Comments on: Who runs Manchester?

By: mark

mark — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:09:12 +0000

so where’s the promised article, please, mule? thanks

By: Bruntwood: Movers and Shakers — MULE

Bruntwood: Movers and Shakers — MULE — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:26:54 +0000

[...] of Manchester’s political and economic elite is pretty much a full time job. The MULE’s ‘Who runs Manchester?’ project threw up a whole host of people, quangos (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations) [...]

By: Pamela

Pamela — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:55:38 +0000

I believe Tesco has the biggest say. Anywhere they want to build, Manchester Council allow them. They even allowed them to dig up a cemetery in Crumpsall so they had space for a car park and to close two streets to the public and yet the council now needs to pay for repair of another road because of the huge increase in traffic causing mega potholes.

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:19:23 +0000

Lord Peter Smith – he chairs both AGMA and the Regional Leaders’ Forum, on top of being leader of Wigan Council.

Eddie Smith as well. He is the chief exec of New East Manchester, and used to be Head of Regeneration for Manchester City Council. NEM is a massive institution, involving the NWDA, Manchester City Council and the Homes and Communities Agency

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:19:01 +0000

Add Peter Tavernor to the list of local bigwigs. Principal of the Manchester College following the takeover of City College by MANCAT, he’s in charge of 80,000 students and an estimated turnover of £130 million. That makes his one of the two largest further education colleges in Britain and rumour has it that he’s looking to take over MAES (Manchester Adult Education Service) too.

The multi-million development plan expanding the college is something of a flagship project for the local Labour party, with Tony Lloyd, Graham Stringer and Paul Goggins sticking their weight behind £46 million worth of new developments in Wythenshawe, Harpurhey and South Manchester. Tavernor’s wife is a councillor and Sue Murphy (exec for education) is chair of the board of governors. This may be why most people involved in further education in Manchester are absolutely terrifed of him.

Despite the new building work the actual education the students get isn’t the best-400 students were booted off their basic English courses in October because of a *cough* administrative error *cough* and MAES had to scrounge around to find last-minute places for them all.

Here is what City College students think about the change of management:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?v=wall&ref=nf&gid=192553081540

Allegations of corruption and union-busting have been fairly consistent both at MANCAT and now the college, with questions asked in Parliament last year by tory MP Richard Bacon about registration fraud going back to 2002. Union reps working at the college (many of them rated as excellent teachers by Ofsted) have been repeatedly harrassed and sacked, most recently six months ago.

The College also has around £8000 worth of advertising in the MEN. This may or may not be why the MEN covers the College with stories like this:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/49/49238_college_rises_from_the_ashes.html

While other papers cover it with stories like this:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/27/colleges-mancat-manchester

By: anne

anne — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:20:46 +0000

How about Chris Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police?

http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/portfolio.htm

He behaved disgracefully re. the North West 10 – guilty until proven innocent…

By: M

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:26:13 +0000

Marketing Manchester appear to be another one of these interesting organisations http://www.marketingmanchester.com/

By: James

James — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:45:03 +0000

Check this out – most powerful property developers in the NW according to Place Northwest:

http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/place-100-2009-1-to-15.html

By: Anthea Fowler

Anthea Fowler — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:13:30 +0000

Check out these guys… http://www.investinmanchester.com/aboutus/midasboarddirectors/

It’s the corporate arm of the city council. Bruntwood at the top of the tree and, interestingly, a Tesco man in charge of the regional property development.

By: D Man

D Man — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:31:32 +0000

It seems like the executives of Bruntwood Mike Oglesby and his son Chris must have some significant influence in Manchester… Mike Oglesby seems to be on personal terms with councilors like Richard Leese, and given the amount of property and businesses that Bruntwood offices influence in Manchester they must have some significant dialogue

http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/architecture/research/ecocities/news/
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/news/article/386/extreme_sports_come_to_manchester_in_august

Plus in the last couple of months, Bruntwood have aquired their new marketing director Kate Harrison from Cityco, so the executive profile of Bruntwood appears to be littered with significant contacts and connections throughout Manchester.

http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk/article/20091119/FREE01/911189986/1026/Manufacturing/-/-/citycos-kate-harrison-appointed-as-bruntwood-marketing-director

They must have real influence over city development, in terms of transport, business, building contracts etc etc…