08.04.20
Manchester pays tribute to Deputy Leader Sue Murphy CBE
The Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, Cllr Sue Murphy CBE died yesterday (Apr 7) at the age of 59, following an ongoing illness.
She was first elected to the City Council in 1995, and had served as Executive Member for Employment and Skills and Executive Member for Finance, before becoming Deputy Leader in 2010, a position she held ever since.
Sue was made a CBE for her services to the city of Manchester in 2015, as her contributions covered being Chair of governors of the LTE Group, being on the board of Manchester Health and Care Commissioning Group and Chair of trustees for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, which was established after the terror attack on May 22 2017.
Paying tribute to Sue, Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said:
"Today Manchester has lost a great socialist and public servant who dedicated her life to social justice and making the city, and the world, a better and fairer place for everybody - but especially those with the greatest needs.
"Over the years she has taken on many roles, locally and nationally, including some of the most challenging issues we face as a society - tackling homelessness and the scourge of family poverty being just part of her council portfolio. I have lost a friend and colleague who has been alongside me for over a quarter of a century, for the last ten years as my deputy leader. The loss is a devastating shock.
"I will miss Sue, Manchester will miss Sue, but we can only imagine the feelings of her husband Paul and her family at the moment and above all my thoughts are with them."
The Labour councillor has been described as ‘much-loved and well respected’ by Chief Executive of the council Joanne Roney OBE, who recalled Sue’s work with the vulnerable and tackling homelessness and poverty in the city, as well as being ‘a committed champion for women.’
Many people have also taken to Twitter to pay tribute to the Brooklands Councillor, including Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham who said that Sue ‘leaves an incredible legacy of public good’.