🚨 ANDY BURNHAM, HIS WIFE AND THE MANCHESTER EV CHARGING CONTRACT. The timeline raises questions that deserve answers. May 2017: Andy Burnham becomes Mayor of Greater Manchester. December 2019: Transport for Greater Manchester awards a seven-year EV charging contract to Amey. April 2021: Iduna Infrastructure acquires Amey’s charging business. September 2021: Burnham declares an interest relating to his wife’s professional connection to the charging business. February 2022: Burnham explains that his wife, Marie-France van Heel, works for Heavenly, a marketing agency whose clients include Iduna. He says she has no shares or direct financial relationship with Iduna. September 2024: She then becomes a director of Iduna. 2026: The Times reports that she holds approximately 0.2% of Iduna. So we have some questions. When did Heavenly first secure Iduna as a client? When did Burnham’s wife begin working on the account? When did Burnham first become aware of the commercial relationship? Were all relevant interests declared promptly? Who approved the transfer of the original contract to Iduna? There were 21 months between the original contract award and Burnham’s September 2021 declaration, although that does not establish that a conflict existed throughout that period. Burnham says he was not involved in the original award and withdrew from relevant subsequent decisions. The public should be able to see the full procurement, ownership and declaration timeline.