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‘Confusing’ restrictions debate is making things ‘impossible’ says Greater Manchester Mayor

This has meant that boroughs with higher infection rates are now free to mix households, whereas the likes of Salford and Bury (which have seen fewer cases) remain under lock and key.

The Manc The Manc - 2nd September 2020
 Gerald England / Geograph

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has said the region is an “impossible” situation due to the confusion created by the restrictions debate.

Bolton, Trafford and Stockport have all been released from the tighter rules today (2 September) – despite the protests of local councillors.

Cases have skyrocketed in Bolton over the past two weeks, ranking the town among the worst-affected in England at present.

The number of positive tests have also been climbing in Trafford.

This has meant that boroughs with higher infection rates are now free to mix households, whereas the likes of Salford and Bury (which have seen fewer recent cases) remain under lock and key.

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Despite the government lifting restrictions, local leaders are urging caution and suggesting people should not mix households.

The restrictions debate, however, is a big flaming distraction from the real issue according to Burnham.

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https://twitter.com/AndyBurnhamGM/status/1301047383527231489?s=20

Writing on Twitter, the Mayor said: “This morning we find ourselves in an impossible situation. Boroughs with rising cases released from restrictions; neighbours with lower numbers still under.

“The restrictions v release debate is confusing the public & becoming a distraction from what really needs to be done.

“Greater Manchester is united across party lines on what we need: “local control of Test & Trace with door-to-door teams and financial support to self-isolate.”

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Burnham is advising people in Bolton and Trafford to “continue to follow the guidance” not to have social gatherings in their home.

Council leaders in Bolton and Trafford are also asking the government to reinstate restrictions in these boroughs.

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Manchester’s iconic inflatable monsters are set to invade the city centre again this Halloween

Emily Sergeant 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.

Read more:

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 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.

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.

Read more:

“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.”

Featured Image – Flickr

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