BREAKING: Greater Manchester leaders say they are ‘fighting back’ for a fair deal
Mayor Andy Burnham, Deputy Mayor Bev Hughes, and Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese hosted a press conference on Thursday (15 October) afternoon, claiming they are "unanimously opposed" to Tier 3 and the "hardships" the measures will cause.
Greater Manchester’s leaders have spoken out as the tier saga continues – claiming they are “fighting back” for a “fair deal” for the region.
Mayor Andy Burnham, Deputy Mayor Bev Hughes, and Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese hosted a press conference on Thursday (15 October) afternoon, claiming they are “unanimously opposed” to Tier 3 and the “hardships” the measures will cause.
Burnham stated: “We are being asked to gamble our residents’ jobs, homes and businesses – and a large chunk of our economy – on a strategy that their own experts tell them might not work.
“We would never sign up for that.”
Deputy Mayor Hughes followed up: “I’d like to ask the government – what is the rationale for feeling that the people of Greater Manchester can manage if they’re laid off on 60% of their income, when the previous lockdown gave people 80%?”
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Mr. Leese added: “There is no need for Tier 3.”
📣 Andy, @DeputyMayorofGM Bev Hughes and @SirRichardLeese of @ManCityCouncil are giving a statement on coronavirus restrictions in Greater Manchester.
The conference followed a meeting held between ministers and Manchester MPs who – for the second time in the space of a week – were arguing against the implementation of stricter measures in Greater Manchester.
Whether Greater Manchester will actually enter Tier 3 at some stage remains unclear, and Burnham has called that a “decision for the government.”
However, local leaders remain opposed to entering the ‘very high’ risk category under current circumstances.
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Under Tier 3 rules, pubs and bars that do not serve ‘substantial’ meals must close, whilst different households cannot mix in any setting.
The government also advises against travelling in/out Tier 3 areas.
Fitness centres, gyms, bookmakers and casinos can also close under these rules.
Mayor Burnham has repeatedly claimed the financial package to support closed businesses is insufficient, and would therefore “not accept” any additional measures being imposed on Manchester.
Last weekend, local MPs and hospitality leaders urged the government to avoid placing the ten boroughs into the ‘very high’ risk category, even considering legal action.
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When the finalised tier system was announced in the House of Commons on Monday, it appeared their request had been granted – with the PM listing Greater Manchester in Tier 2.
But subsequent recommendations from health experts prompted the government to reconsider their decision the very next day – with an emergency Gold Command meeting held to determine whether Greater Manchester should be reclassified.
It was predicted that regions could experience movement between tiers over time, especially as case rates moved up and down.
But immediate indecisiveness over categorisation has created extreme friction between the government and some local authorities.
Elsewhere in the UK, London has been moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2 – resulting in a ban on households mixing indoors across the capital.
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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had been hinting that harsher measures could be on the way, with a second wave leading to case rate rises all over the UK.
Northern Ireland announced a four-week ‘circuit breaker’ earlier this week. The new rules will come into effect on Friday, with pubs and restaurants forced to shut (except for takeaway). NI schools will also close for two weeks, whilst places of worship, shops and gyms can stay open.
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War Child UK announce Foo Fighters charity prize draw for sold-out Manchester gig
Danny Jones
Amidst all the live music madness this week, with the intimate BRITs gigs happening, other big city centre shows and, of course, the mighty Foo Fighters coming to town, it can be hard to keep track of everything – but when we heard about a prize draw for free tickets, we couldn’t let you miss it.
That’s right, the Foos and War Child UK are getting ready to hand out limited pairs of tickets to their recently announced gig at the O2 Ritz in Manchester, which sold out in the blink of an eye.
They’re not even performing as part of BRITs Week lineup, but given it’s such a big moment for the city and an opportunity to raise money for the cause, they thought they’d throw their hats in the ring, so long as you chip in on your end.
So, ‘What’s the deal?’, we hear you ask. Well, look no further:
Put simply, all you have to do is enter the prize draw as advertised; plus, you know you’ll be doing your bit for a good cause, too, which is always an added bonus.
Given that the Ritz is already pretty much at capacity (approximately 1,500), they only have a small number of tickets to give away.
There are just four pairs up for grabs, to be specific, but with hundreds of people having already entered the charitable competition, nearly £17,000 has been raised for War Child UK already.
Incredible stuff.
For anyone still unclear on War Child’s mission, the organisation does crucial outreach not only here in Britain but all over the world, delivering emergency aid, specialist mental health support, and much more to children in need whose lives have been torn apart by conflicts across the globe.
This show, which has already generated huge funds towards those efforts through ticket sales, and local band The Covasettes are now even campaigning to get legendary frontman Dave Grohl to join them on stage after their stage times were shifted to make way for the Foo Fighters gig.
🚨 MANCHESTER UPDATE 🚨
With @foofighters playing the Ritz after us on Friday, our gig will now take place slightly earlier. Get down for doors and give the supports a night to remember!
Once again, the show itself is fully sold out, and there’s little chance you’ll find spares floating around ahead of a truly massive night.
Better still, if you are after one last lucky shot at getting yourself in that room, why not help raise some money for War Child while you’re at it?
As we’re sure you know, the gig itself is on Friday, but if you want to stand a chance, you must donate and choose your number of entries – £10 for one, three for £20, or £50 for a total of 10 entries – before 10am GMT this Thursday, 26 February.
Oldham man jailed for ‘non-contact’ child sex offences after pretending to be 15-year-old boy online
Emily Sergeant
A man from Oldham has been sentenced to time behind bars for what police have described as ‘non-contact’ child sex offences.
Ryan Greenhow appeared at Manchester Crown Square Court yesterday (Tuesday 24 February 2026) to be sentenced, after he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to 22 counts of non-contact child sex offences – including child sexual exploitation, sharing images or film to cause alarm, causing or inciting a child aged under 16 to engage in sexual activity, and malicious communications.
The offences occurred between November 2024 and March 2025, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed.
It involved Greenhow contacting six victims via different social media platforms including WhatsApp, TikTok, and Snapchat.
The 37-year-old then blackmailed the victims into sending him indecent images.
Pretending to be a teenage boy, he would send the victims – who police say were aged between 12-15 years old at the time – an indecent image, making claims that the image depicted them when it was actually a picture of a naked woman obtained from the internet, and the proceeded to threaten to send the image to their friends and family if the victims did not do exactly as he said.
This led to Greenhow making demands for indecent images from victims across the country, in areas like Greater Manchester and Lancashire, and even further afield in Buckinghamshire.
He would go on to send numerous text messages threatening his victims, including saying: “This is your last chance, everyone will know this is you” and “I have seen your nudes, add me”. On some occasions, police say the victims would respond that she did not know what they were talking about, but kept receiving messages telling them that it was their “last chance”.
Some of the victims did send Greenhow images, and reported his activity to their parents, carers, and school teachers.
At his sentencing this week, Greenhow was jailed for seven years and four months, and will also be made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Speaking following Greenhow’s sentencing, Detective Constable Adair, of GMP’s City of Manchester Division, said: “Greenhow used several different social media platforms pretending to be a 15-year-old boy and followed the same method with each of his victims – sending them random images obtained from the internet, falsely attributing them to the victim, then threatening to share the image with the victim’s friends and family in exchange for an indecent image of the victim.
“Once our investigation was underway, detailed phone analysis led to us identifying further victims. Officers worked to safeguard these victims from any further harm.
“This sentencing is part of our wider work to tackle child sexual exploitation and we’re committed to protecting victims and bringing offenders to justice.”
The Manc -
15th October 2020 
