Cllr Bev Craig
Leader of the Council, Manchester City Council
Cllr Bev Craig will be delivering the opening address at the Quality of Life: Remaking the post-industrial city day conference in Manchester on Friday 4 October 2024
Speaker profile:
Bev became Leader of Manchester City Council on 1st December 2021.
First elected in 2011 as a Burnage Councillor, she held a range of responsibilities on Manchester City Council including as Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health and Deputy Leader.
Since becoming Leader, she has overseen Manchester’s ambitious plans to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy, increasing investment into neighbourhoods across the city, better outcomes for children and young people, tackling inequalities, building more housing and working to meet Manchester’s net zero ambitions.
Bev is a Vice-Chair of the Local Government Association and Leader of the association’s Labour Group, which represents and supports Labour Groups in England and Wales and the Labour councillors within them. In Greater Manchester she holds a range of responsibilities on behalf of the city as a Vice Chair, including leading on the Economy, Business, and International Portfolio for the Combined Authority. She was formerly Chair of Core Cities UK, the network representing the UK’s largest cities outside London.
Originally from Belfast, she moved to Manchester in 2003 for university. After graduating from the University of Manchester she began her career in Local Government, before working in higher education and then a national trade union leading on social care. She holds postgraduate degrees from Warwick Business School and the University of Manchester. Outside of politics she enjoys sports and being outdoors, music, culture and enjoying all that Manchester has to offer.
