When Sir Richard Leese became Manchester's council leader in 1996, Jon-Connor Lyons was still in the womb. Now, the 26-year-old Labour councillor from Newton Heath will have the final say on what gets built across the city.
The city centre councillor is set to be the youngest person to run the council's planning committee, overseeing major decisions that will shape Manchester's future. He spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about how he intends to use this influence, what he wants to see built across the city in the years to come and where he thinks the town hall has got it wrong in the past.
A highly-respected local government leader, Sir Richard Leese oversaw the city centre's transformation during his 25-year tenure in the top town hall job, leaving a rapidly rising skyline as his legacy when he resigned in late 2021. But, in more recent years, Manchester council has recognised that the city needs more affordable housing.
