Leader's blog - Trafford is on the right path

Hundreds of new homes, thousands of more jobs, better leisure facilities and help for those who need it most are all being delivered across the borough.

I was delighted to be with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham on the day he announced Trafford will benefit with an investment of more than £110m in the borough from the GM Growth Fund.

It includes a relief road at Carrington backed by nearly £90m, which will help unlock 350,000sqm of employment space and up to 5,300 new jobs around the cluster of low carbon, green energy businesses in the area which has been named Energy Campus.

Then there is the £23.9 million for 249 homes in Stretford town centre as part of the redevelopment of the former Arndale shopping centre, building on the new King Street transformation.

Improved bus services are on their way as well with more of them running across Sale, Altrincham, Stretford and Partington, and at later times.

Recently, I attended the first board meeting of the Old Trafford Mayoral Development Corporation led by Lord Coe who helped drive the success of the London Olympics. This is such an exciting project which will transform the district around Manchester United’s ground bringing new hope for people and businesses in the area.

Culture sport and heritage for everyone

Elsewhere our sports, arts and culture is thriving across the borough. I was at the launch of our Heritage Framework which was developed with residents, community groups, businesses and partners. It strengthens the Council’s commitment to making sure that heritage is for everyone and that the stories, places and cultures that shape Trafford are shared and celebrated.

I was delighted to catch up with the people behind Oyez Arts who have signed a 25 lease to work in Altrincham Town Hall. It was also fantastic to see the North Light Cinema opening in Stretford.

In Partington, football changing rooms have been transformed at Cross Lane Park and a new BMX pump track has been officially opened following a £1m investment.

It was also a pleasure to join residents who gathered at William Wroe Meadows, Flixton, to celebrate its legal protection and to start a new Friends group dedicated to its future care.

A thriving economy and homes for all

With our partners we have invested millions over the year into Altrincham and it was good to see it named the best place to live in the North West in the Sunday Times Best Places To Live 2026 guide.

But I know all too well that life is hard for many people living in Trafford. That’s why we have updated our poverty strategy to help those who are struggling with the cost of living.

We will continue to support people who need our help most and we recognise the cost of living hasn’t gone away.

All this is happening despite the financial issues we had faced when setting our budget for the next financial year.

Financial pressures and responsible planning

So much has been written and said about the situation we have found ourselves in through no fault of our own. The government’s Fair Funding Review wasn’t kind to us, cuts of £330m over 15 years to local council budgets have added to our burden, and years of freezing council tax mean we have a structural deficit in our finances. And add to this more people than ever need our services.

We are not standing idly by though, and discussions remain ongoing with government officials which have the potential for further support for service transformation, that may lessen our need for exceptional financial support (EFS) in the future.

In Greater Manchester, we have reached agreement with fellow council leaders and chief executives to reduce the financial burden of EFS in 2026/27 and later years. This is significant and underlines why our good relationship with GM remains so important.

Despite the challenges we faced, we still set a revenue budget of £273.7m which includes nearly £64m to be spent on children’s services and £110m on adult social care. People often forget just what a sizable amount this is and the fact it is a statutory obligation for council to deliver these services and rightly so. Our job is to support the most vulnerable in our society and I make no apologies for that.

The capital programme will also see £11.2m on road repairs and maintenance including fixing potholes, £14.7m on schools, £13m on leisure facilities and £3.6m on parks and green spaces. I know how important these ‘bread and butter’ things are to residents.

Finally, I would like to reassure you all that I am determined to make sure that Trafford continues to be a place where all our residents, businesses and communities thrive.