Neil Fairlamb has been announced as the new Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council.
Neil takes on the role following the announcement that previous Strategic Director, Fiona Worrall, will retire later this year after 33 years at the Council.
Neil is currently Head of Parks, Leisure, Youth and Events and will take up the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods role on Wednesday 1 June.
Neil has worked in Local Government for 30 years, starting his career in Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Councils – and started his first job in local Government at the age of 16.
He came to Manchester City Council in 2004 to lead the city’s sport legacy programmes following the Commonwealth Games and has since worked in eight different roles involved in community development, sport, leisure, parks, leisure and events.
Neil has also been heavily involved in the Council’s Civil Emergency Response work and has taken on both Trustee and Director roles in organisations where the Council has an active partnership, such as the National Football Museum and Manchester Active.
Commenting on the news of his appointment, Neil said: “I am honoured to take up the role of strategic director. This is an area of the Council that I am passionate about and I’m looking forward to working with our residents to improve our neighbourhoods.
“The key component of our jobs is to keep Manchester working properly, ensuring we have clean streets, emptied bins, and great local facilities in vibrant communities.
“But there are also challenges we must face and there are things we can do better. Reflecting the diversity of our city in our workforce and delivering services that meet the needs of our residents will be a key priority for me.
“Manchester is a place of brilliance, but there is always space for growth and improvement. I can’t wait to get stuck in building on the work of Fiona Worral, whose work has had had a massive and lasting impact on our city.”
Joanne Roney OBE, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, said: “Neil has had an esteemed career in local Government and has been hugely influential already during his time at Manchester City Council. I look forward to working closely with Neil as he takes up the reigns of this incredibly important job – improving our neighbourhoods and creating communities that our residents love to live in.”
