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The departure of Sir Richard Leese: what’s next for Manchester City Council?

Last week Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese announced that he will be stepping down as Leader of the council this December, and retiring from the council altogether in May 2022. Looking at timetables and announced candidates, we ask what’s next for the city.

Sir Richard had previously stated that his current term would be his last on the council, however the recent COVID pandemic appeared to give him a focus and some had speculated that he may U-turn on this decision.

That has proved not to be the case and with day-to-day life now seemingly returning to some kind of normal following the pandemic, he has said that his decision will allow him to spend more time with his family.

When will a new leader be elected?

We now know that the crucial vote will take place at the Labour Group meeting on 5 October. With Sir Richard formally standing down as council leader in December, this will allow for a transitional period and provide his successor the chance to make their mark ahead of the next set of local elections in May.

For his part Sir Richard is encouraging an open contest. When he announced his resignation plans at last Tuesday’s Labour group meeting, he encouraged councillors who might be interested in putting themselves forward to do so, saying “opportunities like this do not come around very often”.

Who has declared as a candidate so far?

So far there are three confirmed candidates, all from within the current cabinet. Garry Bridges – Executive Member for Children’s Services – was the first to declare publicly that he was running, via an email to the Labour Group on Thursday.

This was swiftly followed in the days after by declarations from both Deputy Leaders – Luthfur Rahman and Bev Craig – who had both been taking soundings from councillors in the days prior.

It is not yet clear if any others will put themselves forward although there is speculation that one or more candidates may arise from the new cohort on the left of the group. Other names that have been mentioned as potential candidates include Rabnawaz Akbar, John Flanagan and Sam Wheeler.

What will a new leader mean for the future of the city?

Whoever is elected as leader will initially face the same political challenge: how do they balance the competing demands of those in the city who want to see a continuation of Leese’s pro-investment and pro-development approach, with those in the Labour Group who want to see more of a focus on social and affordable housing.

While any new leader will want to stamp their own mark on the job, their room for manoeuvre will depend largely on the scale of their victory. Win by a large margin and they could be given the same freedom to lead as Sir Richard had. A smaller margin will leave them far more conscious of the feelings and views of backbench councillors, which could create greater uncertainty.

Understanding how the votes fall will be just as important a barometer for the city’s future direction as who has won, when the result is announced in October.

Want to know more?

To discuss what this may mean for your projects please contact Rich Durber or Michael Clare.

14 September 2021