{{Short description|Council leader of Manchester since December 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Bev Craig | image = Councillor Bev Craig Leader MCC 2026.jpg | office = Leader of Manchester City Council | term_start = 1 December 2021 | term_end = | predecessor = Richard Leese | office2 = Member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority | term_start2 = December 2021 | term_end2 = | predecessor2 = Richard Leese | office3 = Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council | term_start3 = 19 May 2021 | term_end3 = 1 December 2021 | alongside3 = Luthfur Rahman | office4 = Member of Manchester City Council for Burnage | term_start4 = 5 May 2011 | alongside4 = Azra Ali<!--Q56704860--> and Murtaza Iqbal<!--Q56704837--> | majority4 = 2,615 | predecessor4 = John Cameron | birth_place = Belfast, Northern Ireland | party = Labour Party | alma_mater = University of Manchester | caption = Official portrait, 2026 }}
'''Beverley Anne Craig''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} is a Labour politician serving as the leader of Manchester City Council, and the councillor for Burnage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/i-dont-want-pigeonholed-manchesters-22325143|title="I don't want to be pigeonholed": Manchester's new town hall leader on who she is and what comes next|work=Manchester Evening News|date=1 December 2021|access-date=1 December 2021}}</ref> As leader she is also a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and is the combined authority's portfolio lead for Economy, Business and Inclusive Growth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/who-we-are/gmca-members/bev-craig/|title=Councillor Bev Craig|publisher=Greater Manchester Combined Authority|access-date=27 May 2023}}</ref> She was also a founding signatory of Open Labour, an activist group for the soft left of the Labour Party.
Craig was elected Leader of Manchester City Council by the ruling Labour group of councillors in October 2021, and officially succeeded Richard Leese at a full meeting of the council on his retirement on 1 December 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/bev-craig-sir-richard-leese-21773463 |title=Bev Craig announced as new leader of Manchester council, the first woman to take on the role |last=Bardsley |first=Andrew |date=5 October 2021 |website=Manchester Evening News |publisher=Reach plc |access-date=6 October 2021 |quote=She will take over from Sir Richard on December 1.}}</ref>
==Biography==
Craig is originally from Belfast and is the city council’s first female and LGBT leader. She grew up on a council estate just outside Belfast and moved to Manchester from Northern Ireland in 2003. She told the BBC, "I grew up in social housing and my family still rely on it. I know the value of [what] the safety net of a good quality home can give you when times are tough", and that she wanted "to reach a point where me being a woman and being gay is entirely uninteresting and unremarkable".<ref>{{cite news |title=Bev Craig elected first female leader of Manchester City Council |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-58813066 |access-date=7 October 2021 |publisher=BBC |date=6 October 2021}}</ref>
She graduated from Manchester University in 2007 with a degree in politics and modern history and later gaining a postgraduate in Local Government Management from Warwick Business School and a MA in public policy and governance from UoM, both whilst working full time. She has held a range of jobs across local government, higher education and working for the trade union UNISON.
Before she was appointed as deputy leader of the council in May 2021, she spent four years as executive member for adult services, health, wellbeing and inclusion. She was also deputy chair of Manchester Health and Care Commissioning and co-chair of the Manchester Local Care Organisation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Manchester's new leader – Meet Bev Craig |url=https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/manchesters-new-leader-meet-bev-craig/ |access-date=5 October 2021 |publisher=Place North West |date=5 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="men-deputy-leader-election">{{cite web |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-council-makes-history-electing-20624255 |title=Manchester council makes history by electing an openly gay councillor and an elected member of Bangladeshi heritage to serve as deputy leaders |last=Griffiths |first=Niall |date=18 May 2021 |website=Manchester Evening News |publisher=Reach plc |access-date=6 October 2021}}</ref>
Craig is the Leader of the Labour Group and Vice-Chair of the Local Government Association, which supports councillors across England and Wales. She is the Vice-Chair of Greater Manchester Combined Authority and leads on the Economy, Business, and International Portfolio. Previously, she was Chair of Core Cities UK, a network representing the largest cities in the UK outside of London.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Authority |first=Greater Manchester Combined |title=Home |url=https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/who-we-are/gmca-members/bev-craig |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=Greater Manchester Combined Authority |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Executive Team {{!}} Local Government Association |url=https://www.local.gov.uk/lga-labour/about-us/executive-team |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=www.local.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Richard Leese}} {{s-ttl|title=Leader of Manchester City Council|years=2021–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Bev}} Category:Living people Category:Labour Party (UK) councillors Category:Councillors in Manchester Category:Leaders of local authorities in Greater Manchester Category:Politicians from Belfast Category:English LGBTQ politicians Category:LGBTQ politicians from Northern Ireland Category:1985 births Category:21st-century LGBTQ people from Northern Ireland Category:Women councillors in England Category:Members of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Category:Alumni of the University of Manchester Category:UK councillors 2011–2015