Just over £50 million funding has been awarded to build thousands of new affordable homes right across Manchester.
Following several successful submissions to Greater Manchester Combined Authority‘s (GMCA) ‘Brownfield Housing Fund’, it’s now been confirmed that Manchester City Council has been awarded a total of £51.6 million to fund the development of 31 long-term underused sites throughout the city-region over the next two years.
The includes the building of 3,380 new homes, including 1,761 – or the equivalent of 52% – that are considered to be “genuinely affordable” to Manchester people.
This new package of funding is part of the “trailblazer agreement” between the UK Government and Greater Manchester over three years, which is aiming to unlock Brownfield land and use it to build new housing.
With this new funding added, this means that the total funding allocated to the region is now a £128 million in this phase of bidding, and a whopping £150 million overall.
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We have successfully bid for £51.6m funding from GMCA to build thousands of new homes on unused brownfield sites over the next two years – including 1,761 genuinely affordable homes.
News of the £51.6 million funding allocation comes not long after Mayor Andy Burnham declared that he want 2024 to be the year that Greater Manchester “gets serious about housing”, and follows the Council’s £50 million investment into making a series of “transformational upgrades” to social housing in the borough.
The Council has previously successfully bid for £3 million from the national ‘Brownfield Land Release Fund’, and this was used to kickstart development at the inaugural ‘This City’ site in Ancoats, as well as a range of ‘Project 500’ housing sites too.
£50m funding awarded to build thousands more ‘genuinely affordable’ homes in Manchester / Credit: Manchester City Council
Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Housing and Development, has called the Council’s goal of building 36,000 new homes by 2032 “necessarily ambitious”.
He continued: “This is a challenge, both in terms of available land and the funding necessary to build new housing at scale, but we are on course to meet these targets.
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“However, we must be innovative and use the resources available to use.
“As a post-industrial city, we have lots of Brownfield sites that are sometimes difficult to develop, but this land represents a massive opportunity to deliver the homes, particularly the affordable housing our residents need.
“This funding is hugely welcome and we will help bring these unused areas of Manchester back into use.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Manchester councillor Bev Craig has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List
Danny Jones
The leader of Manchester City Council and representative for Burnage, Bev Craig, has officially been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours List for 2026.
Councillor Craig, who has held her leadership position since October 2021, received the OBE for her services to local government.
She joins several other regional councillors to be named by King Charles III.
First elected by Burnage residents back in 2011, she has spent more than a decade and a half devoting her professional life to the community, as well as nearly a whole five years of that time at the highest level within the Council.
The University of Manchester graduate has played several key roles throughout her career, including giving back to higher education, helping trade unions, as well as serving as an executive member for adult social care and health during the pandemic, before serving as Deputy and eventually Leader.
Speaking in an official statement, Craig said: “To receive an OBE is a huge privilege, and to get awarded it for what I’ve been able to give back to our city is all the more special.
“Manchester is an incredible city, made special by its people and a place I’m proud to call home.
“Leading our city is a privilege I don’t take for granted, so to get awarded an OBE for what we’ve been doing to make Manchester an even better place to live and improve the lives of Manchester people, while creating a city that is fairer and more inclusive for generations to come, is the real honour.”
With the Council having also confirmed two special NYE events on either side of the Town Hall this year, it feels like a fitting celebration.
Congratulations to Bev Craig on the well-deserved accolade and title; we have no doubt she’ll continue to excel in her post.
You can find the King’s 2026 New Year Honours List HERE.
As for the discussion around knighthoods, many Brits are currently calling for a change in the rules in hopes of making OBE, CBE and MBE, Kevin Sinfield a Sir.
Featured Images — Publicity picture (via Manchester City Council)
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VAR audio requested as Nottingham Forest prepare complaint after Man City defeat
Danny Jones
Nottingham Forest have requested that the VAR audio from their game against Manchester City be released, as they are considering launching a formal complaint following the defeat.
Forest hosted Man City at home this past weekend and went on to lose 2-1.
However, Sean Dyche’s side are said to be ‘extremely unhappy’ with some of the refereeing decisions made by first official, Rob Jones, on the day.
As a result, they are now asking the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to share some of the conversations between on-pitch officials and the VAR team at Stockley Park in West London.
"I'm scratching my head and I can't believe it!" 😳
Sean Dyche wasn't happy with the officiating in their loss to Man City 😬
As you can see, Dyche initially said that “there’s no point” in pushing the refs on their performance, as he feels they usually only “get in trouble”, but it looks as though his employers have advocated for him.
Nottingham Forest had a problem with the final call in a number of instances during the festive fixture on Saturday, 27 December, but none more so than in one key moment.
The manager and his coaching team felt that Rayan Cherki’s 83rd-minute winner should have been cancelled out following a foul by Nico O’Reilly on Morgan Gibbs-White in the preceding corner, which may have prevented Cherki from scoring another decisive finish.
Dyche also argued that another City defender, Ruben Dias, was due a second yellow card and therefore dismissal from the pitch for a challenge after the break, but there was ultimately nothing doing.
You can see the collision here:
"I do have sympathy for Sean Dyche… it is a second yellow card!"
Ref Watch discuss whether Ruben Dias should have been sent off against Nottingham Forest. pic.twitter.com/dxTYmGsEqZ
According to Sky Sports News, Nottingham have already requested more information from the refereeing body, with this not being the first time they’ve felt hard done by.
As they put it, the hope/belief is that raising the issue could help “start a broader discussion around officiating this season.”
What do you make of Forest’s concerns against Manchester City, and do you think they’re worthy of launching an official complaint against the PGMOL and Premier League?
You can see the highlights from the game and perhaps decide for yourself down below.
Emily Sergeant -
29th January 2024 
