Waking Watch relief fund to help Manchester residents trapped in unsafe homes
The scale of the cladding problem in Greater Manchester has been described as "huge" - with increasing numbers of buildings being revealed as vulnerable.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) will distribute a £30 million relief fund to local leaseholders living in dangerous buildings.
The money is set to cover the installation of fire alarm systems so that temporary Waking Watch measures – which have involved security patrolling corridors with air horns – can be removed.
The GMCA has taken charge of administering the fund so it can be distributed “as quickly as possible”, although some leaseholders will still be left thousands of pounds in debt.
Building safety legislation changed following the Grenfell disaster in 2017, meaning similar combustible cladding had to be removed from other tower blocks in Britain.
But leaseholders have been slapped with six-figure bills to pay for the repairs themselves – leaving people trapped in unsafe and unsellable homes.
A £1bn support fund proved to be insufficient, and it is estimated that up to 700,000 people are still living in dangerous homes in Britain, with around 1.3 million unable to sell or re-mortgage.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the cladding issue in parliament earlier this week, stating: “We’re absolutely clear that leaseholders should not have to worry about the cost of fixing historic safety defects that they didn’t cause.”
A plan to offer more support is apparently ongoing, but the delays have meant some homeowners are already thousands of pounds out of pocket.
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Leanne Kilheeney of the Manchester Cladiators said: “Sadly for us the government’s fund for the Waking Watch fees came too late. We have already paid thousands of pounds each for several months of Waking Watch and new fire alarms. This will not be covered by the fund as no retrospective cases are covered.
“We are worried that this will happen with other government funding too. A huge amount of issues are not covered by the current government funds that people are getting invoiced for now. It may be the case the the government eventually release funds for this – but for many of us it will be too late.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham acknowledged that whilst the financial support package was a “step in the right direction” to resolve the cladding scandal, far more financial support from central government was required.
“The impact on leaseholders is staggering, with residents fearing a devastating and unfair choice between bankruptcy and long-term loans,” the Mayor stated.
“This is not a party-political issue and we must all work to ensure a solution is found to the building safety crisis, and I look forward to further positive engagement with the Minister.
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“This issue which affects thousands is not about buildings but about people and I am keen to work with the Government to support all residents of Greater Manchester who are affected.”
Salford City Mayor and Chair of the High Rise Task Force Paul Dennett said the scale of the cladding problem in Greater Manchester was “huge”; with increasing numbers of buildings being revealed as vulnerable.
He stated: “Leaseholders in buildings with serious fire safety failings and those in non-high rise buildings are also burdened by the costs of waking watches because of fire safety issues that they are not responsible for and this is completely unacceptable.
“I urge the Government to commit to making further funding available, and to extend the eligibility requirement so that all affected buildings can apply, not just those over 18 metres or with cladding-related problems.”
Find out more about the Waking Watch Relief Fund here.
News
Attempted murder arrest and witness appeal after four injured in Altrincham attack
Daisy Jackson
An appeal for witnesses of an attack in Altrincham has been issued by police, after four people were left injured.
Shortly after 3.20am on Sunday 30 November, emergency services were called to reports of a disturbance on Railway Street.
The attack left a man in his 20s with life-changing facial injuries, a 21-year-old male with a chest wound, and a 51-year-old male and 52-year-old female with minor injuries.
The man with the chest wound remains in a serious but stable condition.
Officers have arrested a 24-year-old male from the Partington area on suspicion of attempted murder and section 18 assault – he remains in custody for questioning.
Greater Manchester Police are now appealing for information and witnesses to anyone who may have seen the incident.
Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Dixon said: “We are appealing to anyone in the area to come forward who may have witnessed an altercation on Railway Street before a white male in his 20s ran down the street towards Altrincham Interchange.
“Anyone with information is encouraged to call 101 or report information via our website quoting log 484 of 30.11.2025. Information can also be passed anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
“We appreciate the concern that communities may feel during an incident of this nature. We’d like to ask members of the public not to speculate and would like reassure communities that this incident is believed to be isolated.
“Thank you to the community and our retail partners for their co-operation throughout today regarding the disruption that has been caused during our investigation. Officers will remain in and around Altrincham town centre as we continue to conduct our enquiries.”
Greater Manchester stadiums included in the bid to host the Women’s World Cup confirmed
Danny Jones
The locations for the official UK bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup have been revealed, along with the Greater Manchester football stadiums chosen for the honour.
Not exactly a ground-breaking spoiler, but the FA did make a somewhat curious choice when they shared the news.
In case you hadn’t heard the news earlier this year, our nation has officially thrown its hat into the ring for the Women’s World Cup (WWC) in 2035, with England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all set to offer up their arenas as part of the record-breaking proposal.
Naturally, a region as footy-obsessed as ours and with two of the biggest stadiums in the country was always going to be included, but as mentioned, there was a particular detail that lots of people quickly noticed following the announcement.
Yes, in a slightly bizarre but ultimately innocuous turn of events, Etihad Stadium – home of Manchester City FC – has been selected, as was the world-famous ‘Theatre of Dreams‘, the only difference being that it was listed separately from the city itself.
Instead, Man United’s iconic home turf, Old Trafford, has been listed as just that: in Trafford, specifically, as opposed to simply being listed in the same section as its sky blue counterpart.
Now, while it’s true that all 10 boroughs have their own identity, culture (not to mention some subscribing to still being part of Lancashire or even Cheshire), it did strike us and others as a bit odd to put that rather iconic and equally historic venue down as almost separate from the city.
Many would argue that one of the things Manchester is best known for around the globe is the team of Red Devils that play at that ground.
Naturally, ‘Cityzens‘ have had their fair share of fun with the post and, conversely, there’s been plenty of retorts regarding ‘supporters from Stockport’, as you would expect…
Nevertheless, we’re just glad to see the Etihad and Old Trafford continuing to cater to some of the biggest dates on the sporting calendar.
Some have actually argued that the region should have been given opportunities to host more stadiums and/or games as part of the market pitch, as the likes of both Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic’s stadiums were floated as viable or even better alternatives, capacity-wise.
Either way, with the 22 venues that have been selected for the UK’s bid for the 2035 Women’s World Cup and us Brits currently unopposed in the race to secure the tournament, the FA are going all-in for the 48-team competition, which would be “the biggest single-sport event ever staged in the UK.”
You can read more down below.
Our shared ambition: to host the largest single-sport event ever staged in the UK, and the first FIFA World Cup in this country since 1966.#AllTogetherpic.twitter.com/y6GOPEPDdG
The Manc -
5th February 2021 
