A Manchester-based lettings and management company has been fined more than £21,000 after one of its properties was found to have multiple fire safety breaches.
After the issuing of a civil penalty notice in August 2020 due to the house of multiple occupation (HMO) having breached regulations, and following an investigation by Manchester City Council, Mecca Properties M/CR – which is based on Dickenson Road in Longsight – was found to be guilty of “systematic failings” at a recent tribunal.
The HMO, which is also on Dickenson Road, was found to have no smoke alarms on the first inspection, and Mecca also failed to provide a gas safety certificate when requested.
Deficiencies were also found in the electrical installation at the HMO.
Parts of the property were also found to be dirty and in disrepair, with tiles missing in the bathroom, damaged hallway floors, and a broken window covered with a ‘To Let’ sign.
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Mecca Properties tried to appeal the fine through the first-tier Residential Property Tribunal, but this only upheld Manchester City Council’s decision to impose the penalty.
The tribunal also found that the breaches were significant enough to warrant a £21,499 fine.
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Manchester City Council said it tried to engage the company on several occasions and offered to help them address the breaches, such as fitting temporary fire alarms – but the director of Mecca Properties M/CRA declined to comment on the council investigation or the outcome of the tribunal.
The tribunal found the breaches were significant enough to warrant a £21,499 fine / Credit: Manchester City Council
Speaking on the outcome of the tribunal, Councillor Rabnwaz Akbar – Executive Member for Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council – said: “The private rented sector is one of the fastest growing in the city and our residents need decent properties that they can trust, with landlords that take their responsibilities to their tenants seriously.
“We know that the vast majority of landlords and managing agents are very good, but for those that are not, I hope that this sort of action serves as a real warning.
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“This management agent showed systematic failings and is now thousands of pounds out of pocket [but] this level of fine shows that we are looking for you and we will use the full extent of the law to bring you to account.
“If you or someone you know is concerned with the way your property is being managed, please get in touch.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Manchester councillor Bev Craig has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List
Danny Jones
The leader of Manchester City Council and representative for Burnage, Bev Craig, has officially been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours List for 2026.
Councillor Craig, who has held her leadership position since October 2021, received the OBE for her services to local government.
She joins several other regional councillors to be named by King Charles III.
First elected by Burnage residents back in 2011, she has spent more than a decade and a half devoting her professional life to the community, as well as nearly a whole five years of that time at the highest level within the Council.
The University of Manchester graduate has played several key roles throughout her career, including giving back to higher education, helping trade unions, as well as serving as an executive member for adult social care and health during the pandemic, before serving as Deputy and eventually Leader.
Speaking in an official statement, Craig said: “To receive an OBE is a huge privilege, and to get awarded it for what I’ve been able to give back to our city is all the more special.
“Manchester is an incredible city, made special by its people and a place I’m proud to call home.
“Leading our city is a privilege I don’t take for granted, so to get awarded an OBE for what we’ve been doing to make Manchester an even better place to live and improve the lives of Manchester people, while creating a city that is fairer and more inclusive for generations to come, is the real honour.”
With the Council having also confirmed two special NYE events on either side of the Town Hall this year, it feels like a fitting celebration.
Congratulations to Bev Craig on the well-deserved accolade and title; we have no doubt she’ll continue to excel in her post.
You can find the King’s 2026 New Year Honours List HERE.
As for the discussion around knighthoods, many Brits are currently calling for a change in the rules in hopes of making OBE, CBE and MBE, Kevin Sinfield a Sir.
Featured Images — Publicity picture (via Manchester City Council)
UK News
Netflix drops the first trailer for upcoming Peaky Blinders film
Danny Jones
It looks like Christmas has come early for TV drama fans and cinephiles, because Netflix has officially dropped the first trailer for the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie.
Popcorn at the ready – even the teaser alone has got us fired up.
ln just 70 seconds, they’ve managed to pull us right back in, and we cannot wait to see Cillian Murphy back in full-on Tommy Shelby mode.
Not exaggerating when we say we have LITERAL chills.
As you can see, they certainly haven’t scrimped on the budget with the first-ever feature-length Peaky Blinders film, neither in terms of production value nor the cast.
Then again, having already hosted the likes of Sam Neill, Tom Hardy, Adrien Brody, Anya Taylor-Joy and others in the series itself, as well as going on to become one of the most successful BBC shows of all time, they were never going to.
We’re sure you spotted plenty of them for yourselves, but the debut trailer for The Immortal Man gives us not only our first glimpses of now Oscar-winning Murphy, 49, back in the saddle (both figuratively and literally) but also fellow blockbuster Irish actor, Barry Keoghan.
Other big names set to appear in the movie – set for a limited release in theatres before launching exclusively on Netflix – include Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth. It still remains unclear, however, as to how any of these characters will knit into the new season.
It’s also worth noting that the trailer shares a little snippet of the historical context, this continuation of the Shelby story is playing into, as we see what looks to be Nazi figures meeting on screen.
Creator Steven Knight has already confirmed that the plot will fast-forward some years to meet back up with Tommy at the outset of WWII and his ancestral home of Birmingham during the Blitz.
Having already confirmed 6 March as the theatrical release date ahead of it going live on Netflix a fortnight later, the anticipation was seriously starting to ramp; this latest look has only added to the tinderbox of excitement.
What do you make of the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man trailer, and will you be watching it?
The Manc -
7th June 2021 
