Paul has been appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester as one of their Deputies and in so doing recognises his contribution to local, county or national life. DLs, as they are often known, have not only made a valuable contribution to the community in the past but by their appointment agree to help and work within the county until the age of 75.
There are Deputy Lieutenants within each of the 10 Districts of the County, namely Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham , Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan and the DLs are the eyes and ears of the Lord-Lieutenant working closely with their respective local authorities, voluntary agencies, the Cadet Forces etc. They are a valuable resource to local and voluntary organisations because many have experience of the challenges faced by voluntary groups and are able to advise and assist organisations in the fulfilment of their ambitions.
Paul was born in the City of Salford in 1962, the youngest of two children.
He has extensive experience in public service, having been a member of Salford Community Health Council from 1985 – 1995, serving 5 years as Chairman.
In 1995 Paul was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Manchester Children’s Hospitals NHS Trust, encompassing Royal Manchester Children’s and Booth Hall Children’s Hospitals, until the trust merger in 2001.
A trustee of the Citizens Advice Bureau for over 20 years and Chairman of the Combined Hospital CAB for 11 years.
He was sworn in as a Magistrate at Salford Courthouse in 1997 were e served until transferring to Stockport Magistrates Court in 2001, where he was later elected Deputy Bench Chairman and the last Chairman of the Stockport Bench at the creation of the Greater Manchester Bench.
Paul was Chairman of the GM Family Panel for 6 years before being elected as the Chairman of the Greater Manchester Bench for the period April 2019 – March 2022.
He is Chairman of the Greater Manchester Magistrates Association Branch, which has a very active Magistrates in the Community program, currently working in collaboration with other agencies to address Violence Prevention through Virtual Education.
The Magistrates in the community program is holding the Annual Magistrates’ Mock Trial competition for Year 6 students. This will take place on Friday 24th June 2022 at Hemsley House.
The competition involves the children acting out a trial in which they play all the major roles: Magistrates, legal professionals, defendants, witnesses, and any other participants. They will be supported by volunteer Magistrates from the Greater Manchester Magistrates Association.
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