About Paul

Paul Dennett was born in Warrington and brought up by a working-class family.

It was this background which had a huge impact on his politics, where money was tight and the stress of debt was always in the background. Families helped each other and he developed a lifelong appreciation for the public sector - healthcare, education and the ‘blue light’ services.

He attended Park Road Primary School and went on to Great Sankey High School in Warrington before moving to the University of Ulster and the Manchester Universities.

As a teenager he helped out in his parent’s pub changing barrels, lugging crates and talking to the regulars. After that he worked in customer services in a BT call centre, completed his degree and then lectured in Business at Manchester Metropolitan Business School.

Paul proudly served the people of Langworthy as local councillor before he became the second directly-elected City Mayor on Friday 6 May 2016. He was re-elected on Saturday 8 May 2021.

His interests include cooking, visiting the galleries in Salford and Manchester and travelling when possible.

About the role

Directly elected mayors were introduced by the Local government Act 2000. Following a referendum in 2012, the people of Salford voted for an elected mayor and Paul Dennett is the second elected City Mayor – elected on 6 May 2016 and again on 8 May 2021.

The City Mayor leads the council and has overall responsibility for the delivery of all council services. The City Mayor is directly accountable to local people.

Salford's City Mayor will work with a Cabinet, with a legal minimum of three and a maximum of ten elected councillors, called ‘Lead Members’. The City Mayor allocates a portfolio of responsibilities to each of these Lead Members. Additionally, the City Mayor has selected a number of councillors to act as ‘Executive Support Members’ who provide additional support to Lead Members. Collectively, the City Mayor, Deputy City Mayors, Lead Members and Executive Support Members are called the Mayoral Team. For more information regarding the Mayoral Team and their designated portfolios please visit (link to Mayoral Team webpage).

In consultation with the Mayoral Team, the City Mayor develops the budget to meet the needs of the city's residents and families, through the city plan. He will make sure the work of the council is conducted in accordance with the constitution and the law and that all decisions are open, transparent and understandable.

The City Mayor is the first citizen of the city and is responsible for developing strong working relationships with partners across the city, including community groups, businesses and the voluntary sector.

The role of the directly elected city mayor is different to that of the Ceremonial Mayor. Read more about the Ceremonial Mayor of Salford.

Suprema Lex is Salford’s shared strategy for culture, creativity and the arts, driven by the Salford Culture and Place Partnership. 

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