A new campaign video aimed at reducing youth violence has been released and is to be shown at schools and colleges throughout Greater Manchester.
Following three tragic fatal stabbings of young people from the city-region recent weeks, Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) – which is working with the Combined Authority (GMCA) on the campaign – has launched a new video as part of its ongoing work to reduce violence.
The short video is aimed at young people, parents and teachers, and is one of a number of measures in place to prevent further tragic incidents.
It shares the clear message that “speaking out could save a life”, GMCA says.
A youth worker, teacher, young person, and community worker who has turned his life around after being involved in violence all feature and shares their stories in the 90-second video that has been shared on social media, and sent to schools, colleges, and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) in Greater Manchester.
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We are shocked & saddened that three young people have been fatally stabbed in Greater Manchester in recent weeks. Our deepest sympathies are with their families, friends and local communities. There is no place for violence in our city-region. #speakingoutcouldsavealife. pic.twitter.com/VnJ40zCfD9
— Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (@GM_VRU) February 7, 2022
“My thoughts are with the families and friends of the three young people tragically killed in recent weeks and all communities affected by violence and knife crime,” said Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire.
“There is no place for violence in our city-region.
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“We are committed to strong police enforcement to address violent crime and to trying to prevent it from happening in this first place, but this requires partners to continue to work together with young people and communities to create long-term change [and] as these recent events have all too sadly demonstrated, there is much work to be done to end serious violence and we will not stop in our efforts to do that.
“We need everyone’s help to end violence amongst young people [so] if you see anything that doesn’t feel right involving your child, a family member or a friend please speak out.”
This new campaign video comes after the VRU launched a project last year that sees highly skilled youth workers based in A&E departments across several busy hospitals.
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The ‘navigators’ respond to young people and their families when coming into hospital with injuries that result from violence, referring them on to ongoing outreach and support – such as sports clubs, or mentoring – and the programme has recently been expanded to accept referrals from the community and via North West Ambulance Service.
260 young people from across the region have been referred to the navigators to date.
There are 12 knife amnesty bins across Greater Manchester / Credit: GMP
“GMP is working with partner agencies on several initiatives to keep people safe from these weapons which, in the hands of criminals, are stealing lives, devastating families and posing threat, harm and risk to our communities,” added Detective Superintendent Chris Downey – GMP’s knife crime lead.
“I would also like to reach out to the young people within our communities and ask them to report or share any concerns regarding themselves or friends that are involved in a dispute, violence or carrying a knife.
“It’s not right to stand by and do nothing.
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“This is not about getting friends in trouble – in the vast majority of instances our involvement is about keeping people safe and understanding why someone feels the need to carry a weapon.
“Neither GMP nor the justice system will tolerate this type of crime, we are proactively stopping and searching individuals and I would remind offenders that carrying a knife can result in a prison sentence and life-long criminal record.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Two Trafford towns are set to see dozens of new EV charging points installed imminently
Danny Jones
Two big towns on the border of Greater Manchester and Cheshire are set to see a fresh batch of electric vehicle (EV) charging points installed throughout their streets by Trafford Council very soon.
Local authorities have teamed up with engineering and infrastructure company Amey to roll out a series of new EV charging stations across Trafford, starting with Altrincham and Hale.
Dating all the way back to 2020, the collaboration with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the brand was tasked with helping improve sustainable travel across the area as the government body’s electric vehicle charging suppliers.
Steady improvements have been made across the 10 boroughs, but this particular update marks one of the biggest network upgrades that the likes of Alty and Hale have seen for some time.
Good news – we are thrilled to announce the installation of our first public EV charge points in collaboration with @TraffordCouncil.
Issuing a statement on Wednesday, 17 September, the firm – which specialises in managing, designing and maintaining complex facilities and transport infrastructure across the country – announced that they will “start the installation of EV charging points in Trafford in the coming weeks.”
It is expected that “up to 100 new public charges” will be integrated throughout the respective town centres and residential streets as the suburbs continues to push towards its sustainability goals.
As per Altrincham Today, Amey account director Anna Gornall said: “We’re excited to launch our first EV charge points in Trafford, working in partnership with Trafford Council (TC) to make electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities.
“As the UK’s leading provider of energy transition and decarbonisation solutions, we’re well placed to use our existing expertise and resources to support TC in delivering a holistic public EV charging network for local communities.
“We’re helping residents make the switch, so everyone can plug in and power a greener Trafford.”
The country at large has various carbon-free initiatives, including the aspiration of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050; the electoral ward of Trafford itself continues to thrive in this field, having recently won environmental accolades, including 12 ‘Green Flag Awards’ this past July.
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Peter Anderson, Managing Director of Transport Infrastructure at Amey, commented: “This is a pivotal moment in Amey’s energy transition strategy. By leveraging our extensive experience in whole lifecycle asset management, strong partnerships, and innovative solutions, we can deliver value for both our clients and members of the public who will use Amey’s electric vehicle charge points.
“Working with Trafford Council, we are making electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities and helping residents make the switch to EVs.
“Amey is well-positioned to support emerging opportunities within this landscape, and we are delighted to be working with Trafford and other local authorities to provide the public EV infrastructure needed to achieve the government’s transition to net zero.”
As for Trafford Council, Corporate Director of Place, Richard Roe, went on to add: “We are delighted to be working with Amey on this project to bring more and better charging options to the people of Trafford.
“This is an extension to the current EV charging options in the borough and is great news for committed EV owners and those who are thinking about going electric.”
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (via Amey Ltd)
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Further disruption expected as more bus strikes announced across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Further disruption is expected as even more bus strikes have been announced across Greater Manchester this autumn.
It comes after the strikes set to place this month from 19 to 22 September were announced a couple of weeks back, and now a second round will take place towards the end of this month and going into early October.
In case this is the first you’re hearing of the upcoming industrial action, 2,000 workers who are employed by Stagecoach, Metroline Manchester, and First Bus Rochdale – all of which are firms among those that make up the bus part of the Bee Network – are due to walk out in a co-ordinated strike amid an ongoing pay dispute.
Unite the Union says all the firms are ‘highly profitable’ and it’s therefore ‘disappointing’ that workers are being denied a fair wage.
More strikes have been announced on the Bee Network this month / Credit: TfGM
At Stagecoach, around 1,000 drivers based across the Oldham, Stockport, and Middleton depots have rejected a pay offer of 3.5%, and 1,000 Metroline Manchester members will also do the same after turning down an ‘unsatisfactory’ below-inflation pay offer.
Workers at both Metroline and Stagecoach believe the offer doesn’t address years of low pay they’ve recieved, especially given the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Then, over at First Bus Rochdale, 110 members have rejected this year’s pay offer of 6%, as they feel this does not go far enough to address the fact they’ve had years of being paid less than their counterparts at other companies, and are still the lowest paid in the region.
Stagecoach, Metroline, and First Bus Rochdale, part of First Group PLC, are all firms which have seen a rise in profits in recent years.
2,000 drivers are set to stage strike action over two different periods / Credit: TfGM
The second round of strikes will now take place from from 30 September to 2 October.
Speaking ahead of both sets of upcoming strikes, Unite General Secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “These companies are very profitable but are putting greed over their hardworking members of staff.
“Further strike action will be extremely disruptive, however this is a dispute entirely of the bus companies’ making and they could solve it easily by coming back with a better deal.
“Our members involved in the dispute have Unite’s complete support.”
Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden, added: “The strikes this week as well as the further action we have called will cause travel chaos in Greater Manchester. However, it is entirely the fault of the employers involved, who have failed to address the issue of low pay and reward their staff accordingly.
Emily Sergeant -
11th February 2022 
