Paul Dennett

Paul Dennett was born in Warrington, moving to Manchester and then Salford during his time at university, qualifying with a BA (Hons) in International Business, an MSc in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations and MRES Research in Social Sciences. He worked as a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan Business School, the Chamber of Commerce and was an active Trade Unionist before being elected a local councillor for Langworthy in 2012.

He served as a Strategic Assistant Mayor between 2012-16, with a focus on equalities and cohesion, technology and change, urban transformation and workforce issues (his portfolio expanded to include innovation, prosperity and growth). Since May 2016, Paul has been the Mayor-elect of Salford City Council.

Paul has a long history of campaigning on social issues. In 2015 he introduced the (Salford) City-Wide Equality strategy, recognising the central role which Salford residents play in the every-day running of our communities. He also led on the Financial Inclusion Survey as chair of the Financial Inclusion Practitioner Group (FIPG). The survey brought attention to the need for reliable banking services to prevent home repossessions and insolvencies, providing a safety net for Salford's residents and preventing a downward spiral of financial exclusion.

He also played a leading role in Salford's Living Wage campaign, helping to ensure that Salford City Council is now the first accredited Living Wage Council in Greater Manchester.

Since becoming City Mayor, Paul has emphasised the importance of housing, jobs and equalities. In July 2016 Paul was appointed Greater Manchester Combined Authority Portfolio Lead for Low Carbon, Waste and Environment.

In 2017 Paul was appointed Greater Manchester Combined Authority Portfolio Lead for Housing, Homelessness and Infrastructure. He has recently overseen Greater Manchester’s Housing Strategy and currently oversees the Infrastructure Strategy and Plan for Homes, Jobs and the Environment.