Manchester coaxes top political boss out of retirement to run council temporarily

One of Greater Manchester’s top political figures has been coaxed out of retirement to run Manchester council on an interim basis.

Eamonn Boylan was the chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) from 2017 until June of this year, when he took the decision to step down from his role. However, having only been away from work for a matter of weeks, Manchester City Council has announced he will become its new chief executive on a short-term basis.

Mr Boylan’s about-turn has come after current chief executive Joanne Roney announced her decision to take up a new job heading up troubled Birmingham council, her hometown. Ms Roney will leave Manchester at the beginning of September, it was confirmed by council leader Bev Craig on Wednesday (July 10).

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The council says his job will be to ‘ensure a smooth transition while the process to select and appoint the new chief executive is completed’. In a statement, Mr Boylan said: “Manchester was a happy home for me for many years and as one of the most exciting cities and local authorities in the country, it’s a proud moment to come back to my old stomping ground and help lead this wonderful city.

“Manchester and Greater Manchester have been where I’ve spent the best years of my local government career – most recently at GMCA – and given I had always envisaged continuing to be part of local government after announcing my retirement, the opportunity to take up the interim Chief Executive role in Manchester was too good to miss.”

Mr Boylan joined the GMCA from Stockport Council, where he was also chief exec. His 42-year-long career in local government also saw him hold senior roles at Sheffield City Council and the National Housing Agency, now called Homes England.

In her own statement, Coun Craig also said the process to appoint a new Chief Executive for Manchester City Council was underway. The Labour leader said: “We believe that the role of chief executive at Manchester City Council is the best job in local government – at the heart of this ambitious council and this world-class city. We look forward to appointing a long-term chief executive, to help us achieve growth that benefits everyone while delivering good quality day-to-day services.”