Professor of Urban Geography | Deputy Director @Urban_Inst |

Joined June 2009
Manchester City Council need to provide more transparency around the deal concerning the Man City stadium. I would argue it's a public asset and therefore the responsibility of the local authority to ensure it's maximising revenue back to the public purse inews.co.uk/news/man-city-pa…
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It's fascinating that the local newspaper terms our academic work on the Abu-Dhabi/MCR deal as 'ideological' but not the partnership between the powerful neoliberal growth regime and an authoritarian Emirate state, let alone its own claims of 'the truth' manchestereveningnews.co.uk/…
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Burundi, Uganda, & Rwanda have long considered specific parts of eastern DRC "their" economic hinterland. After acts of 'hinterland piracy', in 2021, they each put boots on the ground; Uganda and M23 also rehabilitated roads. This has turned into a regional trade war.
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"Burnham has staked his reputation on Manchesterism and now we see the compromises that have been involved in that" - Richard Goulding, University of Sheffield mee.s.gy/8tJCMs
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Bad deal for the public? Given most profits flow to Jersey it remains hard to assess but… Manchester Council has made just under £3m from a deal to share in the so-called "super-profits" from developments built on its land by Manchester City's owners bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62k…
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The Warsaw Ghetto was made significantly smaller over time. Established by the Nazis in October 1940 and sealed on November 15, 1940, the ghetto's area was reduced multiple times, while its population density was kept at extreme, inhumane levels
Israel has expanded its military occupation of the Gaza Strip in violation of the ‘ceasefire’, forcing Palestinians into an ever-smaller area of the besieged territory. Here is how much of Gaza Israel has seized since the ‘ceasefire’ ⤵️ 🔗: aje.news/mgquw7
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Final Call for Papers AAG 2027 // NYC Critical Geographies of the Infrastructure Corridor Alan Wiig + I are excited to bring together a dialogue centring corridors in geographic scholarship + debate. Deadline is 14th Oct. See here👇 lnkd.in/e5xvjTJm
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"Manchester council bound by gagging clauses in City property deals" Lack of transparency in the Abu Dhabi-Manchester deal was built in. I suggest we need government reform to ensure public accountability of property deals/ 'investments' In Sunday TImes tinyurl.com/punbssvb
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Reminder that Manchester City Council also actively went out their way to silence criticism of the deal + Abu Dhabi more generally... That is not a functioning democratic city and shows how regulatory/financial + legal transparency is required around these agreements
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Burnham oversaw £55m taxpayer loan to UAE businesses telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10…
In 2017, £55 million of approved loans were drawn down from Mayor Burnham's GMCA 'GMHILF' by Abu Dhabi United Group controlled companies based in Jersey to develop apartments in Manchester If ADUG were bringing 'investment' to Manchester why did they need public financing?
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The Abu Dhabi partnership represents 'Manchesterism' and the 'Manchester Model' because it shows the redevelopment of the city Burnham celebrates was dependent on rentier capitalism...but it's part of a bigger story which we explore in this report 👇 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.…
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- The production of new financial and social pressures on working class, inner- city neighbourhoods through state-led demolitions, displacement, social housing losses leading to massive GENTRIFICATION
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The model focused more on short-term, immediate need to attract ‘investment’ - Its weakness is neglecting pressing societal issues such as housing + climate crisis. The same approach to GROWTH by Burnham will simply accelerate a RENTIER CAPITALIST economy in UK cities
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How much tax do Manchester Life Management Company pay? (the UK company owned by Abu Dhabi controlled Jersey companies + that collects rental income) Between 2019-2025 the company turnover is £46,857,891, the admin expenses £46,366,004 and the total tax on profit paid £112,316
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Manchester LIfe outline their tax policy here mcrlife.co.uk/tax-strategy/ We have an in-depth discussion in our 'Offshored Report' in the section 'Where Does The Rental Income Go (And Is It Taxed)?" - p40-43 sheffield.ac.uk/management/n…
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Manchester Offshored Why did Manchester Council allow Abu Dhabi to 'offshore' the 999 year leaseholds for land, property assets, rental + sales income rights, and ultimate joint venture control through entities ultimately owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, often via Jersey?
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Former leader of the council, deal maker + current honorary president of Manchester City claims “The deal that you're talking about was actually brokered by the UK Government. It was a deal that UK Government had done with” manchestereveningnews.co.uk/…
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