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Tribute paid to man who died after being found in Piccadilly Gardens

He passed away on New Year's Day.

Daisy Jackson - 6th January 2025

The family of a man who passed away just over a week after being found unresponsive in Piccadilly Gardens have paid tribute to him.

The man, who has been identified as David Thomas Gidman, known to many as ‘Giddy’, has been described as a ‘really nice lad’.

David was found unresponsive in Piccadilly Gardens on 23 December, and taken to hospital.

Sadly, he died just over a week later, on 1 January 2025.

David’s family said: “David had a strong presence whenever he walked into any room, he had a great sense of humour and was a funny lad.

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“He was always joking and never took himself too seriously, just a really nice lad.

“David was into watching movies and loved being outdoors, walking about. He was always mooching somewhere and never rested.

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“His mum Pam and sister Lyndsey tried their best and were always ready to welcome him home. His family love and miss him dearly but know that he is now at peace and back with his dad.”

His family have now asked for privacy as they grieve his loss.

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Featured image: GMP

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Manchester named one of the UK’s most congested cities with the ‘worst traffic’

Manchester has got itself a new title… but this isn’t one worth shouting about.

You may remember that recently, Manchester and the neighbouring boroughs have found themselves on some pretty coveted UK-wide lists, most-notably with the city being ranked one of the UK’s most ‘most desired’ places to live and one of the top cities in the world to visit, so we’ve definitely got a lot to be proud of.

But it’s swings and roundabouts, as with all those impressive titles comes a less-than-impressive one, as the city has also been named one of the top 10 most congested cities with the worst traffic in the UK.

According to a new study conducted by the RAC, using data from INRIX, it was found that Manchester ranked number four on the list, as motorists lost a total of 61 hours stuck in traffic over the course of 2024 – which was estimated to cost them around £570 extra.

Manchester has been named one of the UK’s most congested cities / Credit: Manchester City Council (via Facebook)

Manchester wasn’t the only northern city on the list either, as Leeds and Sheffield also feature in the top 10, alongside the surprising addition of the lively Greater Manchester town of Wigan.

Yes, that’s right – it may not technically be a city, but for some reason, Wigan has also found itself featured on the list of UK’s most congested cities, as the study found that motorists there wasted an average of 57 hours stuck in traffic in 2024, and sadly had to part with an extra £532 because of it.

The UK’s most congested cities

London
Bristol
Leeds
Manchester
Bath
Birmingham
Wigan
Chelmsford
Sheffield

When it comes to the top spot on the list, that of course goes to London.

London’s drivers lost 101 hours sitting in congestion in 2024, which was a 2% increase in delays from the previous 12 months, and this means that the capital also accounts for approximately 50% of all UK traffic delay.

Looking nationally as a whole, the data also revealed that the country lost approximately £7.7 billion in 2024, which is £200 million more than in 2023.

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The average UK driver lost around 62 hours due to traffic congestion last year, according to the study, which is up only one hour from the previous 12-month period, and this works out to £581 per driver per year.

Featured Image – Nabeel Syed (via Unsplash)

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Council tax could be increased to help keep Greater Manchester Police ‘one of the best’ in the UK

Council tax could be increased to help keep Greater Manchester Police ‘one of the best police forces in the country’.

Residents across Greater Manchester are being urged to have their say on proposals to increase the police precept that forms part of their council tax bill. 

In case you weren’t familiar, three quarters of police funding comes from a central Government grant, but the remaining quarter comes from Greater Manchester Combined Authority‘s (GMCA) police precept, all of which helps enable Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to build on a range of improvements delivered over the last few years.

Funding helps GMP to further improve the speed of answering 999 and 101 calls, reduce and prevent neighbourhood crimes and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), improve road and transport safety across Manchester city centre, and bring more sex offenders to justice, among many other things.

Have your say on how we fund GMP’s vital services.

Your input helps us retain neighbourhood policing and keep Greater Manchester safe.

Together, we can ensure we are delivering the commitments that matter most to you.

🗳️ Have your say: https://t.co/Kx66ZqAqGO pic.twitter.com/Dl4z0AcfGs
— Greater Manchester Combined Authority (@greatermcr) January 7, 2025

According to GMCA, these are some of the things that people in the region said were “important to them” following “extensive engagement and consultation” with communities.

The proposed increase to the residents’ council tax bills would be £14 a year for a ‘Band D’ property (£1.17 a month), which equates to £10.89 per year (91 pence a month) for an average ‘Band B’ property – with the majority of properties in Greater Manchester falling within Bands A and B.

Addressing the potential increase, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said: “We set out a number of commitments last year on what Greater Manchester Police would deliver with the precept, and they delivered on every one of them.

Council tax could be increased to help keep Greater Manchester Police ‘one of the best’ in the UK / Credit: gov.uk

GMP are now answering 999 calls in record time, attending incidents sooner and investing in neighbourhood policing and crime prevention teams [and] as a result, we’ve seen crime reduce across the board, with the most marked improvement in neighbourhood crime which has reduced by 17% in the past year.”

He continued: “I know that times are tough for our residents, but investment through the precept is vital to maintain this improvement.

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“Your money really does make a difference.”

The Greater Manchester public can respond to the police precept consultation online at www.gmconsult.org by 17 January 2025.

Featured Image – GMP