Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle council leaders say local lockdowns are not working
In a letter addressed to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Liverpool leaders warned that they would not support any further lockdowns.
Leaders in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle have joined forces in an attempt to stop “counter-productive” local lockdowns – claiming they do not support the implementation of further economic restrictions in their cities.
The four northern regions are among some of the worst-hit in the country by coronavirus – with the government placing each under tighter measures in an attempt to control spiralling infection rates.
Manchester has had an ‘indoor ban‘ in place since July.
But as cases continue to rise, council leaders have called on the government to change their approach – arguing that “local lockdowns are not working”.
Leeds
In a joint letter addressed to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Leeds’ Judith Blake, Manchester’s Sir Richard Leese, Newcastle’s Nick Forbes and Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson also warned that they would not support any further “economic lockdowns.”
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Instead, the council leaders are calling for a more robust, localised test and trace system – as well as additional powers to punish those who break rules.
“The existing restrictions are not working, confusing for the public and some, like the 10pm rule, are counter-productive,” the letter states.
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“We want to be clear we do not support further economic lockdowns.”
The five-point plan proposed by the “extremely concerned” leaders includes:
Local decision-making to agree additional lockdowns before they happen and additional powers to take immediate action on non-compliance, for example closing premises.
A locally controlled Test and Trace system that is sensitive to local knowledge and needs of communities.
An improved Business Compensation Package to support those most affected.
Financial support for everyone who needs to self-isolate.
Improved monitoring of the impacts of the additional restrictions that have recently been put in place to understand their effect on COVID-19 rates
The latest figures show that the North West of England has suffered more than any other area of the UK since the pandemic began – with over 106,000 residents testing positive for COVID-19.
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Manchester currently has the highest infection rate in the country – registering 561.6 cases per 100,000 people.
Rishi Sunak, who is under fire from the hospitality sector for persisting with the 10pm curfew, has said it is too early to determine the effectiveness of the local lockdowns and enhanced restrictions.
“You need to give things a little bit of time to see how they work,” the Chancellor told ITV.
“It’s too early to tell… we need to watch and see how the numbers evolve.”
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
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More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
The Manc -
7th October 2020 
