By Ethan Davies

Greater Manchester is set to get a new top public official — as the mayor's office has named its preferred choice for a new chief executive.

Caroline Simpson, current chief executive of Stockport council, is now poised to lead the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), it was announced on Thursday (March 7). Ms Simpson is set to take over the role following the announcement that incumbent, Eamonn Boylan, will retire following the May mayoral elections.

It means Ms Simpson, chosen after being grilled by a panel including Andy Burnham and seven local authority leaders, will become the second chief exec in the GMCA's history. Mr Boylan took over the role in January 2017, only months before its first Mayoral election — ironically also moving from the top job in Stockport.

(Image - Alasdair Perry)

"Greater Manchester has cemented its position as the leading city-region when it comes to English devolution," Ms Simpson said. "That didn't happen by accident, but is the result of the vision, the values, and the courage of civic leaders here to do things differently and put power back into the hands of our people and places.

"Our city-region is now on the cusp of transformational change – and my priority is to catalyse the collaboration and the partnerships that are essential to driving that change, whether that be on the local, national, or international stage. I am passionate about Greater Manchester's devolution journey and our commitment to make this a greener, fairer, more prosperous city-region."

The man who is bidding to be her new boss with a third Mayoral term, Andy Burnham, said he is 'in no doubt' Ms Simpson can meet 'considerable expectations'. He added: "She is highly capable and brings huge energy to everything she does. We would be delighted to have her leading Greater Manchester into an exciting new era."

Ms Simpson's appointment as the joint-GMCA and TfGM chief executive and head of paid service, which is a statutory Combined Authority role, will be the subject of a report to the GMCA on Friday, March 22. 

It is expected she will take over from Mr Boylan in early summer.

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