The Downtown Den Podcast

Series 2 - Ep. 1 - Holly Moore

Downtown CEO, Frank McKenna and Managing Director of Make Events, Holly Moore discuss how the events sector has dealt with the impacts of Covid and how this has impacted peoples mental health. Plus, Frank & Holly discuss how they're looking to the future beyond covid and how the events industry will begin to thrive once again.

Ep.118 - Downtown Den: Stephen Young and CC Geoff Driver in the Downtown Den

The leader of Lancashire County Council CC Geoff Driver and the director of economic development and planning Stephen Young joined DIB chief executive Frank McKenna in the Downtown Den to discuss the implications of the county going into tier-3 and their vision for Lancashire’s recovery plan post-pandemic.

Ep.117 - Downtown Den: Wes Streeting in the Downtown Den

Wes Streeting was, up until recently, a member of Labour’s frontbench Treasury team, before being promoted to the position of shadow minister for schools. In this exclusive interview with Downtown boss Frank McKenna he talks about his new brief and his vision for the future of education – whilst explaining the opposition’s approach to the Covid-19 crisis.

Ep.116 - Downtown Den: Alison McGovern in the Downtown Den

The Wirral South MP and shadow minister for sport Alison McGovern joined DIB chief executive Frank McKenna to talk about the latest negotiations between Treasury officials and Merseyside MPs, why the city region is in a much stronger place than it was back in the 1980s -and she has a word about the business of football.

Ep.115 - Downtown Den: Sir Richard Leese LIVE in the Downtown Den

DIB boss Frank McKenna, spoke to the Leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese about the Tier 2 restrictions placed on the region - and what impact the measures will have on Manchester's business community.

Ep.114 - Downtown Den: Tom Riordan LIVE in the Downtown Den

Leeds City Council Chief Executive, Tom Riordan joined Downtown CEO, Frank McKenna in the Downtown Den to tell us how he thinks the Northern Powerhouse should respond to the post-Covid-19 world – and what changes he expects to see in cities across the country, most notably in Leeds.

EP.113 - Downtown Den: In Conversation with Clare Hayward & Steve Broomhead

Downtown Cheshire in Business was joined in the Downtown Den by the chair of the Cheshire Local Enterprise Partnership Clare Hayward and the chief executive of Warrington Borough Council Steve Broomhead.

They discussed the county's future vision in a post-Covid economy, recognising the challenges business face, whilst focussing on the solutions and opportunities for the future.

EP.112 - Downtown Den: Paul Hodgins in the Downtown Den

Downtown London Chairman, Simon Danczuk spoke with Paul Hodgins, Director at Shared Transport company, Ginger.

Simon and Paul discuss what exactly Ginger is and the benefits of Shared Transport, specifically e-scooters, can bring to towns and cities across the UK.

EP.111 - Downtown Den: Michael Taylor in the Downtown Den

We invited the Head of Regional Affairs at Manchester Metropolitan University, Michael Taylor into the Downtown Den for a chat with Downtown CEO, Frank McKenna.

In an in-depth discussion, Michael discusses his time at Business Insider magazines, the future for print publications and journalism, social media and his novel 40 by 40.

EP.110 - Downtown Den: Tim Heatley in the Downtown Den

Tim Heatley is the co-founder of Capital & Centric. His company has been involved in some of the regions major regeneration projects in recent years. Tim has been a part of Andy Burnham’s homelessness Task Force- and he recently featured in the BBC documentary Manctopia. Here, in conversation with DIB boss Frank McKenna, Heatley discusses the BBC series, his business journey, the future of the property and construction sector and how he feels the Covid-19 crisis will impact on towns and cities.