From market stalls to City Hall: Carmine Grimshaw is Manchester’s new Lord Mayor

For years, he was one of Northern Quarter’s everyday Mancunian heroes.

Now, Carmine Grimshaw is Manchester’s ‘first citizen’ and holds one of the most important jobs in the city.

Carmine Grimshaw

Councillor Grimshaw is the city’s 127th Lord Mayor, being installed last week. Over the next 12 months, he will attend hundreds of important civic engagements, chair full council meetings, and be a figurehead for hundreds of thousands of Mancs.

And it all started because Manchester let him down.

Born and raised in Ancoats

Born and raised in Ancoats, Carmine grew up in a close-knit family, attending Saint Michael’s RC Primary School and later Saint Luke’s Secondary School in Beswick.

Once he left the classroom, he trained as a sewing machine mechanic for Raffles & Co in the late 1970s.

But by the early-80s, Raffles & Co went bust as Manchester’s industrial decline was in full flow. Across the city, manufacturing and industrial jobs dried up in their thousands, leaving many like Coun Grimshaw forced to change careers.

For Carmine, that meant heading into the world of street trading: setting up as a fruit and veg stallholder on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter, before it was even called the Northern Quarter.

Forming the Manchester Street Traders Association

From his start in 1983, Carmine quickly became a well-known presence in town, especially after forming the Manchester Street Traders Association in 1990, to try and stop a move to dismantle street markets.

He established a corner shop in Newton Heath with his twin brother Brian in 1993, and again brought together the industry by chairing the A-5 Off-Licence Forum to promote responsible licensing and community safety.

Eventually, a career in politics beckoned, and Carmine became Coun Grimshaw in 2012, representing Miles Platting and Newton Heath for Labour ever since.

He’s also chaired the licensing committee while serving on the council, but has given that role up for his new big job.

“I want to give back to the city that has given me so much”

It’s all worth it so he can ‘give back to the city that has given me so much’, said Coun Grimshaw.

He added after being sworn in as Lord Mayor: “Manchester has shaped me, and I want to give back to the city that has given me so much.

“My upbringing and experiences have instilled in me a deep appreciation for hard work, resilience, and giving back to my community.

“As Lord Mayor, I aim to champion local causes, particularly those supporting dementia and cancer care, and make a meaningful impact in the lives of the people who call Manchester home.”

Find out more about Carmine Grimshaw – Manchester’s new Lord Mayor

You can find out more about Carmine Grimshaw by clicking here