What a brilliant start to 2025! LeadersPlus Cohort 5 presented four thought-provoking Proposals for GM on how to spend the upcoming Devolution Deal’s integrated settlement. Strong ideas – and serious questions from our expert audience – balanced by time to catch up with friends and colleagues at the inspiring Manchester Art Gallery, all followed by a lovely grad lunch.
A common theme captured by GMCA Chief Executive Caroline Simpson, who closed the event and is keen to help these ideas develop, was prevention:
💧 “Rain Guarden” – Neighbourhood-level floodproofing, with a revolving fund powered by Biodiversity Net Gain development contributions (the audience winner). Team: Victoria Carr, Homes England; Melanie Cook, Manchester City Council; Andrew Leigh, Liverpool City Council; Grace Pagani, Arup.
🚶♂️➡️🚶♂️➡️🚶♂️➡️ Child Poverty Alleviation Hub – With *1 in 3* GM children living in poverty, the Hub would share evidence, collaborate better and apply a child-focused lens to all devolution pillars, for better outcomes and government leverage. Team: Anna Bevington, Arup; James Collier, Manchester City Council; Catherine Connors, Salford City Council; Lucy Lovatt, Homes England; Jo Moon, Barnardo’s.
🏚️ Rethinking supported housing – A way to build more and better homes for those with extra needs, for quality of life, to reduce future costs, and to share the burden of capital spend more usefully. Team: Jemma Billing, NHS GM; Stephanie Furness, GMCA; Robert Goulsbra, Transport for GM; Gary Leckenby, Trowers & Hamlins.
📲 Engaging better with communities through digital (and other) support and training for the third sector. Team – Claire Connor, NHS GM; Tony Shepherd, Oldham Council; Nicola Waterworth, GM Ageing Hub; Sophie Williams, Gleeds.
Thanks to all who attended, to the generous mentors who support our rising talent; to Leaders partners Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Hatch, Trowers & Hamlins and Arup and to our lovely event crew, Solid Ground’s Ffion Williams & Lee Decieco; Edgar To, Skye Radford and Faeeza Iftikhar. It takes a village to propose a better village!
Congratulations to all our graduates:
- Anna Bevington – Associate Planner, Arup
- Jemma Billing – Associate Director, Stockport Locality, NHS GM
- Victoria Carr – Senior Manager, Markets Partners Place, Homes England
- James Collier – District Centres Programme Manager, Manchester City Council
- Claire Connor – Associate Director, Communications & Engagement, NHS GM
- Catherine Connors – Service Manager, Welfare Rights, Debt Advice & Fairer Charging, Salford City Council
- Melanie Cook – Communications Business Partner, Manchester City Council
- Stephanie Furness – Delivery Manager, Place Directorate, GMCA
- Robert Goulsbra MRICS – Head of Estates Development, TfGM
- Gary Leckenby – Senior Associate, Trowers & Hamlins
- Andrew Leigh – Director of Housing, Liverpool City Council
- Lucy Lovatt – Head, Markets Partners Place, Homes England
- Jo Moon – Project Manager, Special Projects, Barnardo’s
- Grace Pagani – Senior Engineer, Arup
- Tony Shepherd – Assistant Director, Education & Early Years, Oldham Council
- Nicola Waterworth – Strategic Lead, Ageing In Place, GM Ageing Hub
Thanks to our fantastic Round 6 mentors!
- Rukhsana Anwar – Partner, Trowers & Hamlins
- Caroline Baker – Partner, North West, Cushman & Wakefield
- Jessica Bowles – Director, Strategic Partnerships & Impact, Bruntwood
- Eamonn Boylan – Chief Executive, Homes England
- Chris Cheap – Principal & Managing Director, Transactions, Avison Young
- Danny Crump – Director of Urbanism, Layer Studio
- Jacqueline Esimaje-Heath – Director of Growth, L&Q
- Paul Gibbons – Managing Principal, Decipher Group
- Angela Harrington – Director, Inclusive Growth, Manchester City Council
- Jane Healey Brown – Director and Global Town Planning & Policy Skills Lead, Arup
- John Herring – Director of Organisational Development & Culture, NHS GM
- Claire Norman – Director of Communications & Engagement, GMCA
- Stephen O’Malley – Chief Executive, Civic
- Andrew Pattinson – Partner & Head of Real Estate North, Shoosmiths
- Graham Ritchie – Head of Commercial Mortgages North, Aldermore Bank
- Katie Saunders – Partner & Head of Manchester Construction, Trowers & Hamlins
- Neil Walmsley – UK/Europe Managing Director, Hatch Urban Solutions
- Mike Wilton – Director, Leader of the Global Civil Engineering & Utilities Skills Network, Arup & Chair, Manchester Climate Change Partnership
And as always, thanks to our rock-solid Leaders programme sponsors: GMCA, Hatch Urban Solutions, Trowers & Hamlins and Arup.
For info on LeadersPlus 6 (Mar 6th and again in 2026) or FutureLeaders (next intake October 2025), contact collette@futureofgreatermanchester.com.
PS. If you like the photos, get in touch with photographer Fiona Finchett; a great eye and a pleasure to work with!
