Leaders in Greater Manchester have voted to freeze a part of local council tax in order to “reduce the financial burden on local taxpayers”.
Mayor Andy Burnham and the ten borough leaders of Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) have made a unanimous decision to suspend the ‘Mayoral General Precept’ – which is part of the overall council tax paid by residents and used to fund services.
On the next round of council tax bills, the Mayoral Precept will remain at £70.73 for a Band B property, split between £51.48 for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and £19.25 for other Mayoral-funded services.
The GMCA confirmed the freeze will not impact fire service frontline cover or the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme – which will run into the new financial year.
An average increase of £7.77 (or 15p per week) will however be introduced for police reforms in the region – helping to fund an additional 325 officers.
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Greater Manchester Police was placed in special measures in December after it was revealed more than 80,000 cases had gone unrecorded.
Mayor Burnham, who proposed the precept freeze, said he was “pleased to see it passed with a unanimous cross-party vote by our leaders”.
He added: “We are doing our bit to support vital local public services to help those who need it the most, but we also need the Government to do more by properly funding our councils.
“We will not be able to level-up this country after the pandemic on the shattered foundations of local finance.”
Commenting on the police precept increase, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Bev Hughes said the tax would help “continue the progress made since 2017 in increasing the number of frontline officers and deliver a series of important measures to strengthen the service.”
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Hughes added: “Since 2018 the police precept has helped fund an additional 667 police officers and a named officer for every ward in Greater Manchester, but it is no substitute for the millions that have been cut from police and fire service budgets since 2010.
“Our message to the Government is clear: we have once again stepped up to ensure fair and sustainable funding for our public services. Now they must do the same.”
News
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’.
The Manc -
24th February 2021 
