One of the most influential public officials in the North, Eamonn Boylan has played a huge part in the transformation of Greater Manchester.
When Eamonn Boylan got his first job as a housing officer in Miles Platting, Ancoats was derelict. Four decades later, it is one of the most desirable places to live in Manchester - and it has even been crowned one of the 'coolest' neighbourhoods in the world.
Mr Boylan, who worked at Manchester and Stockport councils before joining the GMCA, took the top job at a time when the city centre's skyline was changing dramatically. But as more swanky skyscrapers continue to pop up, many residents are being priced out. Manchester councillors often blame government guidance which considers a development that yields less than a 20 per cent profit margin as not 'viable'. This is regularly used by developers as a reason why they will not build or contribute towards affordable housing.
"One of the reasons why we don't have sufficient affordable housing in Greater Manchester is because, as a set of national priorities, we've not prioritised the delivery of genuinely affordable housing. According to Mr Boylan, local leaders have spent years arguing with the government about the need for more funding. Describing himself as 'bag carrier' for his predecessor, former Manchester council boss Sir Howard Bernstein, who negotiated the first devolution deal for the city-region a decade ago, Mr Boylan says that funding - worth £150m - was finally secured last year in the 'trailblazer' deal.
Last year also saw the rollout of the first publicly controlled buses in Greater Manchester since the 1980s. Greater Manchester was given the power to take buses under public control in 2017 as part of a deal which saw the creation of Mr Burnham's job as mayor. Except, some of the city-region will not be part of the plan to build 165,000 new homes - including some on green belt sites which will no longer be protected from development. Stockport council pulled out in late 2020, just before the plan was finally set to be agreed.
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