Andy Burnham has encouraged people in Greater Manchester to begin carefully returning to work this month after “an August like no other”.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester made the announcement in a blog post via the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) website yesterday evening and stated that, whilst the past month in particular has been particularly “difficult” for the people of Greater Manchester, we cannot “live in fear of this virus and hide away”.
He has called for a “voluntary” return to work and school in the region, but one that is done “safely and with support, not threats”, which he believes will require the public to become “more disciplined in the way we live alongside COVID”.
“With a new term comes the need for a new mindset.” he said.
🗣️ "It is time to ask people to think about returning to the office. But let’s do it carefully and with support, not threats."
Read the Mayor's blog about returning to the office here:
He also aimed criticism at the government after ministers were accused this week of “threatening” people to go back to the office with the economy continuing to experience the fallout from the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.
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Mr Burnham said he had his “head in [his] hands last Friday when [he] saw the headline: “Go back to work or risk losing your job.” and stated that Greater Manchester “will be taking a different approach”.
His statement reads: “I agree with the Government that it’s important for people to begin to return to the office to support our city and town centres. But ordering people back and stoking up the fear factor is the wrong way to go about it.
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“Apart from the extra anxiety it may cause to those already worried about redundancy, it risks an unplanned rush back to work for which we don’t have capacity on public transport. If our trams and buses end up overcrowded and unsafe, it won’t build the confidence on which any recovery will have to be based”.
Mark Waugh
He continued: “Starting this week, I will be leading the call for a safety-led, voluntary return to the office for those ready to do so.
“Having spent the last five months working from home, I will return to the office myself for the first time in five months and, in so doing, hopefully set a lead others might follow.
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“It’s important because we all need to play our part in helping our city recover.”
“Where I agree with the Government is with their concern for city centres. They are right to challenge organisations abandoning offices for the foreseeable future. Cities are the engines of our economy. It is crucial that we bring them back to life and support businesses based there, but we are more likely to succeed if we do it in a gradual, careful, positive way.
“There will be some who’ll no doubt say this is irresponsible given the challenges that Greater Manchester is still experiencing with the virus. Others will claim it is contradictory, given the restrictions on home gatherings still in place. I don’t believe it is.
“The office is a more regulated environment than the home and it is our hope that the measures will be lifted everywhere soon.
“That said, it’s true that we will need to continue to be vigilant and cautious about social gatherings, particularly at home. We can’t rule out more local restrictions at some point, but nor can we let this virus rule our lives.
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“The only answer, then, is to get better at living with it.”
Mr Burnham confirmed in the blog post that he will be returning to work in his Manchester office this month and said he will also be joined by about 30% of staff who work for Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
He closed out his statement encouraging the people of Greater Manchester to “embrace the moment”.
He said: “That end-of-summer-back-to-school feeling is never a good one but is probably more daunting this year than ever. So there is only one thing for it – let’s embrace the moment we are in and use it to make positive changes to our lives. The old normal isn’t coming back any time soon, and, let’s be honest, it wasn’t that great any way.
“A difficult few months lie ahead, no doubt, but if we approach the challenge head on, we’ll get through it and soon find ourselves in the better times that await us on the other side.”
You can read Andy Burnham’s full blog post on the GMCA website here.
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Bury primary school teaching assistant jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A teaching assistant from Bury has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences against a ‘vulnerable’ young boy.
Terri Cook, of Masefield Avenue in Radcliffe, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of sexual offences.
The sentencing came after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) began in ‘intense’ investigation into Cook back in September of last year after a member of the public reported seeing her out with a young boy.
The subsequent investigation showed that she had been grooming and manipulating the young boy into engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Police found numerous messages on Cook’s phone where she had been inciting sexual communications with the boy and holding indecent images of him, and she was also found to have been buying him expensive items, like jewellery and clothing, for a period of more than nine months.
During a powerful statement read out in court, the young boy was described as being ‘extremely kind and caring’, with his mum adding: “Despite experiencing traumatic events earlier in his life, he continued to be positive and compassionate. He smiled every day and made us all laugh.”
Cook was sentenced four-and-a-half years in prison for eight charges of sexual offences.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Stanfield, from GMP’s Bury CPIU, said: “This case was a horrific example of calculated abuse of power, and Cook targeted a vulnerable child who put his trust in her.
“Grooming is a form of manipulation that can leave lasting emotional and psychological damage, and our priority remains protecting young people and supporting victims as they recover.
“This sentencing also emphasises our unwavering commitment to protecting male victims. They can be victims too and I urge anyone who believes they may have been through anything similar to please report to us.”
Featured Image – GMP
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The richest people in the North West have been revealed, featuring Harry Styles, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Gallaghers
Daisy Jackson
The Sunday Times Rich List has been published today, revealing the wealthiest person in the North West to be Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The annual list highlights the richest people in the UK, often filled with famous faces and business moguls.
This year, the 350 individuals on the list hold a combined wealth of £783.5 billion – that’s about a quarter of the UK’s total annual GDP.
The Sunday Times Rich List also highlighted other North West figures, such as Harry Styles, the Issa brothers, and Tyson Fury.
Other famous faces from elsewhere in the UK include Sir Elton John, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, JK Rowling, Charlotte Tilbury and Sir Lewis Hamilton.
It found that Sir Jim Ratcliffe – chemicals magnate, Ineos CEO, and Manchester United shareholder – still tops the list regionally despite falling revenues and a £515.7 million loss.
Mohsin and Zuber Issa are fourth on the list of the wealthiest in the North West – the Blackburn billionaire brothers founded the EG Group petrol stations, and acquired the supermarket giant Asda.
Betfred brothers Fred and Peter Done come next, with an estimated net wealth of £3.6bn.
Property developer and Renaker founder (Renaker is behind the Deansgate Square towers) Daren Whitaker saw his wealth grow by £100m in a single year.
Elsewhere on the list are Liam and Noel Gallagher, making their Sunday Times Rich List debut at £375 million.
Michael and George Heaton, the British brothers behind the Represent streetwear brand, paid themselves minimum wage for a decade before selling a stake and making £18.5m each.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s Rich List is a tale of two exoduses. One in six of the individuals and families who appeared on the list two years ago don’t feature this time.
“Many foreign billionaires who have been living in the UK have also dropped out because they have moved away. We have also seen a sharp rise in the number of British nationals now resident in Dubai, Switzerland and Monaco. As UK nationals these people remain on our Rich List — wherever they now live.
“These two exoduses pose challenges for the UK economy and its public finances. Will more of the wealthy now set up or grow their ventures overseas and in doing so create fewer jobs here? How much tax — if any — will Rachel Reeves’s Treasury be able to extract from those affluent Brits who have now left the country?
“For nearly 40 years the Sunday Times Rich List has analysed the fortunes of Britain’s most affluent people. We believe understanding where wealth lies and where it is being accumulated is a vital part of a functioning democracy.
“Over the years our research has told us a lot about our country, charting the way a generation of largely self-made entrepreneurs overtook the old money of the landed gentry.
“This year’s edition shines a light on fortunes made from artificial intelligence, driverless cars and crypto-currencies as well as baby milk, make-up, hoodies and other everyday items. We know many of our readers find those rags-to-riches stories of entrepreneurs who started out with little more than a laptop and an idea particularly inspiring.”
The Manc -
1st September 2020 
