Roney to leave Manchester for Birmingham homecoming
Seven years after replacing Sir Howard Bernstein as MCC chief executive, Joanne Roney is poised to take the top job at beleaguered Birmingham City Council, a move that would see her return to her hometown.
The 62-year-old Joanne Roney is set to be announced as Birmingham’s head of paid service later today, it is understood.
Roney’s move to the West Midlands would see her join an authority in dire straits after the city council declared itself effectively bankrupt last year.
As a result, government commissioners have been installed to oversee the council’s recovery journey.
Former chief executive Deborah Cadman departed in March, opening the door for Roney’s homecoming and the challenge of turning the council’s fortunes around.
Roney, who was born in Birmingham and went to university there, began her local government career as an apprentice at the city council.
Back in Manchester, the hunt for her replacement will begin immediately.
Like Roney did, whoever gets the job will have big shoes to fill.
She took on the unenviable task of replacing Bernstein in 2017, joining from Wakefield Council. Her remit, as far as the property industry was concerned, was to keep the wheels of regeneration turning.
Highlights of her stint in Manchester include the delivery of the Factory International events venue and moving the dial on the long-awaited regeneration of Strangeways.
During her tenure, she also led Manchester’s response to the Manchester Arena bomb and Covid-19 pandemic.
Wise move. Back in her home town and a £70K salary increase. Lovely jubbly! Joking aside, she has been a great Chief Exec and was thrown in the deep end immediately at the start with the Manchester Bomb tragedy and then Coronavirus. A strong leader and Manchester’s loss is very much Birmingham’s gain. Good luck to her for the future.
By Steve
No one cares.
By Anonymous
If she were really charitable she’d do weekends at Liverpool CC as well.
By Spread the Roney
Good riddance
By Anonymous
We don’t need charity, just a fair crack of the whip.
By Liverpolitis
Always a tough gig for someone immediately after Bernie left. Add to that the lost years of Covid and the economic shock of Ukraine and what results is 7 years of torpor with nothing of note to remember it by. I wish her well, but replacing her with another non-descript, instantly forgettable, politically ‘acceptable’, career civil servant should be really easy.
By The Orkins