Manchester’s groundbreaking new Council leader | Bev Craig – Manc of the Month October 2021
Our Manc of the Month series is back, so let's talk about someone who's achieved a feat that nobody else in the city of Manchester has ever achieved before.
Our Manc of the Month series is back, and this time it’s the turn of another honorary Mancunian who’s breaking new ground.
We all know that Manchester is home to some special people, some born here and others drawn here – and after a bumpy year that effectively amounted to one big lockdown, its these special people that have inspired and led us through the tough times.
So, we decided to start a series that shines a light on those who should be celebrated, following on from our ‘The Mancs of the Year’ feature towards the end of 2020.
Manc of the Month officially kicked off in July 2021, with Marcus Rashford MBE, Manchester’s mural king Akse P-19, and local chef feeding the region’s vulnerable families Mary-Ellen McTague, all being given the plaudits they truly deserve – but this month, we’ve chosen someone who’s achieved a feat that nobody else in the city of Manchester has ever achieved before.
Speaking after being appointed as leader earlier this month, Cllr Craig said: “It is the honour of my life to be elected and offered this chance to lead Manchester… committing to further regeneration of the city and continuing the commitment to a greener, cleaner, and more equal city.
“From Blackley to Wythenshawe, I am dedicated to making sure that residents can be proud to live in Manchester [and] now more than ever, we need to make sure Manchester isn’t forgotten in post-pandemic recovery”.
“I am committed to ensuring that Manchester is not left behind,” she concluded.
Sir Richard Leese also said that he is looking forward to seeing Manchester go “from strength to strength under her leadership.”
Although not originally from Manchester, the 36-year-old Northern Irish councillor – who grew up on a council estate in Belfast – first came to the city to study and eventually graduated from the University of Manchester in 2007 with a degree in Politics and Modern History, before going on to gain a masters in Political Science.
She then continued her studies by doing a PhD exploring class representation and diversity in UK politics.
Bev Craig will take over from Sir Richard Leese on 1 December / Credit: Manchester City Council
But where did Bev Craig’s career in politics begin? And what are the matters she’s keen to represent and fight for? Well, she was first elected as Councillor for Burnage in 2011, and was then appointed as Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council in May 2021 – but before that, she spent four years as the Council’s executive member for adult services, health, wellbeing and inclusion.
She was also deputy chair of Manchester Health and Care Commissioning, and the co-chair of the Manchester Local Care Organisation.
It’s believed that tackling the city’s affordable housing shortage, and improving health and social equality are likely to be high on Craig’s agenda when she assumes the role of Leader on 1 December, and this is backed up by the five main policies she ran when elected as Deputy Leader back in May, which she described as:
Fairer: Keep building more affordable housing, reduce poverty and support the vulnerable
Cleaner: Take action on litter and fly-tipping.
Safer: Call for more police to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour and safer roads for all.
Greener: Tackling the Climate Crisis, planting more trees, and investment in parks and green spaces.
Supporting Residents: Continue supporting local community groups, and the hundreds of individual residents I help each year.
Tackling the city’s affordable housing shortage, and improving health and social equality are just some of things expected to be high up on Bev Craig’s agenda in her new role | Credit: Twitter (@bevcraig)
Throughout much of 2020 and 2021, Bev Craig is known to have played a prominent role in Manchester’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, was also said to have been instrumental in launching Manchester as a Real Living Wage City earlier this year, and during her time as a Councillor, has also lead on LGBTQ+ issues for the city.
In recent weeks and months, Craig has been outspoken about the government’s decision to rescind the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift – saying it would throw “tens of thousands of Mancunians into despair this winter” and cost residents a combined £60 million.
She has also spoken publicly on Twitter about a number of matters, including everything from the Levelling Up plans for Greater Manchester and the north, to ways to tackle the city’s homelessness crisis, and has also condemned violence against women, while showing support to the recent ‘End Spiking Now’ / ‘Girls Night In’boycott and protests in the city by calling for “venues and the police to demonstrate they are actively doing all they can to keep people safe on a night out”.
Even before officially stepping into the role of Leader of Manchester City Council on 1 December, Bev Craig has already been breaking new ground, and the passion shown through her 10-year respected career as a Councillor indicates she isn’t slowing down any time soon.
She’s only just getting started.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
Feature
Review | Snow Patrol roll back the years at Co-op Live for a mini-Manc’s first gig
Danny Jones
This weekend we enjoyed a new kind of live music experience: rediscovering the joy of listening to a childhood favourite by watching it through the eyes of the next generation – that was how we witnessed a fully-fledged arena return to Manchester for Snow Patrol at Co-op Live.
And it was special for lots of reasons.
Taking a little one to their first gig is something you’ll never forget and sharing a new-found connection with a band that you loved when you were their age is one of those magical things about music that we’re eternally grateful for.
You might assume the Snow Patrol crowd one skews a little older for the most part but we were pleased to see there were more than a few kids and teenagers donning tour tees, looking wide-eyed at the sheer size of the Co-op Live arena, and singing the words back better than Gary Lightbody at times.
Sees the sign: ‘Race you there!’ (Credit: Audio North)
Yes, the Belfast-born frontman made a few mistakes on the night, but it did add a rather laid-back quality to what many acts might have found a daunting performance: playing a sell-out night to around 23,500 fans inside the enormous state-of-the-art venue.
But, obviously, there wasn’t even a whiff of nerves from these lads.
You don’t get to have been around for this long and become as successful as they are without being able to relax on stage and lean into those idiosyncratic perfections that feel more like private moments shared between the artist and the crowd.
The young lad sat watching it with us certainly got a kick out of it and though we might not have been able to cover his ears in time to censor some light but ever-charming swear words (it always sounds better in Irish, don’t you think?), it made for some nice banter between him and the crowd.
Big props must go to Johnny McDaid on the keys too, who besides having written for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams, Alicia Keys, Biffy Clyro and countless others over the years, also managed to impress by playing the majority of this entire tour after having trapped his hand in a train door. OUCH.
Credit: The Manc Group
Not only was that little interlude up there with one of the most applause-worthy parts of the entire show, but we were always pretty blown away by what we saw, as we all as what we heard.
Be it watching a digital tree come to life, shed its leaves and then fall as petal confetti, two sheer semi-opaque paper-thin screens swirl to create the album cover art for their latest album, or kicking the gig off with ‘Take Back The City’ as a multicoloured skyline appeared behind them, it was all pretty incredible.
We even got to hear a personal favourite of ours, ‘Set Fire To The Third Bar’, complete with a virtual performance from the voice that truly makes the song: Martha Wainwright.
It was in moments like this when we turned to see a 10-year-old’s face not quite sure of what it was seeing but an open-mouthed expression confirming they were finding it as stunning as we were.
We thoroughly enjoyed going through the back catalogue and working our way right up to plenty of the songs from The Forest Is The Path – which Gary himself firmly believes is their best work yet when we interviewed him – but it was as visually stunning as it was to the gorgeous sonically.
Both proved to be a brilliant way to see the contemporary rock, indie and alternative veterans, but there’s something about giving them a stage as big as this that reminds you of just how much they deserve it.
Up there with one of the prettiest gig snapshots in our memory.Not quite a hologram but very cool nonetheless.The production levels are always top-tier at Co-op Live but the Snow Patrol set was much more impressive than we expected.
Last but not least, thanks to Co-op Live not just for having but for creating a little boy’s memory that he’ll never forget.
Flashbacks: The timelapse of the Trafford Centre construction that’s gone viral
Danny Jones
The Trafford Centre might look like some decadent Roman emperor’s palace or as if it was plucked from the heart of Ancient Grecian city, but as anyone old enough to remember it’s opening and/or construction will tell you, it seems strange to think its not even been around for three decades yet.
As Greater Manchester’s and one of the North West’s most famous shopping centres full stop, the iconic attraction first began being built back in 1996, when John Major was Prime Minister, Manchester United were still Premier League champions, Britpop was at its peak and George Michael was number one.
It’s fair to say that a lot has changed since then and although Oasis might be back come 2025, The Trafford Centre and surrounding area are pretty unrecgonisable compared to nearly 30 years ago.
All told, it took approximately 27 months to erect the neo-classical epicentre of all things shopping, leisure, food and fanciness – and here’s what the process looked like:
With the initial 14 million sq ft shopping centre being completed in September 1998 following approximately 810 days of work, The Trafford Centre debuted to the Manc public and beyond.
It took more than 3,000 builders to bring the 60 hectare site to life at the peak of construction and since then the plot has only grown bigger, bolder and more ambitious over time.
Present day, it has everything from cinema screens and a mini Legoland to a Sea Life location, multiple bowling alleys and countless other forms of entertainment beyond just rows of shops and restaurants – hence why it remains busy pretty much year-round.
Back then, British celebrities, popular local names of note, politicians, dignitaries and prominent figures from the retail industry got to visit as part of exclusive preview events in the days before its launch date.
You can see the spectacle and fascination surrounding the official opening event here:
Seems surreal watching this today but the construction of the Trafford Centre was a huge moment not just for 0161 but all of the North.
But of course, the entire complex itself has seen multiple extensions over the years, including massive developments such as Barton Square and The Great Hall.
At the outset, it cost more than £600 million to build The Trafford Centre; the major renovations mentioned above which took place in 2008 cost another £100m and the Trafford Palazzo revamp around a decade later came in at around £75m.
There has and always will be lots of money put behind this intruguing monument to modern consumerism, and big brands will continue to flock to open units within the huge expanse whenever they can: some of the most recent being Archie’s, Flying Tiger, Sephora, Tiffany, Gymshark and more.
We’ll admit the aesthetic still makes us double-take from time to time (though not as much as confused Londoners visiting for the first time), but it’s not like this part of the world hasn’t boasted plenty of other curiosities in the past…
Emily Sergeant -
29th October 2021 
