By our Information Governance Reporter Alan Dransfield.

2nd February 2026

A newly compiled, source-based timeline has set out publicly recorded roles held by Alexander Ganotis across several public bodies over more than a decade, prompting formal governance questions to be raised with both Stockport Council and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

The document, prepared by campaigner Alan M Dransfield, brings together information from published council reports, ICO decision notices and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) material. It does not allege misconduct, but seeks clarification around dates, overlaps and governance safeguards where senior positions may have coincided.

Early ICO role

The earliest entry in the timeline dates to January 2013, when an ICO Freedom of Information (FOI) Decision Notice was signed by Alexander Ganotis in his capacity as Group Manager – Complaints Resolution. The notice is publicly available on the ICO’s website.

Stockport Council leadership

In May 2016, Mr Ganotis was confirmed as Leader of Stockport Council at the authority’s annual meeting. The appointment was reported at the time by Place North West, marking a significant political role within Greater Manchester local government.

Greater Manchester environmental portfolio

Between 2017 and 2019, Mr Ganotis was reported as holding a Greater Manchester–wide portfolio relating to environment and air quality, including the title of Green City-Region lead. GMCA news pages and regional reporting from that period refer to mayoral appointments connected to clean air and environmental policy.

Later ICO decision-making

More recent entries in the timeline focus again on the ICO. Internal ICO correspondence released under FOI in April 2023 lists Alexander Ganotis as Group Manager – FOI Casework. Further FOI Decision Notices signed by Mr Ganotis are dated April 2025 and published in August 2025, around five months before February 2026.

All of these roles are drawn from publicly available documents, with job titles quoted exactly as they appear in the source material.

Governance questions raised

On the basis of the timeline, a set of formal questions has been submitted to both the ICO and Stockport Council. These include requests to:

  • confirm the exact dates of employment or office held, and whether any roles overlapped;
  • clarify what declarations of interest were made and where these are recorded;
  • explain what screening or recusal procedures exist, and whether they were applied in relevant ICO casework; and
  • identify the appropriate governance contacts for ongoing correspondence.

The annex accompanying the questions stresses that it is factual and source-based, and that it does not assert wrongdoing. Instead, it seeks transparency around governance arrangements where senior roles in different public bodies may intersect.

At the time of writing, responses from the ICO and Stockport Council were awaited.

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