Waking Watch relief fund to help Manchester residents trapped in unsafe homes
The scale of the cladding problem in Greater Manchester has been described as "huge" - with increasing numbers of buildings being revealed as vulnerable.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) will distribute a £30 million relief fund to local leaseholders living in dangerous buildings.
The money is set to cover the installation of fire alarm systems so that temporary Waking Watch measures – which have involved security patrolling corridors with air horns – can be removed.
The GMCA has taken charge of administering the fund so it can be distributed “as quickly as possible”, although some leaseholders will still be left thousands of pounds in debt.
Building safety legislation changed following the Grenfell disaster in 2017, meaning similar combustible cladding had to be removed from other tower blocks in Britain.
But leaseholders have been slapped with six-figure bills to pay for the repairs themselves – leaving people trapped in unsafe and unsellable homes.
A £1bn support fund proved to be insufficient, and it is estimated that up to 700,000 people are still living in dangerous homes in Britain, with around 1.3 million unable to sell or re-mortgage.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the cladding issue in parliament earlier this week, stating: “We’re absolutely clear that leaseholders should not have to worry about the cost of fixing historic safety defects that they didn’t cause.”
A plan to offer more support is apparently ongoing, but the delays have meant some homeowners are already thousands of pounds out of pocket.
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Leanne Kilheeney of the Manchester Cladiators said: “Sadly for us the government’s fund for the Waking Watch fees came too late. We have already paid thousands of pounds each for several months of Waking Watch and new fire alarms. This will not be covered by the fund as no retrospective cases are covered.
“We are worried that this will happen with other government funding too. A huge amount of issues are not covered by the current government funds that people are getting invoiced for now. It may be the case the the government eventually release funds for this – but for many of us it will be too late.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham acknowledged that whilst the financial support package was a “step in the right direction” to resolve the cladding scandal, far more financial support from central government was required.
“The impact on leaseholders is staggering, with residents fearing a devastating and unfair choice between bankruptcy and long-term loans,” the Mayor stated.
“This is not a party-political issue and we must all work to ensure a solution is found to the building safety crisis, and I look forward to further positive engagement with the Minister.
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“This issue which affects thousands is not about buildings but about people and I am keen to work with the Government to support all residents of Greater Manchester who are affected.”
Salford City Mayor and Chair of the High Rise Task Force Paul Dennett said the scale of the cladding problem in Greater Manchester was “huge”; with increasing numbers of buildings being revealed as vulnerable.
He stated: “Leaseholders in buildings with serious fire safety failings and those in non-high rise buildings are also burdened by the costs of waking watches because of fire safety issues that they are not responsible for and this is completely unacceptable.
“I urge the Government to commit to making further funding available, and to extend the eligibility requirement so that all affected buildings can apply, not just those over 18 metres or with cladding-related problems.”
Find out more about the Waking Watch Relief Fund here.
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How and where to recycle or donate your Christmas tree in Manchester | 2026
Emily Sergeant
The new year is here, and the ’12 days of Christmas’ are up… which means it’s time for a fresh start.
Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve both feel like things of the past now, and for most of us, this is our first proper week back at work too, which means (if you haven’t already) it’s time to tackle the task of taking down and putting away all the festive decorations – even if it is one of the dullest times of the year and it signals that the magic of Christmas is over.
For those of us that opt for a real Christmas tree though, the end of the year always brings one question – now what do we do with it?
Manchester City Council has aimed to answer that very question by providing residents with a handful of different ways to recycle their Christmas trees to make sure they’re put to good use and don’t go to waste or get dumped.
Here’s the different options.
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Recycle it in your food and garden waste bin
You can recycle your Christmas tree by cutting it up and placing it in your food and garden waste bin, but you’ll need to make sure you take the following steps before doing so.
Remove all decorations and fairy lights
Take off the base or wooden block if your tree has one
Make sure the trunk is not thicker than your wrist. Wood thicker than your wrist is too big and can’t be put in the garden and food bin. Large trunks and wooden bases can be taken to a recycling centre.
Donate it to charity
Did you know you can donate your Christmas trees to charity? That’s right – for residents living in Manchester, all you’ll need to do is register your tree with national charity JustHelping, along with a donation towards the collection, and you can help a local hospice or charitable cause in the city-region.
The money raised will go to good causes in the area, including Moya Cole Hospice (previously St Anne’s Hospice), Francis House, and We Love Manchester.
You can find more information and register your tree here.
It’s time to take down and recycle our Christmas trees for another year / Credit: Myriam Olmz | Tanbir Mahmud (via Unsplash)
Take it to a local drop-off point
You can drop your real tree throughout January at:
Angel Meadow Park (entrance Old Mount Street) – M4 4HA
Wythenshawe Park and Gardens Athletics Track – M23 0PH
Heaton Park (Middleton Road entrance) – M8 4NB
Boggart Hole Clough (near the Visitor Centre) – M9 7DH
Patchett Street, off Hyde Road in Ardwick – M12 4RY
Bring it to your local recycling centres
And finally, wherever you live in Manchester, you can take your real Christmas tree – and even your artificial tree that is beyond reuse – to your local recycling centre for free of charge, but it’s worth noting that if you’re planning on using a van, pick-up truck, or a twin-axle trailer to dispose of your tree, then you’ll probably need to apply for a permit.
You can find information about your nearest recycling centre here.
Are you elsewhere in Greater Manchester? Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) has teamed up with local councils and charities across the region to provide Greater Manchester residents in all 10 boroughs with several different options for either recycling or donate their old Christmas trees.
Featured Image – Jelleke Vanooteghem (via Unsplash)
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NHS releases list of first conditions set to be eligible for new ‘online hospital’
Emily Sergeant
The first conditions that are set to be eligible for video appointments via the new NHS online hospital have been revealed.
In case you hadn’t heard, back in September of last year, the Government has announced that the NHS would be setting up an ‘online hospital’ known simply as NHS Online – which will not have a physical site and instead digitally connect patients to expert clinicians anywhere across the country.
Ultimately, this means patients can be seen faster than normal, as teams triage them quickly through the NHS App and let them book in scans at times that suit them at centres closer to their home.
NHS Online – which will begin to see its first patients in 2027 – is expected to deliver the equivalent of up to 8.5 million virtual appointments and assessments in its first three years, according to the NHS, which is four times more than an average NHS trust.
And now, the NHS has selected nine ‘common’ conditions which will be the first to be treated by the NHS Online service.
📲 Introducing NHS Online 📲
A new digital hospital will transform healthcare.
From 2027, you'll be able to get specialist care:
✅ straight to your home via the NHS App ✅ faster than a traditional hospital appointment ✅ wherever you live in England
Women’s health issues, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that can be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will be among the conditions available for online referrals, as will prostate problems like prostate enlargement and a raised prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, along with eye conditions including cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
NHS Online will also provide support for other painful and distressing conditions, such as iron deficiency anaemia and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
So, how will NHS Online work then? Well, when a patient has an appointment with their GP, they will have the option of being referred to the online hospital for their specialist care instead, and then from there, they’ll be able to book directly through the NHS App.
Once referred to the online hospital, patients will have the ability to see specialists from around the country without leaving their home or having to wait longer for a face-to-face appointment.
The NHS has released a list of the first conditions set to be eligible for the new ‘online hospital’ / Credit: Nordwood Themes (via Unsplash) | rawpixel
If they need a scan, test, or procedure, then they’ll be able to book this in at a time that suits them at Community Diagnostic Centres closer to home.
Patients will also be able to track their prescriptions and get advice on managing their condition at home too.
“We’ve selected nine common conditions which the NHS Online service will initially provide support for when it launches next year, including some women’s health issues as well as prostate problems,” commented Professor Stella Vig, who is the National Clinical Director for Elective Care at NHS England.
“We know that these conditions can be painful and difficult to cope with so providing faster, more convenient access to diagnosis and treatments will have a real and positive impact on people’s lives.”
The Manc -
5th February 2021 
