Sir Howard Bernstein’s successor as chief executive of Manchester City Council is seen as a business-friendly, pro-development champion of the Northern Powerhouse.
Joanne Roney is the current chief executive of Wakefield Council, West Yorkshire, a member of the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership board and lead executive for skills funding at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
In her new position, due to be confirmed at a council meeting on 14 December, she will lead the development of the city’s strategic planning frameworks and recommending planning applications.
Roney has a track record of spearheading successful public-private partnerships, including overseeing the set-up of Wakefield council’s own housing company, Bridge Homes, in joint partnership with developer WDH.
Speaking to Estates Gazette at MIPIM UK in October, she said: “We’re operating with a developer partner on a completely commercial footing. We wanted to build high-quality homes with an element of affordability to them, in areas that had slowed down. We wanted to demonstrate that that market was still viable.” In the first phase, 28 of the 30 homes built sold in the first three months.
Mark Latham, regeneration director at Urban Splash, recalls Roney’s proactive development approach when she was involved in Sheffield’s Park Hill regeneration project in her previous role as the council’s executive director of housing and community care. He said: “She and her team understood partnerships and the drivers that commercial organisations have but also getting the right thing for the city, so I see her appointment as fantastically positive.”
Her regeneration experience also includes the recovery of Wakefield’s 500,000 sq ft Trinity Walk Shopping Centre. Development stalled during the financial crisis when Anglo Irish Bank withdrew its funding and developer Modus went into administration. She put together a rescue package of new finance and in 2010 the scheme was sold to a consortium of Sovereign Land, AREA Property Partners and Shepherd Construction. The shopping centre opened in 2011.
Matt Crompton, joint managing director at Muse Developments, which is regenerating a 17-acre derelict site in Wakefield in partnership with the council and English Cities Fund, said she had been available when needed and was “not frightened of making difficult decisions”. He said: “She will have to rise to the challenge and show she is available when you need help. She was there with Trinity Walk and I think that’s gone on leaps and bounds.”
Due to be elected in May, the first Greater Manchester mayor will take on planning and housing powers including overseeing the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework and controlling the £300m Greater Manchester Housing Fund. But the mayor will need the support of the regions’ 10 council leaders and chief executives to implement policies. Former Labour leadership contender Andy Burnham is favourite to win.
Joanne Roney CV
Roney was born in Birmingham and grew up on a council estate before leaving school at 16 to start a career in local government as an apprentice
1992 Earns MBA in public sector management from Birmingham City University, studying part-time
1997-1999 Director of housing at Kirklees council, Huddersfield
1999-2008 Executive director of housing and community care at Sheffield City Council
2009 Awarded an OBE for
her services to local government
2008-present Chief executive of Wakefield Council
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