The Northern Agenda

What the future holds for our town halls after a turbulent and challenging last decade

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Episode notes

So if you look at the biggest jobs in local government in the North of England, undoubtedly near the top of the list are the chief executives of the city councils of Manchester and Leeds.

They're roles that come with responsibility for vital services in our region's two biggest cities, leading thousands of employees and overseeing annual budgets into the hundreds of millions.

So with both Tom Riordan, chief executive of Leeds city council, and Joanne Roney, his counterpart in Manchester, set to leave their positions this year, it's a great opportunity to talk about the time in charge, what they've learned and what the future holds for our town halls after a turbulent and challenging last decade or so.

Find out why they're expecting this year to be the toughest yet for setting town hall budgets, how our national housing crisis could be solved if the rest of the country was like Leeds and Manchester, and how the North keeps the lights on in London. Plus: Tom drops some hints about what job he's doing next...

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