Richard Leese

Sir Richard Charles Leese, CBE (born 21 April 1951[1][2]) is a former British politician who served as the leader of Manchester City Council from 1996 to 2021. He has been a member of the Labour Party since 1984.[1][3]

Sir
Richard Leese
CBE
Richard Leese talking at the University of Salford in 2012.
Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester
In office
8 May 2017 – 8 December 2021
MayorAndy Burnham
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byPaul Dennett
Leader of Manchester City Council
In office
20 May 1996 – 1 December 2021
Preceded byGraham Stringer
Succeeded byBev Craig
Member of Manchester City Council for Crumpsall
In office
3 May 1984 – 4 January 2022
Preceded byFrederick Lever
Personal details
Born
Richard Charles Leese

(1951-04-21) 21 April 1951[1]
Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England
Political partyLabour
Spouses
  • Michal Evans (1982–2000)[1]
  • Joanne Green (2003–present)[1]
Alma materUniversity of Warwick
Awards

On 6 May 2017, Leese was appointed Deputy Mayor for Business and Economy by Mayor of Greater Manchester, and former Health Secretary, Andy Burnham.[4] He stepped down as leader of the council on 1 December 2021 and resigned from the council on 4 January 2022,[5] having spent 38 years as a councillor.[6]

Education

Leese was born and brought up in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. He was educated at The Brunts School and went on to the University of Warwick, graduating with an undergraduate degree in Mathematics.[1]

Career

Initially, Leese worked as a teacher of mathematics at Sidney Stringer School in Coventry[1] and as an exchange teacher at Washington Junior High School in Duluth, Minnesota (USA) before moving to Manchester to take up a post as a youth worker. Leese has been employed variously in youth work, community work, and education research 1979–1988.

Leese was elected to the Manchester City Council in 1984 and was its deputy leader from 1990 until 1996, having previously chaired the Education Committee (1986–1990) and Finance Committee (1990–1995). From 1984 until 4 January 2022, he was a Labour councillor in the Crumpsall ward.[7]

He was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2006 List after overseeing the 10-year regeneration of the city after the IRA bomb of 1996. He was awarded a knighthood for "services to local government".[8]

Leese was one of the main advocates of Congestion Charging in Greater Manchester, as part of a bid to the Government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) for a £2.7 billion package of transport funding for Greater Manchester. Congestion charging was ultimately rejected by the local population in a referendum.[9][10][11]

He is current chair of the North West Regional Leaders Board (4NW).

In September 2021 during an interview with the Manchester Evening News, Leese announced he would be stepping down as leader of Manchester City Council in December 2021 and would not be standing in the 2022 local elections.[12]

In October 2021, Leese was announced as the new Chair-designate of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) for Greater Manchester.

Controversy

On 14 April 2010, the BBC reported that Leese had stood down temporarily from his post as leader of Manchester City Council after having been arrested on suspicion of the common assault of his 16-year-old stepdaughter. He was released after accepting a police caution and admitting striking his stepdaughter across the face.[13][14]

References
  1. "'LEESE, Sir Richard Charles', Who's Who 2013, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2013; online edn, Oxford University Press, December 2012".(subscription required)
  2. "Core Cities Summit". Core Cities. 7 November 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  3. Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council explains why HS2 is good for Manchester on YouTube
  4. "Mayor of Greater Manchester – Andy Burnham launches leadership team". rochdaleonline.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  5. "Notice of casual vacancy in the office of councillor" (PDF). 4 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  6. "Sir Richard Leese to stand down as Manchester council leader after 25 years". Manchester Evening News. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  7. "Councillor Richard Leese". Manchester City Council. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  8. "Knighthood for leader who saw city reborn". Manchester Evening News. 17 June 2006.
  9. "Voters reject congestion charge". BBC News. 12 December 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  10. Salter, Alan (5 May 2007). "C-charge details revealed". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
  11. Staff and agencies (27 July 2007). "Manchester makes move towards congestion charge". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
  12. Williams, Jennifer (7 September 2021). "Sir Richard Leese to stand down as Manchester council leader". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  13. "Manchester City Council leader steps down after assault". BBC News. 14 April 2010.
  14. Carter, Helen (14 April 2010). "Manchester council leader Richard Leese cautioned over stepdaughter assault". The Guardian. London.
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