New job to be created so deputy mayor can continue working after standing down

Greater Manchester’s deputy mayor will continue working part-time in a new role for at least six months after she stands down at the start of the new year.

Baroness Beverley Hughes will formally resign from the role responsible for police, crime, the criminal justice system and the fire service on 9 January.

The unelected position which she has served in since Andy Burnham was first elected mayor in May 2017, will be filled by outgoing Trafford MP Kate Green.

However, Baroness Hughes will continue working part-time in a new ‘assistant deputy mayor’ position to be created as part of the transition arrangements.

She will work four days a week for the first month and then two and a half days a week from February until July 2023 when the arrangements will be reviewed.

The former Labour MP will be paid at the same rate, but on a part-time basis.

It comes after ex-MP Kate Green, stood down from the Stretford and Urmston seat previously held by Baroness Hughes, to take on the role of deputy mayor.

A by-election will be held in the constituency on Thursday (15 December) in which Trafford council leader Andrew Western is the Labour Party candidate.

Baroness Hughes, who was the leader of Trafford council before becoming an MP in the 1990s, said her role will now be to support the new deputy mayor.

Speaking at the police, fire and crime panel meeting where the new deputy mayor was appointed this week, she said: “This is a huge agenda to take on.

“It’s bigger than that which I took on initially because it has grown over the years.

 

 

“To come in and assimilate all of that without having somebody you can speak to, I think would be extremely difficult for anybody.

“That is going to be my role – just to support Kate in getting to grips with this agenda and helping to move it forward.”

At the meeting on Monday 5 December, the panel also agreed to raise the salary for the deputy mayor role by almost £5,000, bringing it in line with the pay of other police and crime commissioners who are responsible for fire too.

The new assistant deputy mayor position will be paid at the same annual salary level of £89,900, but on a pro-rata basis to reflect the part-time hours worked.

Most of this pay rise – £3,000 which is in recognition of the responsibilities the role has over the fire and rescue service – will be backdated to 21 May 2021.

The additional increase of £1,900, which is in line with the national uplift for police and crime commissioners, will be backdated to 1 May of this year.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority Resources Committee will be asked to approve the creation of the assistant deputy mayor role next week.

Joseph Timan, Local Democracy Reporting Service