Andy Burnham has joined fellow politicians and campaigners in once again calling for the introduction of a new ‘Hillsborough Law’.
Following the airing of hit ITV drama Anne starring Bolton-born actress Maxine Peake, which captivated audiences by telling the story of Anne Williams – who’s son Kevin was one of 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives in the tragic event on the Leppings Lane terrace at the Sheffield stadium in 1989, and so she became a key campaigner for justice – the Mayor of Greater Manchester is now calling for a “fundamental reform”.
Mr Burnham paid tribute to the programme – in which he himself was depicted as a character, portrayed by actor Matthew McNulty – before saying that the current legal system is “cruel” for bereaved families.
The Mayor said he will be joining campaigners and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram on Friday to demand change after repeating their support for the law’s introduction.
Unfamiliar with the ‘Hillsborough Law’ and what it’s calling for?
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The law – which was first brought to Parliament by Andy Burnham himself back in 2017 when he was an MP – would bring in a number of measures, including giving bereaved families better access to money for legal representation at inquests, and forcing public authorities to tell the truth during legal proceedings.
Mr Burnham says a change in the law is urgently needed to stop “a pattern” of a lack of candour “repeating itself”.
Speaking from the heart in a new campaign video shared to social media, Mr Burnham – who is an Everton fan, but has been has repeatedly scathing about the way the Hillsborough families have been treated by the legal system during their three-decade long fight for justice – said: “If we had a Hillsborough Law, it would make this country a place where truth and justice are more likely to happen.
“The lack of fairness in the system has meant we constantly see the same mistakes of history repeating themselves.
“We’ve seen what’s happened to the Hillsborough families, but also the families that have suffered from the contaminated blood scandal, and today, families fighting for justice for Grenfell.
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“This is a pattern that keeps on repeating itself, and until we have a Hillsborough Law, that pattern won’t be broken.”
Read more:New Hillsborough disaster drama Anne will air on ITV this weekend
ITV drama Anne tells the story of the Hillsborough disaster through the eyes of bereaved mother Anne Williams / Credit: ITV
He added in his press briefing this afternoon that: “The Hillsborough Law is shorthand for a comprehensive, fundamental reform of the legal and criminal justice system, to level up the scales of justice in favour of bereaved families.”
Mr Burnham said the government also had a role to play in responding to a report issued several years ago that outlines the experiences of the Hillsborough families in their fight for justice.
The report made a number of recommendations for legal changes.
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The Mayor of Greater Manchester added that: “People have been touched by Anne’s story, moved by what they have seen, and by the way, this will continue to go on until the system is fundamentally changed.
“Friday will be a major intervention with people from all walks of life coming together to make the call for a Hillsborough Law now.”
Manchester’s iconic inflatable monsters are set to invade the city centre again this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
Dozens of huge inflatable monsters are set to invade Manchester next month, as Halloween returns to the city for 2024.
Yes, it’s that time of year yet again… the monsters are back.
After several years of looming over Manchester‘s most-notable rooftops and lurking around famous city centre sites, it’s been revealed that the iconic MCR Monsters will be returning for another year of spooky celebrations next month, along with loads of other terrifying tricks and treats – with something for the whole family to get involved with.
Organisers CityCo and Manchester BID are gearing up to “roll out the blood-red carpet” for its legendary and monstrous guests in a couple of weeks time.
This year’s annual Halloween in the City celebrations will kick off with a week-long colourful invasion of the MCR Monsters, before being followed by a two-day family festival across the city’s popular shopping destinations.
Halloween is returning to the city for loads of spooky celebrations next month / Credit: CityCo (via Supplied)
Crawling their way back into the city from Friday 25 October through to Halloween itself on Thursday 31 October, the epic MCR Monsters inflatable art trail – which is created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas – will be taking over leading locations like Manchester Arndale, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Corn Exchange, and New Century, with many more sites set to be announced soon.
A brand-new monster called ‘The Leech’ will be heading to town to join to celebrations this year, alongside some other spookily-similar faces from years’ past.
Buildings across the city will also be turning a ghoulish green once the night falls, while you can also expect to see thousands of little pumpkin lanterns adorning the city’s streets once again.
There’ll be something for all the family to / Credit: CityCo (via Supplied)
Some of the other fan-favourite events on the jam-packed Halloween in the City lineup confirmed to be returning this year are the ‘Monsters Rock! Music Festival’, with spooky live bands and DJs, as well as gruesome games and competitions, the popular ‘Team Trick v Team Treat’ fancy dress challenge, and the hair-raising monster procession ‘Rock! Party Procession’ – which will feature giant puppet monsters, stilt walkers, and a live band marching their way through Manchester Arndale and on Market Street.
Thousands of families are expected to come into the city centre dressed in their scariest costumes over Halloween weekend on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October.
Jane Sharrocks, who is the Chair of Manchester BID, said Manchester is set to transform into the “ultimate Halloween playground” this year, and that organisers are planning 2024 to be the “most thrilling year yet”.
“As the first UK city to host these incredible creatures, Manchester has become the ultimate Halloween destination,” Jane added.
Halloween in the City officially returns to Manchester on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October, with the monsters descending from Friday 25 October and the pumpkins potentially even earlier, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – CityCo (via Supplied)
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‘Life-changing’ scheme helps house hundreds of Greater Manchester’s homeless people
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of homeless people in Manchester have now been helped “get back on their feet” thanks to a successful pilot housing scheme.
Greater Manchester’s ‘Housing First’ pilot scheme was rolled out in 2019.
The scheme is all about recognising that “a good home has to be the first step to a good life”, according to Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), and since it was first introduced, it has primarily been helping people with chronic and long-standing experiences of homelessness into homes of their own, without preconditions.
Ongoing personalised wraparound support to manage issues, ranging from mental health problems to substance misuse, is also a key part of what the scheme’s all about.
Since 2019, the scheme then has helped a total of 413 people find “good, safe homes”, GMCA has revealed.
Around 75% of those housed have also sustained their tenancies too, with some even going on to form part of Housing First’s co-production panel – sharing their experiences, and making sure that the service continues to meet people’s needs.
Giving everyone a good, safe home is one of the best investments this country can make.
That’s why we want to take the lessons of our @GMHousingFirst pilot & follow @FinlandInUK by adopting it as our philosophy in Greater Manchester.
Because of the clear success of the pilot in our region, Greater Manchester and Mayor Andy Burnham are now calling on the Government to take the lessons learned from the scheme and embed them into a new approach to tackle the housing crisis nationwide.
Andy Burnham says he believes that giving everyone a good, safe home would be “one of the best investments the country could make”, as it would “take pressure off” other public services and public finances, and declared that our region is ready to follow in Finland’s footsteps by becoming the first UK city-region to adopt the ‘Housing First’ philosophy permenantly.
“The evidence is clear that it works, and when a pilot scheme gets results it shouldn’t end there – it should become the new normal,” Mr Burnham said.
A ‘life-changing’ scheme has helped house hundreds of Greater Manchester’s homeless people / Credit: Manchester City Council
“Housing First has shown that if you give people an unconditional right to safe and secure housing, backed up with personalised support, you set them up to succeed, so instead of winding it down, we should be scaling it up and turning it into a national mission.
“We’re starting that here in Greater Manchester.
“We’re bringing in new protections for renters, tackling bad landlords, and with the right powers and funding, we can deliver 75,000 new homes in this parliament.
“Our new Housing First Unit will drive this work forward, bringing together partners across our city-region with a clear goal – a healthy home for everyone in Greater Manchester by 2038.”
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2022 
