A plan to get rough sleepers off the streets of Manchester and into temporary accommodation this winter has been published.
As the temperatures turn colder by the day, Manchester City Council has once again confirmed it will be working with local partners and health services to set out an action plan that makes sure no one experiencing street homelessness in Greater Manchester is left out in the cold this winter.
Even though there is year-round provision at Etrop Grange Hotel in Wythenshawe – which is funded by the Council, with support from Greater Manchester Combined Authority(GMCA) – dedicated to moving homeless people off the streets and into accommodation, with teams routinely walking around and connecting those in need with help, the winter always brings increased challenges.
This is why the Council’s efforts to support will be enhanced from this Friday (1 November), and a system of increased outreach will be introduced.
Councils across the UK are known to put cold weather plans in place each year, with the national benchmark for them to come into force being when temperatures are forecast to drop to zero or below for three or more consecutive nights – but here in Manchester, the temperature only needs to be forecast to drop below freezing for a single night for the plans to be activated.
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The Council has published a plan to get Manchester’s rough sleepers off the streets this winter / Credit: Ethel Red (via Flickr)
When the weather is forecast to drop below zero, a severe weather emergency protocol will be called, and this leads to stepped-up support which operates until 4:30am.
This allows Council officers to support people into accommodation, paving the way to connect them with any additional support that they need, and to carry out a housing assessment that’ll help find them a suitable move-on pathway.
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“We work year-round to help people off the streets, giving them access to the support they need to help them get on with their lives,” explained Councillor Joanna Midgley, who is the Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council.
“However, as it gets colder, people are more likely to accept help and come inside.
“This is why we expand our outreach offer and our officers, along with partner agencies, work into the early hours seeking out people who have bedded down so that we can offer them the opportunity to come indoors and access additional support.
“This is especially important, as sometimes coming inside in cold weather is the impetus that they need to accept help that we, along with our partners, can provide, and it is often the first step on the road to a better, healthier future.”
Featured Image – Garry Knight (via Flickr)
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Beloved Manchester artist Stanley Chow slams Conservative Party for using his artwork
Daisy Jackson
Celebrated local artist Stanley Chow has lashed out at the Conservative Party.
The illustrator, who is famed for his cartoon portraits of famous faces, has discovered that the political party have been using his Andy Burnham illustration at their party conference.
Publicly addressing the usage, Stanley said he would be ‘seeking legal advice’.
He shared a photo of his Andy Burnham portrait that has been placed onto a water bottle with the slogan ‘Bottler Burnham’.
The label also says: “0% strength. Bottled under pressure from Badenoch.”
In another photo, Stanley Chow revealed that the Tory party conference has used his Andy Burnham portrait on pots of sweets, too.
This time, they say: “Andy Panders’ people pleaser pick n mix. Free sweets for everyone, it will only cost you higher taxes.”
Stanley wrote: “It seems like @conservatives have been using my artwork without my permission at their conference party…
“Regardless of whatever your political allegiances are, it’s still copyright infringement… I’ll be seeking legal advice.”
Backing him up in the comments are a number of other local artists, including Mancsy, who said: “As well as the copyright infringement, I expect more of political parties than making gags at the expense of the opposition. It’s alarming on multiple levels.”
Someone else wrote: “Imagine calling a prime minister a people pleaser like it’s an insult… when it’s their job.”
Another person said: “How does that even happen?! Layers of people signing off who go, ‘Sure, let’s not worry about copyright’ (people who’ve presumably never step foot in MCR and seen your artwork, like EVERYWHERE). Drag em, babe. Copyright and reputation, surely.”
Manchester man jailed after sexually assaulting and masturbating in front of woman on train
Emily Sergeant
A man has been jailed after sexually assaulting and masturbating in front of a woman on board a train to Manchester.
Following an extensive British Transport Police (BTP) investigation, Nisan Fernando Kurukulasuriya, of Troutbeck Road in Altrincham, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court last month.
At the trail last month, the court heard how, on Monday 20 April 2026, 39-year-old Kurukulasuriya was on a train from Stoke to Manchester and sat next to a woman he didn’t know, who was on the phone.
He then sexually assaulted her repeatedly, doing so again even after being pushed away by the woman.
The woman then noticed that Kurukulasuriya had exposed himself and was masturbating in front of her. She shouted at him, and in response, he stood up and ran away to leave the train – but the woman immediately got up to report the incident to staff.
When the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly, the woman alerted a member of staff while Kurukulasuriya was stood only a few meters away, and BTP were subsequently called straight away.
Police quickly attended and arrested Kurukulasuriya.
When police interviewed him, Kurukulasuriya showed no remorse for his actions and refused to answer any questions put to him.
After pleading guilty to Sexual Assault and Outraging Public Decency at a previous court hearing, Kurukulasuriya was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, and was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which will bar him from sitting next to any woman he doesn’t know on public transport, as well as being put on thensex offenders register for 10 years.
BTP Detective Sergeant, Mark Haviland, called Kurukulasuriya a ‘despicable man’ who targeted a woman travelling alone ‘for his own sick sexual gratification’.
Emily Sergeant -
30th October 2024 
