leader.

A further round of talks has been scheduled by political groups in Oldham later this month to try and break the deadlock.

Sources say that other senior figures at the GMCA have stepped up to take on some of the work and meetings while Andy Burnham is out campaigning in Makerfield.

This includes the GMCA's two deputy mayors, Kate Green and Paul Dennett, who is Salford council's mayor, as well as Bev Craig, leader of Manchester council.

The GMCA also continues to be run through its non-political leaders, including chief executive Caroline Simpson.

So the work of the GMCA is still carrying on, and the decisions it makes are still being published on its website.

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