Simpson formally resigns as GMCA chief exec
Caroline Simpson has worked her last day as the chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester, taking up a key role in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s No10 North.
A statement from the GMCA, sent on the day Burnham held his first meetings from the Westminster outpost at Heron House in Albert Square, confirmed she had resigned and left the role she held for two years.
Simpson had already handed over returning officer duties ahead of the mayoral by-election on 30 July, in which Manchester City Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig is a heavy favourite to win with bookmakers.
Focus for now is on that election and no timeline has been set to appoint a successor for Simpson.
John Wrathmell, group head of strategy at the GMCA and a former Labour Party head of economic policy, has been seconded to No10 North for 12 months.
GMCA managing director Andrew Lightfoot is interim chief executive, the GMCA confirmed.
A GMCA spokesperson said: “Caroline Simpson has resigned from her role as group chief executive and left Greater Manchester Combined Authority. She had already stepped back from her role as combined authority returning officer and formally handed over all election responsibilities.
“Deputy group chief executive Andrew Lightfoot, the managing director of GMCA, has taken on interim leadership. This includes Combined Authority Returning Officer duties for the Mayoral by-election.
“Arrangements are in place to ensure the continued smooth running of GMCA, as well as Transport for Greater Manchester and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service under their current leadership.”
Simpson’s resignation draws a line under speculation about when she might make the transition to national government as Burnham’s deputy chief of staff. Staff within the GMCA expressed uncertainty about the situation to the Manchester Evening News last week.
Simpson was tipped to follow Burnham into national government as soon as he won the Makerfield by-election.
She had been Burnham’s right hand at GMCA ever since she took on the role of chief executive in the summer of 2024, succeeding Eamonn Boylan.
Prior to that she had been the chief executive of Stockport Council, where she spent eight years. In addition to her role at Stockport, Simpson previously held senior posts at Cheshire East Council and is the former head of regeneration and partnerships at the Northwest Regional Development Agency.
For such a senior role she’s not worked much of a notice period has she?
By Anonymous
This type of overnight exodes and sucking senior people out at GMCA to be part of the No10 North project undermines the role, stability and integrity of the organisation. The very platform from which much of the work that the new PM did in the past and which now needs to be stable and able to support the new GM Mayor.
By Russell P
Raises the stakes for a Bev Craig win on Thursday.
By Rich X
Jobs for mates?
By Anonymous
Burnham is clearly bringing a new dynamic to the way Government is run. The new PM seems like a man in a hurry which involves “poaching” tried and trusted people to get stuff done, including Caroline Simpson. This approach much be a bit of a shock for the Westminster civil service establishment but it’s necessary to effect the real change the country needs.
By Anonymous
Poor from Burnham this. Appreciate the importance of working for government, but surely could have transitioned the role over a period of time rather than leave GMCA without a Mayor and now CEO.
By Mr Mcr
This government is all about Manchester Manchester Manchester
By Tim
Dont disagree with the idea of having the right team around you to make changes and get things done, but I dont like the idea of throwing big money around to lure people away from their current roles- there myst be a limit to how much the PM can spend on his ‘team’? Also this will unsettle the GMCA team for quite a while with no time for a transition
By JB
The notion that any of these people have their finger on the pulse of what change this country needs is laughable. One local MP was elected in Wigan. That has now morphed into dozens, possibly hundreds, of individuals being appointed to control the whole nation.
If there’s one thing the country doesn’t need, it’s a an unelected left wing Mancunian dictatorship being installed.
By John
Calm down, John. I live in Manchester and I’m fed up of the term ‘Manchesterism’ already, but I think we’re a little way off ‘an unelected left wing Mancunian dictatorship being installed.’
By Anonymous
Triggered.
By New broom
Very clear that GMCA has been a bit hollowed-out as other senior Burnham aides have gone to Downing Street North too. Joe Manning from iNVEST Manchester would be a sharp and logical appointment for GMCA – he’d be a great and safe pair of hands alongside the new Mayor.
By Interested onlooker
As a Trafford resident I’m now paying towards the costs of Trafford Council, The GMCA, The Manchester Mayors office and Number 10 North. Is it any wonder the country is broke?
By The Blob
Where was this job advertised? Jobs for the girls!
By Anonymous
Caroline Simpson was doing a great job at GMCA. I wish her well at 10 North, but personally I think it’s a high risk move given how many Chiefs and Deputy Chiefs of Staff at No 10 have been fired in recent times. She might be Burnham’s Lieutenant but she joins a No 10 team run by the establishment who will regard her as an outsider.
By Grumpy Old Git
She’s not related to Ian Simpson, is she?
By Anonymous
Strange how there is so much negativity. Isn’t this actually a really great example of both how Devolution has built high quality capacity in terms of experience from a mayor and their team that allows a transition of power incredibly quickly and relatively seamlessly? Yes, there will be short term disruption to GMCA but it allows a new PM to get to work for the whole country (including GM)at pace with a team that know him and vice versa. People may not like his policies or background, but he is PM and his ability to do his job with the best possible team from day 1 would seem to be in the national interest.
By Observer
The Blob – The country’s ‘broke’ because it voted to make itself poorer, voted for a clown to do the deal to make itself poorer and found itself lumbered with Truss/Kwarteng having given the clown’s party free rein to play at being grown ups – a task to which they were wholly unsuited. In any event, No.10 in the North should drag some money, investment and influence away from the over-heated, over-rated south-east of England.
By Northern Monkey
John, Burnham is not left wing, a dictator or a Mancunian.
By Anonymous
All of you worried about a more Manchester centric politics than we have need not fret. Manchesterism is a load of contrived rubbish and is not actually a thing. Andy Burnham has taken a lot of credit for things that have happened despite him being the mayor. That is not a criticism as this is nothing new for politicians, but he has also been able to ride the crest of the media’s need for figures to focus on and who create a counter point to the status quo. Andy Burnham has used Greater Manchester as a vehicle for his own devices, to show he can
Run an urban area on his own, and his appetite for the PM job was always his goal. He has been clever enough to go about getting the job in a different way (for modern times). Hopefully this intelligence serves us in good stead as a country during his tenure. I’m afraid the use of people he’s worked with before is a total reflection of this as he will have a lot less loyalty to Greater Manchester than a lot of people seem to think. No10 north means he can work from or close to home a few days a week.
By Anonymous
Can someone tell me how devolution in Manchester has worked?
Thriving commercial sector – that’s private sector
Repopulation of city centre – Manchester City Council
Trams – Manchester City Council and GMPT.
By Anonymous
Jobs for the girls
By Anonymous