The Manchester Evening News teamed up with the Bolton News, Wigan Evening Post and Oldham Evening Chronicle – as well as their sister titles – to take a united stance on the most sweeping changes to the region in generations.
Powers are being devolved to Greater Manchester on a range of issues from transport to health and the region will also have an elected mayor.
On Monday night, the day George Osborne addressed the Tory conference in Manchester, the four news titles launched their campaign online. Tuesday's front pages of all four titles featured the campaign strongly.
The "Fair Deal on Devo" campaign calls for:
* £7bn more in devolution – including extra health cash desperately needed fair police and council funding
* Northern transport projects to be put first an accountable, open system of governance
An editorial jointly published by all four titles said: "We believe devolution is right for Greater Manchester. As a region, we know better than Whitehall what works for us.
"But first we need a fair deal to go with it.
"That means government providing the cash we need to get our devolved healthcare system off the ground so we can start to cut the scandalous mortality rates suffered by our people. It is literally a matter of life and death.
"Greater Manchester's leaders have asked Mr Osborne for just under £1bn to do this. We back this demand.
"We also back their call for a further £6bn in further devolution to help us expand the Metrolink tram network, create jobs and take more powers over skills, council tax, stamp duty and air passenger duty.
"But fair devolution also means giving individual town halls – the bodies that safeguard our most vulnerable children and elderly, who shelter the homeless and fund our libraries – a fair deal.
"We want a fair deal for our police force, the frontline of defence in protecting our community.
"We welcome the government's announcement that the Transpennine rail electrification is now back on track. And we welcome the new infrastructure commission set up to plan projects across the country. But that must now, finally, see the north come first.
“George Osborne must close the gap between London transport funding and that in the north west to prove he is serious about the Northern Powerhouse."
Calling on local politicians to make the devolution process transparent and open, the article states: "Greater Manchester must have accountability. No more closed-door decision making. The region's super-council – and the bodies related to it – needs reforming so everyone can understand what it does and why it does it."
Ian Savage, Group Editor of The Bolton News and Bury Times group, said: “It is great to be joining forces with other strong regional newspapers to show how important this is for the whole of the county and that we will be pressing hard as one for a fair deal.”
Janet Wilson, Editor of the Wigan Evening Post, said: "Regional devolution ought to be a tremendous opportunity for the people of Wigan and Greater Manchester. The north/south divide is one of the longest-standing iniquities in this country and handing back power to local government leaders sounds like it might go some way to rectifying this."
Rob Irvine, Editor in Chief of the Manchester Evening News, said: “Devolution of power must be properly and fairly funded and the process has to be transparent and engaging with the people who live here and who will be voting to select our mayor. These are the key issues our four news organisations will be working together to address."
David Whaley, managing editor of the Oldham Evening Chronicle, said he was keen to see devolution deliver regional success while still maintaining the unique character of the different boroughs that make up Greater Manchester.
"We cannot see everything sucked into the core that is Manchester and we also have to agree that this is not about getting one tenth of everything every time but instead seeing improvements that help the region as a whole."
