I must say that my initial reaction to the appointment of Sir Richard Leese to the board of the Salford Urban Regeneration Company is one of scepticism and concern.
Of course the City Councils of Manchester and Salford should work together on issues of common interest. However, that is very different from asking the leader of Manchester City Council to wear two hats and sit on the Salford URC.
Most developers looking to invest in city centre Salford will have the same options in central Manchester. Sir Richard has a clear conflict of interest. Is he really going to put the interests of Salford first?
Let me give you a hypothetical example. The Co-operative Group have already signalled their intention to quit their current Northern Quarter site. Where would Sir Richard stand if the Co-op found that the most efficient site was to build a new HQ at, say, Greengate? These conflicts will arise all the time.
Of course, Sir Richard Leese and the Manchester City Council leadership do not have a track record of good behaviour when it comes to Manchester/Salford relations. Remember the dog-in-the-manger attitude to the BBC decision? Sir Richard and his colleagues acted as if they’d rather the BBC stayed in London than came to Salford - and we are now trusting him with a seat on the Urban Regeneration Company?
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