The leader of Manchester City Council has called for “compassion and solidarity” after protests across the country.
After a weekend that saw widespread far-right protests and counter demonstrations in towns and cities throughout the UK – predominantly here in the north, and in Greater Manchester – following the devastating killing of three young girls and the injuring of several others during a knife attack in the Merseyside seaside town of Southport at the end of last month, the leader of Manchester City Council insists disorder “will not be tolerated in our streets”.
Cllr Bev Craig says there is “no place for hate” in Manchester.
Hundreds of people have been detained and arrested by police nationwide over last few days following the riots – including 19 people in Manchester city centre, according to GMP.
#UPDATE | Update following policing operation for protest activity around Greater Manchester.
19 arrests were made on 3-4 August 2024 for a range of offences. Seven were charged with possession of a weapon and one was charged with assault.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called an emergency COBRA meeting in response to the ongoing unrest, and said his Government “utterly condemns the far-right thuggery” displayed, adding that “those who participated in this violence will face the full force of the law.”
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And now, Manchester’s Council leader has had her say.
Addressing the Manchester public in a statement, and calling for “compassion and solidarity” moving forwards, Cllr Bev Craig wrote: “We know that our communities will be feeling understandably anxious and uneasy, but we would like to reassure our residents that we will not tolerate disorder in our streets.
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“Manchester’s diversity is our strength, and it is now more important than ever that we support one another with compassion, understanding and solidarity.
Council leader Bev Craig has called for ‘compassion and solidarity’ after protests in Manchester this past weekend / Credit: GMP
“I am deeply conscious that some of our communities, especially minority communities, are anxious about discrimination, abuse, anti-Muslim sentiment and racism, much of which is playing out on social media, alongside misinformation and other forms of hate.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their community, and we will continue to work with colleagues at GMP to monitor local concerns and make sure that Manchester remains a welcoming and safe place.
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“As such, there will be an increased police presence in our neighbourhoods, and we want to be clear that officers are there primarily to provide visibility and reassurance.”
Council Leader calls for solidarity following protests and unrest in Manchester and across the country this weekend.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) August 5, 2024
Looking ahead to how the region plans to manage the situation going forward, Cllr Craid added: “We fully support GMP in taking robust action against anyone who is intent on bringing violence to our city.
“Swift action is needed to bring people to justice, and we would also like to thank Council staff, officers at GMP, and other partners who helped to keep Manchester safe this weekend under very challenging circumstances.”
Cllr Craig closed out her statement insisting that “there is no justification for criminal behaviour”.
“The actions of the perpetrators undermine everything that Manchester stands for,” she added. “We are proud to be a vibrant, tolerant, and accepting place – and we know there is more that unites us than divides us.
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“Now is the time we come together to show what this means.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
6th August 2024 
