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Bernstein welcomes Downtown Manchester
Crain's Manchester Business | 12th March 2010

Manchester City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein last night welcomed new Downtown Manchester in Business at its official launch at the Hilton hotel last night, saying that “cities generally but Manchester in particular need debate and constructive challenge”.

“I welcome this initiative,” said Sir Howard. “I believe places like Manchester will only achieve their full economic potential not just through partnership but also through a spirit of constructive challenge and debate. Manchester today is looking forward because I believe we have challenged ourselves.”

McKenna said that after establishing the Downtown in Business group six years ago in Liverpool and three years ago in Preston, he was “absolutely delighted to bring Downtown to the premier city in the North”.

“It was almost inevitable that we appeared here one day because the very idea of Downtown was, at least in part, born out of a conversation I had with Tony Wilson back in 1999.”

He said that the Downtown model had been set up along similar lines to the “McEnroe group” of local business leaders who had challenged the city’s proposal for rebranding itself in the wake of the IRA bomb.

“We hope we can bring new people to the table from the business community and with them some new ideas. If we do, we know they will be listened to seriously.”