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Andy Burnham pledges to build 10,000 new council houses in Greater Manchester by 2028

He's a man on a mission.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 8th May 2024

Andy Burnham has pledged to build 10,000 new council houses across Greater Manchester before 2028 arrives.

Following his declaration back in January that 2024 would be the year Greater Manchester “gets serious about housing”, the Mayor of Greater Manchester – who was re-elected for his third term as the region’s Labour mayor this past weekend – has vowed to tackle the housing crisis within the next decade, and is promising to build a “new generation” of council homes.

Mr Burnham is keen to put housing “centre stage” and make it a “top priority” over the course of his next mayoral term, and by 2028, he wants there to be 1,000 new council houses in each of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs.

This will involve identifying brownfield sites and land owned by public bodies where the homes can be built in each borough.

Also, as part of his wider housing mission, Mr Burnham has also asked the Government to devolve powers to suspend ‘Right to Buy’ on these new-build council homes and in areas of greatest housing need in a bid to help “stem the critical loss” of social housing to the private rented sector in Greater Manchester. 

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This request comes after it was revealed that our city-region has lost nearly 24,000 homes to ‘Right to Buy’ within in the last 20 years – including 571 sold in 2022-23 alone.  

Some of the other housing measures announced by the Mayor yesterday include the introduction of a pilot scheme – which would be rolled-out across Greater Manchester by the end of 2024 – that offers residents the right to request a property check, and the opening of the new ‘GM Good Landlord Charter’ to applications by the summer, setting out standards for rental properties, and supporting landlords to meet them.   

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Andy Burnham pledges to build 10,000 new council houses in Greater Manchester by 2028 / Credit: Rockpanel | GMCA

Mr Burnham will also look to expand the much-valued ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme to at least 600 places every night during his third mayoral term to provide “crucial support” to rough sleepers as the rising cost of living crisis continues.

The Mayor has confirmed he will continue to donate 15% of his salary each month to support the scheme.

“Greater Manchester can’t achieve its full potential as long as it remains in the grip of a housing crisis,” Mr Burnham explained as he set out his plans for the future as Greater Manchester’s Mayor.

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“That is why I am setting a new ambition for the city-region to end it within a decade.

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“Everyone deserves to live in a good, safe home, and by building new council homes, and by suspending the Right to Buy on them, we can give our Councils the breathing space they desperately need to replenish their stock, so that all of those waiting in temporary accommodation or on the housing registers have the chance to access good homes.”

Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

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Sunday Times Rich List – Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains richest man in North West despite losing £6bn

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

The Sunday Times Rich List has today been released, revealing that Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains the richest man in the North West, and third-richest in the country.

The annual list names the richest of the rich across the UK, and the combined wealth of the 350 individuals and families listed in 2024 amounts to more than the GDP of Poland at £795.361 billion.

As well as Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who remains on the Sunday Times Rich List despite losing more than £6bn this year, other famous names include David and Victoria Beckham, Sir Elton John, and Lord Lloyd-Webber.

As for The Sunday Times 40 Under 40 Rich List, famous faces like Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, and Daniel Radcliffe.

Representing the wealthiest in the North West are Michael Platt, The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family, and Home Bargains boss Tom Morris.

The billionaire Issa brothers who own Asda and founded EG Group complete the top five richest people regionally.

Local man Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who made his billions through chemical giant Ineos, has almost double the wealth of runner-up Michael Platt.

Harry Styles has made it onto the Sunday Times Rich List.
Harry Styles has made it onto the Sunday Times Rich List.

He recently ran the London Marathon at the age of 71 and secured a 25% stake of his childhood football club Manchester United.

The Duke of Westminster, who inherited his title and a huge land and property portfolio at the age of just 25, remains the richest person under 40 in the UK.

Now 33 years old and recently moved to Cheshire, his fortune now stands at £10.127 billion.

He’ll soon lose his title as the ‘UK’s most eligible bachelor’ though, with the Duke set to marry Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral next month.

Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s Sunday Times Rich List suggests Britain’s billionaire boom has come to an end. Many of our home-grown entrepreneurs have seen their fortunes fall and some of the global super rich who came here are moving away. 

“Thousands of British livelihoods rely on the super-rich to some extent. We’ll have to wait and see whether we have now reached peak billionaire, and what that means for our economy. 

“These may be harder times to create wealth, but The Sunday Times Rich List continues to unearth entrepreneurs building fortunes in diverse and often surprising ways. This year’s new entries include people who have made money from artificial intelligence and virtual worlds as well as plumbing supplies and teaching aides.  

“We know many of our readers find such people — especially those from humbler backgrounds — very inspiring.” 

The minimum entry to get onto the mega-rich list this year is a whopping £350m.

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Featured image: YouTube

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Teens could be recruited as train drivers to help ‘improve’ Britain’s railways amid ongoing strikes

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Teenagers could soon be recruited as train drivers in a bid to help “improve” Britain’s railways, the Government has announced.

Amid what have been ongoing strikes for the past couple of years now, and following on from the announcement back in February that ASLEF train drivers at several train companies and operators had voted ‘overwhelmingly’ to continue taking industrial action for another six months, the Government has now proposed lowering the minimum age to become a train driver from 20 to 18.

A consultation on the somewhat-controversial move is to be launched as part of the Government’s efforts to open up more careers in the rail sector to young people.

Ultimately, transport ministers believe this could “improve the reliability of rail services” across the UK.

Teens could be recruited as train drivers to help ‘improve’ Britain’s railways amid ongoing strikes / Credit: National Rail

This surprising recruitment drive announcement comes after the Government has revealed that the train driver workforce is projected to shrink without opening up more opportunities for new recruits in the near future – especially given the fact the average age of a train driver in Britain is 48 years old, and many are set to retire within the next five years or so.

Under the new proposals set to go out to consultation, the Department for Transport (DfT) will create a new pathway for school leavers to take up apprenticeships and train to join the profession.

If agreed following the consultation, the new regulations to lower the minimum age for train drivers from 20 to 18 could be in place as early as this summer, according to the Government, which will apparently “help set thousands of young people on track to a career in transport” once they’ve bid farewell to their school days.

The Government says its proposal to lower the minimum age would “build resilience” across the railway.

The Government has launched a consultation of the lowering of the minimum train driver age / Credit: Northern

Not only is the proposal said to form part of wider Government plans to create more opportunities where young people can gain the skills they need to succeed, all while generating more jobs that lead to a “productive” and “high-skilled” economy, but transport ministers believe attracting more young train drivers would help the rail industry provide a “more reliable service” for customers when other staff are off sick or on annual leave.

By opening up the sector to young people, the Government claims this would be “a positive step” and one that directly benefits passengers.

“We want to open the door for young people considering transport as a career, and this proposal could give school-leavers a clear path into the sector,” commented Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, as the proposals were unveiled this week.

“By boosting age diversity in the sector and attracting more drivers, we can help support reliable services while creating opportunities for more young people.”

If the proposals are introduced, the Government says all prospective train drivers, regardless of their age, will continue to be held to the same stringent training requirements as before to ensure the safe use of our railways for everyone.

To become a licensed train driver in the UK, trainees must pass mandatory medical, psychological, fitness, and general professional competence examinations.

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They must also be trained by their employer on the trains and tracks they will be deployed on.

Featured Image – Northern

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