Smith delays departure to assist in coronavirus crisis
Eddie Smith, director of growth and development at Manchester City Council, has pushed back his planned departure from the council in order to stay on in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.
Smith announced earlier this year he was to leave the organisation after 20 years, and this was due to be his final week. He will now stay on at the council until at least the end of April, when the situation will be reviewed to see if a further extension is required.
Smith is a well-known figure across the development community in Manchester and is working on several significant projects. Speaking at the time of announcement, the council said Smith was set to “step down from his role to pursue new challenges”. There have been no further details of what Smith is due to work on after his departure, however he has insisted he will be working away from Manchester and not in the public sector.
Recent years have seen the retirement of several long-term figures at Manchester City Council, including chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein in 2017, and, head of housing Paul Beardmore in 2018. Beardmore was replaced by Jon Sawyer in summer 2018, however Sawyer left the council in August 2019 to work on other projects.
