Earlier this week, Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig addressed DIB members at Manchester Central at an exclusive dinner.
On the back of a weekend that saw the first ever all Manchester FA Cup final and Elton John, Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys performing in the city, Bev highlighted the importance of an impressive cultural offer to the city. With Factory due to complete this year and Co-op Live in 2024 to add to the already impressive list of venues; will only strengthen Manchester’s appeal to investors and people to come to work, live and play in the city.
With plenty to be optimistic about, Bev did highlight the number of families and young people living in poverty in the city. With soaring rents in the city centre, she emphasised that developing a more inclusive economy and tackling inequalities by putting people at the heart of their regeneration plans long-term, was crucial to address the re-balance with the new ‘Making Manchester Fairer’ initiative launched.
Affordable housing, net zero targets, creating a city centre that appeals to all generations to live and how Manchester brand’s itself moving forward were all topics raised by members in the room.
It was clear from the conversation that, as always, Manchester has a clear long-term plan and further devolution from central government would only accelerate some of this.
This weekend is a relatively quiet one. Over 80,000 people will descend on the city for Parklife, The Weeknd will play multiple dates at The Etihad Stadium and then there is the small matter of a Champions League Final.
Manchester is no longer punching above it’s weight, and there is plenty more to come.
Thank you to Mansell Building Solutions for sponsoring this event.
