Carl Austin-Behan, an RAF veteran and former Mr Gay UK, has been selected as Labour's candidate for the Burnage by-election. The 54-year-old is standing for the council seat left vacant after former councillor Bev Craig was elected Mayor of Greater Manchester.
The by-election takes place on September 10, with an electorate of nearly 14,000 voters.
Background and service
Mr Austin-Behan served in the Royal Air Force from 1991 until his discharge in 1997. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he was 'kicked out for being gay', an issue he has spoken about publicly before.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We deeply regret the treatment of LGBT serving personnel between 1967 and 2000 which was wholly unacceptable and is not representative of Defence today. We are committed to righting these wrongs through tangible actions, including through the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme and Non-Financial Restorative Measures for those affected.”
After leaving the RAF, Mr Austin-Behan joined Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service in 1998, leaving in 1999. He then won Mr Gay UK in 2001.
Political career and priorities
He served as a councillor in Burnage from 2011 to 2018 and became the first openly gay Lord Mayor of Manchester in 2016.
Speaking about his priorities, he said Labour needs to 'build back trust' in the community and that he would listen to residents' concerns.
He added: “We know we’ve got the cost-of-living crisis, but the things that impact people within Burnage are things like Kingsway, the issue with speeding and accidents, we need to get on with that. Fly-tipping, the amount of litter in the area in the alleyways, that’s one of things people keep complaining about. We’ve got the housing being built on the old cricket ground and the issue there with traffic, so making sure things are implemented properly.”
Election context
The Burnage by-election could be closely contested after the Green Party won a seat in the ward in May's local elections.
Including the vacant Burnage seat, there are currently 63 Labour councillors in Manchester, the Greens have 21 seats, Reform UK have seven councillors, and there are four Lib Dems.
