England’s Chief Medical Officer has insisted that England’s imminent lockdown could end on December 2 as planned.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a nationwide four-week lockdown last weekend – closing businesses, banning travel and forbidding household mixing.
The stricter measures will come into law on Thursday and remain in place until at least December 2 – when the government will conduct a review.
Already there has been wide speculation as to whether it will be possible to lift the measures within four weeks.
But England’s top medical officer Chris Whitty has suggested that the hopes of exiting lockdown on December 2 remain realistic.
Asked if lockdown would end as scheduled, Whitty responded: “The aim of this is to get the rates down far enough that it’s a realistic possibility to move into a different state of play at that point in time.”
As reported by Reuters, Whitty said that England could get the R number below 1 during this period, meaning restrictions could be lifted.
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However, the professor – who has been flanking the Prime Minister throughout the pandemic press conferences – did say that other measures would be needed to get through winter.
As things stand, the government may revert back to their localised tier system – which categorises regions based on their ‘risk’.
The government has suffered criticism for enforcing measures later than other nations, with Northern Ireland and Wales both entering lockdowns in October.
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Back in September, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) encouraged England to partake in a “circuit breaker” – stating that interventions were required to “prevent [an] exponential rise in cases”.
But the recommendation was ultimately ignored even as the infection rate rose, and only when Johnson saw new data projecting alarming hospital rates did he decide to stray from the tiered approach to blanket restrictions.
Labour’s Keir Starmer has blamed the government for its hesitancy, saying the new lockdown would now be “longer and harder” than it needed to be.
Whitty stated during the lockdown press conference that: “If we did not act now, then the chances of the NHS being in extraordinary trouble in December will be very, very high.”
In order to combat rising COVID rates, testing has been ramped up this week – with Liverpool set to become the first city where every resident and worker will be eligible for a free test, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not.
The scheme is part of Operation Moonshot, which aims to give people a ‘freedom pass’ to work and travel whilst the pandemic continues.
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New images released of Piccadilly Gardens as transformation plans take a big step forward
Daisy Jackson
Plans to transform Piccadilly Gardens to make them more ‘colourful, vibrant and safe’ have taken a big step forward today, with new images released.
Manchester City Council has shared the vision to the public ahead of a planning application being submitted this summer.
The plans to finally give Piccadilly Gardens some love were revealed last autumn, but things are now moving at pace with a delivery team appointed to design and build the new public space.
The new images show the vision for more green space, including lawns, trees, planting, seating, and colourful horticultural displays.
The temperamental fountains will also be removed for good, replaced with a new space called The Pavilion which will host family-friendly events.
The low concrete walls and raised planters at the edge of the gardens will be ripped out, improving the setting of the Queen Victoria statue.
There’ll be a new, larger playground for younger children, created in the same high quality style as the new parks at Mayfield Park and Ancoats Green.
A pre-planning consultation has started today and will run until Wednesday 15 July, with plans to submit the final planning application later this summer.
The new-look play area at Piccadilly GardensPlans for the new Piccadilly Gardens from above
The council has said that these new designs reflect feedback from the public and opinions on what we want to see at the new Piccadilly Gardens.
Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig said: “We’re getting on with sorting out Piccadilly Gardens. We all want to see a space which Mancunians can be proud of – a welcoming and attractive environment which people want to spend time in.
“So as well other initiatives which are delivering more police and more CCTV, we’re bringing forward this scheme to transform the public space. That means investment in more flowers, more greenery, a new welcome pavilion, a new and bigger playground and an altogether more inviting Piccadilly Gardens. A bright new chapter is just around the corner.”
Further planned improvements to the area around Piccadilly Gardens in the coming years will include a multi-million pound investment by Transport for Greater Manchester to create a new, modern transport interchange.
Council calls on Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use
Emily Sergeant
Residents across Manchester are being called on to help bring hundreds of empty homes across the region back into use.
Since the beginning of this year, a major review has been underway around the city’s draft strategy for bringing empty homes back into use to help meet demand for affordable homes across the city, while also improving communities by tackling empty homes that can blight an area… but now, Manchester City Council needs your help.
Following a major public consultation, the Council is now acting on feedback to accelerate plans to bring as many long-term empty homes back into active use as possible.
Although the number of long-term empty homes in Manchester is near a historic low, with the Council having managed to reduce the number by more than half since 2013, there is still more work to be done.
“Every void property is a missed opportunity to provide a family a place to live, reduce homelessness, and lessen the burden on temporary accommodation,” the Council said in a statement.
The Council is calling on the Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
So, how can residents help then? What do you need to do if you spot an empty home on a street nearby?
Well, the easiest way to report an empty home is to report the issue online here, or by emailing [email protected]. And then once that’s done, a team of dedicated empty homes officers will take up the case to find out who owns the property and work with the owner on a plan to bring the home back into use.
The vast number of empty homes are privately owned with complex histories, and there are some cases where an owner may have passed away.
While working collaboratively with housing providers, voluntary organisations and public services are also a key element of detecting potentially empty or ‘problematic’ homes to repurpose them.
Officers can also support, where required, if a communication or language poses a barrier to resolving an empty home issue.
Tailored approaches to different communities – where empty homes impact neighbourhoods in different ways – are also being considered, according to the Council.
“To think, if we could bring all empty homes back into use, then we could provide more homes for those on the housing register and take pressure off the whole housing system,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development.
“The potential of making empty homes a thing of the past is huge for Manchester families looking for a place to call home – and a significant part of tackling the housing crisis.”
The Manc -
4th November 2020 
