Salford Labour councillor Hannah Robinson-Smith, who represents Irlam and Cadishead, has resigned from her post to take up a non-political role with Arts Council England. Her departure is effective immediately and will not trigger a by-election as it falls within six months of the next local election.
Career and achievements
Robinson-Smith, who also held the cabinet position for Culture, Heritage, Sports & Leisure, first became a councillor in 2021 for a two-year term due to boundary changes. She won a second round of votes in 2023.
Her early campaigns included fighting against the inclusion of Chat Moss, nicknamed 'Salford's rainforest', from what is now known as Places for Everyone, a Greater Manchester-wide house building plan. The vital 74-acre peat bog was spared from the final plan after a planning inspectorate hearing in 2023, which Robinson-Smith described as 'a really big point of pride'.
Emotional departure
On handing in her notice, Robinson-Smith said: "Honestly, I have cried daily, weekly, for ages. It's been such a huge honour and it is really emotional to say goodbye. I know this is the right career step for me in my life, it's a dream job. But it's been a long, hard goodbye because I've known since July, but I didn't want to trigger a by-election by leaving earlier, and waste public money."
She added: "It's been amazing seeing all these projects come to fruition, but I'm also leaving at a strange time, because there are so many big changes on the horizon that I've been a part of, but won't be able to see through to their conclusion."
Robinson-Smith said she will not disappear: "I still live here. I still care. I guess I'll just be on the other side now - holding the council to account from the outside."
Challenges and positive changes
The former councillor acknowledged she is leaving areas like Cadishead and Irlam during a 'difficult patch'. Both towns were targeted in a spate of 'HMO' vandalism, and Cadishead recently saw around 60 teenagers storming the high street, firing fireworks at buildings, kicking down doors, and attacking a bus driver outside the Coach and Horses bus stop. Greater Manchester Police have arrested two 13-year-olds in relation to the incidents.
Robinson-Smith said: "I don't want what's happened in the last few months to define these areas. Because there's also been so much positive change in my last five and a half years in office. Places like Cadishead can feel a bit left behind, because they're so far away from the city centre, and from the big investments we see in places like Media City."
She highlighted the BMX pump track as a "huge coup", a £375k investment by Access Sport. Another proud moment was her role in the campaign to save Astley Court nursing homes in Irlam, where ForHousing initially planned to 'phase out' the homes before scrapping the plans after a campaign by local residents and councillors.
In her cabinet role, Robinson-Smith also played a key role in bringing back the Clarendon Leisure Centre, destroyed in an arson attack in 2024, and ensuring the designs featured a community hub alongside leisure facilities.
Political pressures
Robinson-Smith faced backlash over articles revealing her low attendance levels at meetings, with official records showing she attended less than a third of scheduled appearances. She maintains the figures are 'not reflective' of the level of work councillors put in, with most of her time taken up by individual casework and community meetings not counted in official data.
In her area, there has been a big upsurge in support for Reform UK, with both other councillors in the ward now representatives of Nigel Farage's party. Robinson-Smith acknowledged: "There has been a big political shift, it's not the easiest time." She also noted increased hostility, saying she had an open case with the police for harassment by a resident and a protection order on her house.
However, she clarified her departure has nothing to do with the shifting atmosphere: "I'd never let myself be intimidated out of doing my duty. It's been the biggest honour of my life."
