A £30 million support package has been announced to help Manchester residents with the cost of living this winter.
Manchester City Council is set to spend the money on helping those facing hardship and poverty as the weather turns colder, and this includes £6.5 million awarded through the Government’s Household Support Fund to target support for those most in-need of help to pay for energy, water, food, and other essentials up to April 2025.
According to the Council, this will supplement the already-ongoing wider work to support residents at risk from the cost of living throughout the year.
Enhanced support for pensioners has also been announced this week.
Under the new scheme, pensioners who are not in receipt of pension credits – and therefore will not receive the winter fuel payment – but still need support over the winter, will now be eligible for payments of £150, or £200 if they are aged 80 or over.
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The cost of living is continuing to hit Mancunians. That's why we're announcing a wide range of support for those who need it.
All low income Manchester households in receipt of Council Tax Support, where at least one person gets disability benefits, will get an automatic payment of £100 from the Council, it has been confirmed – with an estimated 21,437 households across the city are expected to benefit from this.
£10 per week is also to be paid to around 350 care leavers, who are living in their own tenancies across the city.
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Families with children who are eligible for free school meals during term time will receive payments for each eligible child of £15 for the autumn half term, £30 for the Christmas holiday, and £15 for the spring 2025 half term to prevent holiday hunger – with payments distributed via Manchester schools.
A further £190,000 will also be allocated to the Council’s Holiday Activity Fund (HAF) to provide free activities for children during half terms.
A £30m winter support package has been announced to help Manchester residents with the cost of living / Credit: RawPixel
To round things off, £200,000 will be allocated to voluntary and community sector organisations working in the city to help make sure those who are harder-to-reach are still supported, and £20,000 will be added to funding for the Council’s existing welfare support scheme to provide grants for those facing hardship.
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Councillor Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council, says these targeted payments will “make a real difference” to tens of thousands of Manchester people who are struggling with cost of living pressures.
“The message is clear, if you are struggling this winter, please contact us and we will support you,” she concluded.
Residents struggling with costs and wanting to find out more about the range of support available are encouraged to contact the Cost of Living Advice Line on freephone 0800 0232692 between 9am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday.
Payments will be made from November onwards.
Featured Image – EthelRedThePetrolHead (via Flickr)
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Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Emily Sergeant -
15th October 2024 
