The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has welcomed The Hon. John Graham MLC, Minister for Music and the Night Time Economy in New South Wales, Australia, to Greater Manchester for a high-level programme of meetings with Mayor Andy Burnham, Leader of Manchester City Council Cllr Bev Craig, and the Greater Manchester Night Time Economy team.
The visit forms part of a wider international exchange examining how dedicated ministerial leadership can strengthen, protect and grow the night-time economy through coordinated policy and long-term strategic oversight.
Greater Manchester, widely recognised for its progressive approach to nightlife governance and its integration of culture, transport, safety and economic development strategies, provided a key platform for discussions on how city-regions can embed the night-time economy within formal government structures.
Discussions focused on the strategic value of appointing dedicated ministerial representation at national level, learning from the New South Wales model, which has demonstrated how structured leadership can unlock legislative reform, improve cross-departmental coordination and deliver measurable economic and cultural outcomes.
New South Wales has become an international case study following significant reform in response to Sydney’s well-documented nightlife challenges. The establishment of a formal Night Time Economy portfolio has enabled coordinated collaboration across licensing, planning, policing, transport, health, tourism and the arts, ensuring long-term stability and accountability through central government oversight.
The engagement with Mayor Andy Burnham, Cllr Bev Craig and the Greater Manchester Night Time Economy team explored how similar structured approaches could further strengthen the UK’s position, protect reform through parliamentary scrutiny and provide greater resilience for businesses, workers and communities operating after dark.
Michael Kill, CEO of the NTIA and Vice President of the International Nightlife Association, said:
“Greater Manchester has consistently demonstrated leadership in recognising the cultural and economic importance of the night-time economy. Bringing Minister Graham together with Mayor Burnham, Cllr Craig and the regional night time economy team allowed for meaningful dialogue around what formal ministerial representation can deliver in practice.
The NSW model shows that when the night-time economy is embedded within central government, reform is protected, coordination improves and the sector gains the long-term stability it needs.”
John Graham, New South Wales Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, said:
“In Sydney we learnt our lessons the hard way, but our crisis spurred a complete policy rethink that is now delivering a more vibrant, diverse and safer city after dark.
In our experience, ministerial representation has been crucial to driving the funding, legislative reform and agency coordination required to turn our city around.
I’m encouraged to see the leadership being shown in Greater Manchester and welcome the opportunity to share insights as cities globally look to strengthen governance of their night-time economies.”
As momentum grows internationally for formalised government leadership of the sector, the Greater Manchester visit highlights the increasing alignment between global best practice and UK city-regions seeking to secure long-term, strategic oversight for their night-time economies.
The message emerging from this engagement is clear: to maximise the potential of cities after dark, the night-time economy requires clear mandate, strategic coordination and representation at the highest levels of government.
