A plan to get rough sleepers off the streets of Manchester and into temporary accommodation this winter has been published.
As the temperatures turn colder by the day, Manchester City Council has once again confirmed it will be working with local partners and health services to set out an action plan that makes sure no one experiencing street homelessness in Greater Manchester is left out in the cold this winter.
Even though there is year-round provision at Etrop Grange Hotel in Wythenshawe – which is funded by the Council, with support from Greater Manchester Combined Authority(GMCA) – dedicated to moving homeless people off the streets and into accommodation, with teams routinely walking around and connecting those in need with help, the winter always brings increased challenges.
This is why the Council’s efforts to support will be enhanced from this Friday (1 November), and a system of increased outreach will be introduced.
Councils across the UK are known to put cold weather plans in place each year, with the national benchmark for them to come into force being when temperatures are forecast to drop to zero or below for three or more consecutive nights – but here in Manchester, the temperature only needs to be forecast to drop below freezing for a single night for the plans to be activated.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Council has published a plan to get Manchester’s rough sleepers off the streets this winter / Credit: Ethel Red (via Flickr)
When the weather is forecast to drop below zero, a severe weather emergency protocol will be called, and this leads to stepped-up support which operates until 4:30am.
This allows Council officers to support people into accommodation, paving the way to connect them with any additional support that they need, and to carry out a housing assessment that’ll help find them a suitable move-on pathway.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We work year-round to help people off the streets, giving them access to the support they need to help them get on with their lives,” explained Councillor Joanna Midgley, who is the Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council.
“However, as it gets colder, people are more likely to accept help and come inside.
“This is why we expand our outreach offer and our officers, along with partner agencies, work into the early hours seeking out people who have bedded down so that we can offer them the opportunity to come indoors and access additional support.
“This is especially important, as sometimes coming inside in cold weather is the impetus that they need to accept help that we, along with our partners, can provide, and it is often the first step on the road to a better, healthier future.”
Featured Image – Garry Knight (via Flickr)
News
Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
News
More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
Emily Sergeant -
30th October 2024 
