Manchester City Council has pledged to put the safety of women in our city “at the heart” of Manchester’s night time economy.
After publishing a groundbreaking 10-year plan to protect women in March 2021, with Mayor Andy Burnham declaring that he wanted the “streets, workplaces, schools, universities and homes of this city-region to be safe for every woman and girl”, the Council has now said that steps are being put in place to improve the safety of women in Manchester’s night time economy.
From September 2022, businesses who operate at night time in Manchester will be encouraged to sign and pledge support to the Women’s Night Time Safety Charter – which is officially being launched this week.
The charter will set out how organisations can prioritise the safety of women – both employees and customers – in our city.
The implementation of this new charter by Manchester City Council comes after improving safety for women in Manchester was named as one of the key priorities of Cllr Bev Craig when she was elected as leader back in 2021.
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According to the Council, all businesses who sign up to the charter will be asked to pledge their support to these seven commitments:
Appoint a Champion – Nominate a champion in your organisation who actively promotes women’s night safety.
Communicate – Demonstrate to staff and customers that your organisation takes women’s safety at night seriously.
Support your staff – Remind customers and staff that Manchester is safe, but tell them what to do if they experience harassment when working, going out or travelling.
Support the public – Encourage reporting by victims and bystanders as part of your communications campaign.
Training and responding – Train staff to ensure that all women who report are believed.
Training and recording – Train staff to ensure that all reports are recorded and responded to.
Design – Designing space for safety.
Manchester City Council has pledged to put the safety of women in our city “at the heart” of Manchester’s night time economy / Credit: Logan Weaver & shawnanggg (via Unsplash)
The Council says these steps are intended to “help businesses identify and prevent the harassment of women”, as well as “bring about a cultural change” by bringing the safety and wellbeing of female staff and customers to the forefront of the night time economy.
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More than 40 businesses have come forward to pledge their support to the charter so far.
“When I became the Leader of the city of Manchester, I pledged to put the women and girls at the heart of what we do to make Manchester a fairer and safer city,” Cllr Bev Craig said on the implementation of the charter.
“Over the last nine months, there has been additional investment in tackling misogyny and violence, and this is a great example of the practical steps we are taking.
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“It is incredibly important that we do everything in our power to ensure that women can feel safe in Manchester.
“We have a well-justified reputation for an outstanding night-time economy, but that accolade must be earned. The Night Time Safety charter is a call to collective action for any organisation who works, resides, designs or delivers services in our city, so join us and make a Manchester-wide push to help make Manchester the safest, most welcoming city in the country.”
Will Smith announces huge gig in Manchester this year
Thomas Melia
Hollywood icon and music star Will Smith is releasing new music for the first time in 20 years, and he’s performing in Manchester later this year.
Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down because The Fresh Prince a.k.a Will Smith is coming to Manchester and he’s bringing new music too.
One of the biggest names in the world, the 56-year-old is behind some seriously catchy songs like ‘Miami’, Summertime’, ‘Gettin Jiggy Wit It’.
His new album drops on 28 March, titled ‘Based On A True Story’, and has some featuring credits from R&B megastar Teyana Taylor and his own son Jaden too.
The opening track of the new record ‘Int. Barbershop – Day’ even sees the Philadelphia native linking up with ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ theme tune collaborator, DJ Jazzy Jeff.
It should come as no surprise that this superstar is returning to the stage since both his children have been reaching impressive heights with their musical careers, especially Willow.
Smith has been kicking it with the big dogs of the rap scene recently as current global phenomenon Doechii recruited him for a viral video surrounding her latest single ‘Anxiety’.
This isn’t the only way Smith has been staying in the public eye, he’s also dropped the collaboration ‘First Love’ with Spanish singer, India Martínez, even performing it at Latin award show, Premio Lo Nuestro.
This isn’t the only huge stage he’s performing on as he took to social media to announce he’ll be playing for Concacaf Nations League at Sofi Stadium on 23 March.
The Hollywood star has picked up an Oscar, four Grammys, a BAFTA and films he’s featured in have grossed just under $10 billion – he is legendary.
Now, he’s set to play three UK cities including Manchester, London and even a show in Wolverhampton, we really did get lucky with this one.
The album cover for his latest drop in 20 years ‘Based On A True Story’.The tracklist for Will Smith’s upcoming project.Credit: Instagram
Man City fan jailed after causing £10k damage to a police vehicle following Champions League victory
Emily Sergeant
A Manchester City fan has been jailed for his part in large-scale disorder following the club’s Champions League victory.
The court heard how, following Manchester City’s Champions League Final win over Inter Milan in Istanbul in Turkey on Saturday 10 June 2023, jubilant fans flocked to the streets of Manchester city centre for late-night celebrations.
The large influx of fans in high spirits prompted a police response to ‘ensure public safety’ and ‘prevent any public disorder’, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
However, the disorder did begin to escalate despite police presence.
A number of fans, including 22-year-old Leon Blackett, scaled a police vehicle and proceeded to jump up and down on it, which subsequently caused more than £10,000 worth of damage, and resulted in the vehicle having to be written off.
#JAILED | Leon Blackett (14/01/2003) of Craigmore Avenue, has been been handed a three-month jail term for causing £10k worth of damage to a police vehicle following the club's Champions League win in 2023, along with 41 months for other offences.
Following the disorder, an investigation was launched by GMP’s City Centre policing, with officers obtaining social media and CCTV footage that helped them to identify those responsible.
Blackett admitted to the offence, after he was arrested on Thursday 19 October 2023.
Following admitting to the offence, Blackett was sentenced to 44 months in prison – a three-month jail term for this football-related offence, along with 41 months for possession of a bladed article and a domestic related communications offence.
He has also been given a seven-year Football Banning Order, commencing on the day Blackett received his sentence.
“The actions by Blackett in the wake of Manchester City’s historic Champions League Final victory were completely unacceptable,” commented PC Matt Ford, from GMP’s Specialist Operations Planning Unit.
“This is a timely reminder to those who commit crimes while following the football in another country, we will seek prosecutions for unacceptable behaviour.”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd September 2022 
