Stretford Public Hall, a historic Victorian building saved from private development by two local mums and a dad for just £10, now stands as a living model for Andy Burnham's 'No10 in the North' concept. The hall recently hosted a community hustings for candidates vying to succeed Burnham as Greater Manchester Mayor, putting residents at the heart of political conversation.
Community Buy-Out and Transformation
Eleven years ago, the hall faced sale to private developers for flats. Annoushka Deighton, now Chair of Friends of Stretford Hall, recalls: "I'd seen the Hall was for sale and I just went in with my friend to nose about really. As soon as we saw the beautiful foyer we fell in love with it." A massive public campaign led to the council selling the building to the community group for the "princely sum of £10". Since then, the hall has become a hub for friendship, yoga, welfare advice, choirs, and even collaborates with the local council and NHS to deliver services differently.
Hustings with a Difference
On a sweltering July evening, candidates including Labour's Bev Craig, Green's Geraldine Coggins, Conservative Phil Eckersley, and LibDem Richard Kilpatrick gathered at the hall. Craig, current leader of Manchester City Council, said: "I actually got involved in politics because I didn't see enough people in politics who looked like me. And I didn't see communities have enough agency and enough control." The Green candidate Coggins, a local philosopher, pledged to set up a Citizens' Assembly, while Eckersley spoke about starting a social care business after his grandmother's inadequate care. Kilpatrick admitted: "Our politics is a bit broken, isn't it? We seem to find reasons to disagree with each other when we shouldn't." The Reform and Restore parties were invited but did not attend.
Participatory Democracy in Action
Event co-organiser Beth Powell said: "This election isn't just about who becomes Mayor – it's about how they'll share their power with the people who live here. Too often, people are asked for their vote and then shut out of the decisions that shape their lives." Ideas from attendees and watch-along parties will feed into the Greater Manchester People's Charter, developed by community groups across all ten boroughs. Deighton added: "Participatory democracy can sound a bit abstract, but it's about how people make their voices heard in the times in-between voting. Without it, there's a danger people don't feel like they're having any constructive say in how things are decided locally."
Manchesterism and Community Power
The hall's community covenant is a power-sharing agreement between the council, community, and health board, focusing on community health delivery. Deighton noted: "Most people are reasonable once you start giving them a problem to help solve – and then they realise there aren't black and white answers. It works for the council too. We are trusted by our local community in a way that the local authority never will be." Reflecting on 'Manchesterism', she said: "The idea that we do things differently is definitely true. I'm originally a Southerner with Polish heritage, but I've lived here 25 years and I absolutely am so proud of the way Manchester has bucked the trend."
A Blueprint for National Policy
Andy Burnham has been a guest at the hall multiple times. Deighton, part of the We're Right Here campaign group, even took him on a bus tour of co-community groups. She hopes Burnham will carry this model to Downing Street. Miatta Fahnbulleh, the MP tasked with translating 'Manchesterism' into government policy, said: "The ability to trust people in places that understand their patch, to think about what the solutions are for their patch, is what we need to be doing. And if we do it well, it is very, very powerful." The model for 'No10 in the North' already exists – in a Victorian public hall in Stretford.
