The flag is composed of ten golden castles (arranged in rows of 3–2–3–2) on a red background, fringed by a golden border in the style of a castle battlement. The blazon is: "Gules, ten Towers three two three two, all within a Bordure embattled Or".
The ten golden castles represent both the urban landscape of Greater Manchester, and its division in to its ten metropolitan districts: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside, Trafford, Salford, Stockport, and Wigan. The red ground represents manpower and the region's red-brick architectural heritage, both legacies of Greater Manchester's industrial past. The embattled border represents the unity and shared future of the region, and its bold, vigilant and forward-looking character.
Usage
GMMCC flag flying at Manchester Piccadilly railway station
The current Greater Manchester Combined Authority does not use the symbols of the former Greater Manchester Council, instead using a wordmark consisting of its initials and full title.[4][5][6][7]
^"Greater Manchester". County Flags. Flying Colours Flagmakers. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
^"Criteria for inclusion in the Flag Registry". The Flag Institute. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. In the case of county flags, the flag must normally apply to a historical county rather than a modern administrative area