Lunch with Sir Richard Leese at King Street Townhouse
We're delighted to announce Sir Richard Leese will be addressing pro-manchester members at our upcoming live lunch in Oct. This will be a very special event and one of Sir Richard's final addresses as leader of Manchester City Council.
The veteran leader will stand down from the role he has held for 25 years at the start of December.
His departure marks the end of an era for Manchester, the Labour party and Northern politics as a whole, his tenure has seen the transformation of Manchester from the devastation of the IRA bomb in 1996, he would oversee years of investment and development which underpinned the city's rebuild which included the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the now transformed skyline we now see every day.
In this his final address for pro-manchester, Sir Richard will reflect on the past twelve months in the city, how Manchester has coped with COVID19 as a city and a business community and the impact of its after-effects. He will also be providing an update on the work of the City Council tackling issues such as unemployment, education and housing and will also focus on the importance of continued support of the region's businesses, skills provision and ensuring Manchester remains the UK's second city.
Guests will have the opportunity to ask Sir Richard any pressing questions during our Q&A.
A captivating speaker with a real passion for Manchester, this is one not to be missed.
Ticket prices (+ VAT)
Members
£40 per person
Non-Members
£55 per person
About the Speakers:
Richard Leese was elected to Manchester City Council in 1984. He became Leader of the Council in 1996.
Early in his leadership, Sir Richard oversaw the major 10-year programme of regeneration of Manchester City Centre following the IRA bomb in 1996 – being awarded a CBE in 2001 and then a knighthood for “services to local government” in the 2006 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his role in the project.
In the wake of the transformation of the city centre, Sir Richard was heavily involved in the successful bid to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games, helping to drive the wide-scale regeneration of east Manchester – the overwhelming positive impact of which continues to this day.
As an advocate for devolution and place-based budgets, Sir Richard has a keen political interest in the links between economic development and social policy, developing open democracy and the community leadership role of local authorities – as well as the role of cities in creating a sustainable future.
Using his position to influence and drive a national debate in these areas, Sir Richard Leese holds a number of prominent roles as Vice Chair of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Chair of the North West Regional Leaders’ Board, Chair of the Core Cities Cabinet and Chair of the LGA City Regions Board.
Regularly named as one of the most powerful Labour politicians in the country, Sir Richard Leese has been influential in informing the national debate on devolution and a passionate supporter of the High Speed Rail (HS2) scheme and the electrification of the Trans Pennine rail routes as a key driver for economic growth in the North.
He is also director of Manchester Airports Holdings Ltd – the company owned by the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester, which owns four UK airports: Manchester Airport, Bournemouth, East Midlands and Stansted – that pays dividends to its members to support local projects.
Sir Richard keeps a comment blog discussing local and national political issues: Councillor Leese’s blog
Interested In The Event?
If you’re interested in attending, you can book online here.
For any further enquires about this event, contact [email protected]
