Dominic Raab has weighed in as the tier row between Greater Manchester and the government continues – accusing the region of “pulling up the drawbridge”.
Local leaders remain resolute in their unanimous opposition to Greater Manchester’s proposed shift upwards in the government’s flagship tier system – demanding a superior financial package to the one that’s on the table.
But they also know it could ultimately be out of their hands.
Andy Burnham has made no bones about the fact that it’s the government who have the final say on whether Greater Manchester is bumped up to Tier 3 in the coming days.
Asked by the press whether it was inevitable that the region would end up in the ‘very high’ risk category, the Mayor pulled no punches.
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“That’s a decision for the government,” he admitted.
Now, Dominic Raab has echoed those comments.
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“Obviously, in the last resort the government has the powers to proceed in any event,” the First Secretary of State told Sky News.
“But we would much rather work with the local leaders if at all possible.”
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Raab accused Burnham of putting the government in a difficult position.
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“We can’t have a situation as we have seen in Manchester where Andy Burnham is effectively trying to hold the government over a barrel over money and politics when actually we need to take action,” he stated.
“The cases there are 470 per 100,000 so it is very serious, and we must take action in the interest of the people of Manchester and the wider area, and if we take those targeted actions in those areas most affected… we get through this and we avoid the national level lockdown.”
Raab then urged the Mayor “do the right thing by the people of Manchester”, reminding Burnham that the door was “always open”.
“We will keep talking and we’ll keep working,” Raab explained to Sky News.
“Obviously in the last resort the government has the powers to proceed in any event, but we would much rather work with the local leaders if at all possible.”
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It’s not about what we want for ourselves, @DominicRaab. It’s about what we want for low-paid and self-employed people everywhere: fairness. https://t.co/diqnm8lmA1
Currently, Greater Manchester is sticking to its guns.
Burnham responded to Raab’s comments on social media, stating: “It’s not about what we want for ourselves [Dominic Raab]. It’s about what we want for low-paid and self-employed people everywhere: fairness.”
Sir Richard Leese has also refused to budge since yesterday afternoon’s press conference.
Speaking on Tier 3 rules, the Manchester City Council leader stated: “They’ve [the government] not been able to provide evidence that it will reduce transmission and they want to close businesses without sufficient support.
“We’ve been under restrictions for nine weeks.”
Coronavirus rates in Manchester are slightly down this week, whereas they are still rising in surrounding boroughs.
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Family of 21-year-old Lewis Durham pay tribute to ‘fun-loving character’ tragically killed in traffic collision
Danny Jones
The family of 21-year-old Lewis Durham who was tragically killed in a traffic collision last week have paid tribute to the “fun-loving character” and young man who had “the world at his feet”.
Lewis Durham and two other people were involved in the crash on 13 April, which saw the young man and another male on the back of his bike collide with a car on Ormskirk Road in Wigan around 7:15pm.
Durham, from the town of Workington in West Cumbria, was sadly declared dead at the scene and his 56-year-old passenger, who was also thrown from the bike, unfortunately passed away from his injuries after being rushed to hospital.
The driver of the vehicle, a 41-year-old male, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury following the incident. He has since been released on bail.
#TRIBUTE | The family of Lewis Durham have paid tribute to their ‘loving son, grandson, and little brother’.
Lewis Durham, aged 21, sadly died after a road traffic collision on Ormskirk Road in Wigan.
Writing in their emotional tribute via Greater Manchester Police, the Durham family wrote: “It is with great sadness that Lewis has been so tragically taken away from us. He sadly passed away in a road traffic accident in Wigan on Saturday 13th April.
“The youngest in our family with the world at his feet. He’s left a huge hole in our family, our hearts are absolutely broken. He was always a happy, fun-loving character, who had everything going for him in life, loved by everyone and had the best of friends. A loving son, grandson, and little brother.
“We’d like to thank the emergency services and people who assisted him at the scene who comforted him in maybe his last moments. We’ll cherish every memory we have of you, Lewis.
“We’re all beyond proud of you and will miss and love you forever. You’re now the brightest star in the sky Lewis. Love you forever and always Mam, Dad, Grandma, Granda, Nana, and your two big sisters.”
Our thoughts are with Lewis’ loved ones during this difficult time. A GoFundMe has now been set up by his best mate Leo McMullen to help “raise some money to give to charity and mark his memory”. It has already surpassed its £3k target, with over £11,000 raised across 600+ donations.
It’s been an emotional couple of weeks for the Wigan community also, as locals and the rugby league world at large united in mourning the loss of 21-year-old Gabriel Holt earlier this month.
Featured Images — Greater Manchester Police/DPP Law (via Flickr)
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Today is your last day to register to vote in Greater Manchester’s local and mayoral elections
Emily Sergeant
Today is your last day to register to vote in Greater Manchester’s local and mayoral elections, as the deadline ends at midnight tonight.
With less than a month to go until the big election day arrives, residents across the Greater Manchester region are being urged to make sure they’re registered to vote and have their voter photo ID ready, so that they’re able to head to the polls and have their say on who makes the important decisions that affect them.
In order to vote in the local and mayoral elections on Thursday 2 May, Greater Manchester residents must register before midnight tonight (Tuesday 16 April).
— Greater Manchester Combined Authority (@greatermcr) April 14, 2024
This year, residents across Greater Manchester will be voting in two elections, with residents in Salford voting in three elections.
These are for the Mayor of Greater Manchester Combined Authority – who is a major figure in the political life of the city-region, with unique powers and responsibilities – and for local Councillors, who are elected to represent their local area and residents, and get to contribute to the development of local policies too.
On top of this, Salford residents will also be voting for The Salford City Mayor too, who is Salford’s political, strategic, and community leader, and has overall responsibility for the delivery of all council services.
In case you aren’t quite up to speed, nominations for Mayor candidates closed on Friday 5 April, and that means there’s a total of six people standing in the third election for the Mayor of Greater Manchester – with current Mayor, Labour and Co-operative’s, Andy Burnham, being one of them.
The candidates nominated to stand in the election for the Mayor for Greater Manchester Combined Authority are:
Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats)
Dan Barker (Reform UK)
Nick Buckley (Independent)
Andy Burnham (Labour and Co-operative)
Laura Evans (The Conservative Party
Hannah Kathrine Spencer (Green Party)
Today is your last day to register to vote in Greater Manchester’s local and mayoral elections / Credit: Manchester City Council | gov.uk
As always, there are different ways to vote in the elections next month.
You can either do so at your local polling station, by post, or by proxy – which means appointing someone to vote on your behalf – with the deadline to apply for a postal vote in these elections being 5pm this Wednesday (17 April), and the deadline for applying for a proxy vote being 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.
As mentioned, residents will need to show a valid form of photo ID at the polling station, such as a passport, driving licence, some types of bus pass or proof of age card, or a free Voter Authority Certificate.
According to GMCA, every registered voter in Greater Manchester will have started to receive an election booklet explaining more about the election, and election addresses prepared by each of the candidates, in the post from yesterday (Monday 15 April), as required by law.
More information about the elections taking place in Greater Manchester, including information about voter ID, registering to vote, and applying for a postal or proxy vote, can be found at www.gmelects.org.uk.
The Manc -
16th October 2020 
