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Manchester's Millions. Why Won't Rayner Order an Investigation? Angela Rayner's department has been asked to investigate the handling of hundreds of millions of pounds in public money in Greater Manchester. Campaigners say they submitted two dossiers, one in September and another in October, setting out serious concerns about property loans, missing documents and the conduct of Manchester City Council. They say they are still waiting for a substantive response. Given the sums involved and the political connections surrounding these transactions, the Housing Secretary owes the public an explanation. At the centre of the controversy are £55.7 million in housing loans approved in 2017 by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, then chaired by Andy Burnham. The recipients were three companies ultimately controlled by Sheikh Mansour, the billionaire owner of Manchester City Football Club. The loans have since been repaid with interest, but GMCA has not publicly disclosed the interest rates or adequately explained why companies backed by one of the world's wealthiest families needed access to taxpayer-funded development finance. The developments produced hundreds of homes, yet none were designated affordable housing. There are wider concerns about GMCA's lending programme. One developer, Renaker, received £615 million by November 2024, accounting for more than half the fund's lending by value at that point. Campaigners now claim the figure has risen to £868 million, although that higher total requires independent verification. A legal challenge to loans made to Renaker has reached the Supreme Court. GMCA successfully defended its decisions in the lower courts, but the continuing proceedings underline the importance of proper scrutiny of public lending. The dossiers also allege that financial viability records relating to four Renaker developments cannot be located, while substantial sections of Manchester City Council's agreement with the Far East Consortium remain concealed. Those allegations require examination against the original records and the council's explanations. There is also a troubling dispute over correspondence sent to elected councillors. Manchester City Council has acknowledged redirecting emails from campaigner Ben Rose to its legal department following notice of possible litigation. It says the arrangement protects the legal process and that relevant correspondence can still be forwarded. Councillors have nevertheless complained that messages addressed to them never reached their inboxes. Elected representatives should know when correspondence addressed to them is being intercepted or withheld. And what has the Government done? On 3 November, minister Jim McMahon was asked in Parliament whether his department had reviewed records of meetings between Burnham's administration and Abu Dhabi investment interests that subsequently received public financial support. His answer referred to GMCA's responsibility for its own decisions, independent audits and local scrutiny committees. He never answered the central question of whether his department had examined the records. That is hardly reassuring when the adequacy of local scrutiny is itself being challenged. GMCA maintains that its loans were made on commercial terms, helped deliver 11,000 homes and imposed no cost on taxpayers. Those assurances deserve to be tested through a transparent examination of the records. Rayner should explain what her department has received, what assessment it has undertaken and whether the allegations warrant independent investigation. The public deserves answers about the loans, the missing documents and the handling of correspondence. It should not have to depend on campaigners and journalists to extract them. If Rayner believes Greater Manchester's financial dealings can withstand scrutiny, she should have no objection to that scrutiny taking place.