Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has addressed the people of the region this afternoon ahead of imminent Tier 3 restrictions set to be imposed.
Mr Burnham has attacked the government for refusing to offer an extra £5 million in support to help the region through Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions. He said the government “walked away” from negotiations about financial support, after refusing to offer enough money to “prevent a winter of real hardship” for the people of Greater Manchester.
Political leaders in the region had estimated that £65 million was the “bare minimum” needed to get to the end of the financial year, however Mr Burnham said the government “refused to accept this”.
He said: “That is what we believe we needed to prevent poverty, to prevent hardship, to prevent homelessness.
“Those were the figures that we had – not what we wanted – but what we needed to prevent all of those things from happening.
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Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham says he is still willing to do a deal, but says "it cannot be on the terms that the government offered today"
“But the government refused to accept this and at 2pm today they walked away from negotiations.
“In summary, at no point today were we offered enough to protect the poorest people in our communities through the punishing reality of the winter to come.
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The mayor said he is “still willing to do a deal”, but it “cannot be on the terms that the government offered today”.
Greater Manchester mayor @AndyBurnhamGM says local leaders need 'a bare minimum' £65m to "prevent a winter of real hardship… poverty and homelessness" if the city is to be placed into Tier 3 lockdown, but says the govt "walked away".
Burnham added: “I don’t think it is right to ask people to go into a lockdown, to accept further changes within their lives, without supporting them through all of that. How can we carry the public with us through this pandemic if we are forcing them to lose their income, their place of work, without supporting them through that?”
He then went on to call on Parliament to “intervene and make a judgement” on a fair financial framework for Tier 3 lockdowns and added how every part of the country should be concerned by the lack of support offered to areas put under tightened restrictions.
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"Observe the law at all times and follow the public health advice – please look out for each other."
Mayor of Greater Manchester, @AndyBurnhamGM says "there are tough days ahead" as he urges people to follow the Tier 3 restrictions.
Closing out his speech speaking directly to the people of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham said: “We took this stand for you. We will carry on fighting for you. We will carry on putting your health first, but health is more than the virus.
“We will support people’s health in the broadest possible sense.
“So tough days lay ahead [but] please, everybody, observe the law at all times and follow the public health advice.
“Above all else, please look out for each other, as I know you will.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to hold a press conference due to commence at 5pm today.
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Appeal for information after serious bus-cyclist collision on Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
Police have launched an appeal for information following a serious road traffic collision on Deansgate, which has left a cyclist in critical condition.
Yesterday afternoon reports were made of a crash between a cyclist and a bus on the busy street in Manchester city centre.
The cyclist, who is a man in his 80s, has suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, and remains in hospital in critical condition.
The crash took place on the junction of Bridge Street and Deansgate at around 12.30pm on Monday 2 November.
A large cordon was in place and Deansgate closed for several hours yesterday.
Police officers are now appealing for any witnesses who may have seen the moments leading up to this incident, or may have mobile phone or dashcam footage, to come forward.
No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information can contact police on 0161 856 4741 quoting the log number 1510 of 02.11.26. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Greater Manchester emergency services issue urgent safety warning ahead of Bonfire Night
Emily Sergeant
An urgent safety warning has been issued by emergency services ahead of Bonfire Night this week.
With Bonfire Night only a few days away now, and fireworks already starting to be let off across the region, Greater Manchester’s emergency services have, once again, come together to launch a campaign urging communities to be safe, and warn against attacking emergency service workers or taking part in anti-social behaviour.
Led by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS), in partnership with Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), and the region’s 10 local Councils, the Bang Out Of Order campaign highlights the consequences of anti-social behaviour.
Last year, incidents of anti-social behaviour relating to nuisance from fireworks rose by 2% – with 1,020 cases recorded, while attacks on firefighters also sadly increased.
An urgent safety warning has been issued by emergency services ahead of Bonfire Night / Credit: DESIGNECOLOGIST (via Unsplash)
935 fires were also started deliberately between 1 September and 10 November last year, while 767 hoax calls were made to the police and fire service within the same time period.
GMFRS has now issued an urgent safety warning.
Matt Hamer, Director for Community Safety and Training, said: “The Bonfire Night period is one of the busiest times of the year for our emergency services, and we want everyone to enjoy the celebrations safely and responsibly.
“We strongly encourage people to attend organised firework displays and bonfire events wherever possible. If you are planning your own celebrations, it is essential that you follow the Firework Code and take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and those around you.
“Deliberately setting fires, misusing fireworks or attacking emergency service workers is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences. Our firefighters are there to protect communities and should never face abuse, violence or intimidation while carrying out their duties.
The Manc -
20th October 2020 
