Shaw takes Wirral regeneration hot seat
Marcus Shaw has been appointed as interim director of regeneration, the fifth person to lead the department in the last two years.
He has been at Wirral Council since March 2023 when he joined from the GPA. He previously spent more than nine years in various roles at Manchester City Council between 2010 and 2019.
Shaw, who was Wirral’s assistant director of property, regeneration and investment at the council, is making the step up following the departure of Marc Cole in July.
Cole left due to “ill-health” three months after taking over from David Hughes, who left to council for another public sector job at Tower Hamlets.
Hughes was the last person to hold the position on a permanent basis, leading the regen team from January 2023 to April this year.
Alan Evans was the last long-term head of Wirral’s regeneration division. He left for Homes England in 2022 after eight years in the job. He was initially replaced on an interim basis by Sally Shah.
Shah is among several others to have left the council’s place directorate in recent months. The others include Cathy Palmer, Keith Keeley, and Damian Cooke.
As regeneration director, Shaw will be in charge of Wirral Council’s pipeline of major projects, which includes the regeneration of Birkenhead town centre.
A spokesperson for Wirral Council said: “Wirral Council has acted swiftly to appoint a new interim director of regeneration and place after the departure due to ill health of Marc Cole.
“Marcus’s appointment means he can continue to drive forward Wirral’s ambitious regeneration plans at pace, supported by the hardworking staff in his department and the council’s wider senior management team.”
The spokesperson added: “With a strong property and regeneration background, Marcus has worked in the public sector for over 15 years and has extensive expertise of regeneration, development and investment, housing, planning, commercial property, real estate strategy, capital projects, community asset transfer, and One Public Estate.”
That’s a good shout. Shaw is a smart operator.
By Anonymous
The Wirral is competent enough to stand on its own two feet and become a metro independent of the LCR.
By Belmont
@ Belmont, why would you want Wirral to be independent from LCR, the overwhelming population have family links or are from Liverpool, they support mostly Liverpool or Everton, and the trains are full of people travelling over to Liverpool to shop and relax. Merseyrail is run by LCR and provides a great service on the Wirral, the Mersey docks is active on both sides of the river, and the tunnels link us by road. This outdated minority view that Wirralians are somehow superior to those on the Right Bank is just a bore.
I don`t really see what the appointment of a Director of Regeneration has to do with the make up of the LCR , we will never get harmony while your attitude prevails.
By Anonymous
@Belmont – I’m from the Wirral and no and no
By Flan
Belmont you really don’t seem to understand the concept of a combined authority 6 councils all of equal status are strengthened by a united strategic approach, which as they are all on the governing body the CA is controlled by the authorities….i suspect you also supported Brexit as similar false arguments were made !
By George
Good luck and strong elbows.
Wirral has so much potential, it’s the best connected part Merseyside/LCR in terms of rail with good schools, educated workforce, a broad mixture of housing and loads of under-used space.
Get planning, get delivering.
By DenseCity
Not a good appointment
By Jeff