England students to have ‘six-day travel window’ to get home for Christmas
Universities will have to stagger student departure dates from 3 December to 9 December, in accordance with instructions set out by the Department for Education.
Students in England are set to be given a six-day ‘travel window’ in December to get back in time for Christmas – with mass testing conducted on campus before they leave.
Universities will have to arrange staggered departure dates from 3 December to 9 December, in accordance with instructions set out by the Department for Education.
Any student that tests positive must self-isolate for ten days.
As teaching is currently scheduled to continue beyond 9 December, universities are being encouraged to provide most classes online from this date so students can continue learning from home up until the festive break.
According to The Guardian, the logistics of mass testing and arranging the travel window has already raised concerns with some Vice-Chancellors across England.
ADVERTISEMENT
Jo Grady, the general secretary of the University and College Union, said: “Allowing just a week for around 1 million students to travel across the country leaves little room for error.
“If the government instead told universities to move online now it would provide much more time to stagger the movement of students and better protect the health of staff, students and their wider communities.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Thousands of students have experienced a turbulent first term since leaving home to start in higher education in September.
Fresh outbreaks of the virus have left hundreds confined to their halls of residence for quarantine periods, whilst many are also having to learn via Zoom instead of attending normal classes.
@BenMcGowan_
Tension has been building in the community for months, and the tipping point came last week when the University of Manchester constructed fences around accommodation overnight as a ‘safety’ precaution without informing residents.
Mass COVID-19 testing is expected to take place on campus in the week leading up to 3 December.
Health Secretary Matt Hanock also confirmed this week that the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester would be included on a list of new counties set to benefit from rapid-speed testing.
The new tests launched as part of a pilot scheme in Liverpool last week and are capable of giving results in minutes.
News
Police appeal after Manchester city centre shooting sees six arrested and one injured
Emily Sergeant
Police are appealing to the public for information after a shooting in Manchester city centre over the weekend.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called to reports of a disturbance on Richmond Street at around 5am this past Saturday morning (24 January 2026), and upon arriving at the address, discovered that an adult male had an injury to his leg which was consistent with a gunshot wound.
The man, who has not been named, was been taken to hospital with injuries, but they have been described as ‘non-life threatening’ and ‘non-life changing’.
Following the incident, a police investigation was launched straight away.
Six men, all aged between 23 and 26-years-old, have all been arrested on suspicion of affray and firearms offences, and remain in police custody for questioning at this time while investigations are ongoing.
Superintendent Stephen Wiggins, from GMP’s City of Manchester Division, said he understands this will be a ‘concerning incident’ for the whole of Greater Manchester.
“Once the call came in, our officers acted quickly, making to the scene to establish what had unfolded at the address on Richmond Street, detaining six individuals who we believe had been involved, and we managed to recover a firearm at the address.
“I would like to reassure the community that we believe this is a targeted incident, and there is no wider threat to the general public.”
GMP is now appealing to the public for witnesses, or anyone with information, CCTV, or dashcam footage that could assist the investigation, and is urging them to contact police on 0161 856 4259 or 101, quoting log 600 of 24/01/2026.
You can also report information via LiveChat on the GMP website, or through Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
News
The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home
Emily Sergeant
The Council is now offering financial help to support people moving into a smaller and ‘more manageable’ property.
Ever heard of ‘rightsizing? Well, according Manchester City Council it’s a process where a tenant in a larger social rent, Council, or Housing Association property, that may have more rooms than they need or perhaps are struggling to manage a big house as they get older, can be supported into a smaller property that better suits their needs.
The benefits of this process include cheaper bills, lower rents, and overall, just homes that are easier to clean and manage.
The aim of it is also to free up larger Council properties for families who are on the housing register – of which there are said to be around 20,000 of them currently at this time, with larger homes having some of the most significant wait times.
Are you struggling to look after a big Council or housing association home? We can help!
We are offering £2,500 to help people move into a smaller more manageable home, freeing up larger homes for families that need them.
It’s also estimated, according to the Council, that a third of all social rented family homes are thought to ‘underoccupied’.
This is why financial support and grants are now being offered.
Last year alone, 109 households were helped to ‘rightsize’ and were supported in the process by a dedicated team of Council officers, as well as benefitting from the Rightsizing Incentive Scheme – with a further 432 households having expressed interest doing so in the future.
Residents interested in ‘rightsizing’ could get a cash incentive of £2,500, which can be spent on anything they like, along with moving costs.
The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
“Rightsizing could be a brilliant option for older people who are renting a Council home who may have spare rooms they don’t need or would benefit from looking after a smaller property,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Housing and Development.
“Often a barrier to moving is the cost, but the Council will take care of the financial burden to help a resident move into a new home.
“The benefit for the city is that we can free up more larger homes for people who are waiting for a property that properly meets their needs. We think around a third of Council tenants could be under occupying their home, which means they could be paying more than they need to or they could be hit with the bedroom tax.”
The Manc -
11th November 2020 
