Category Archives: Greater Manchester

Home Office delays have devastating effect on child asylum seekers – report

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Children are being left in limbo so long that they are at risk of harm, social workers warn

Lone child asylum seekers are facing fivefold increases in delays in having their claims processed by the Home Office, with devastating consequences, according to a new report.

Social workers, legal professionals and the children themselves have warned that the impact of being left in limbo about their future for so long includes the risk of suicide, self-harm and persistent insomnia.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie.

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Manchester music venue due back in court to appeal noise abatement notice

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Owner of Night & Day is taking Manchester city council to court in hope it will drop notice served 18 months ago

Much-loved Manchester music venue Night & Day will be back in court this week appealing against a noise abatement notice brought by an adjacent flat.

The owner of the bar, a fixture of the city’s Northern Quarter for 30 years, is taking Manchester city council (MCC) to court in the hope it will drop the notice served 18 months ago.

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Internal government briefing admits HS2 delays will increase costs

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DfT document appears to undermine ministers’ claims, saying jobs are likely to go and construction firms could be at risk

An internal Department for Transport briefing on the HS2 project has admitted delays to the high-speed railway will increase costs, appearing to undermine ministers’ claims.

The document seen by the Guardian says the decision to delay the project is also likely to cost jobs, put construction firms at risk of going into administration and that the department could face compensation claims.

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1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady to stand down as MP at next election

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Powerful voice of Tory backbenchers says he will no longer contest Altrincham and Sale West seat

Sir Graham Brady, whose role as chair of the Conservative party’s 1922 Committee saw him usher three prime ministers out of Downing Street in four years, is to step down as an MP at the next election.

The most powerful backbencher of his political generation, Brady released a statement to his local newspaper saying it was time to “bring this fascinating and fulfilling chapter of my life to a close”.

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MI5 told to share key facts with MPs after Manchester Arena security failures

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Bombing inquiry brings call from terror watchdog for franker approach at spy agency

Britain’s terror watchdog has called on the security services to ensure they promptly share any intelligence requested by MPs investigating the fallout of the Manchester Arena attack.

Last week’s public inquiry concluded that MI5 had missed a significant chance to take action that may have prevented the 2017 bombing that killed 22 people.

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Manchester Arena inquiry: victims’ families respond to final report

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People who lost loved ones and their representatives speak out as MI5 is accused of a ‘devastating’ failure

Families of the victims of the Manchester Arena attack accused MI5 of a “devastating” failure after an official inquiry found the spy agency had missed a “significant opportunity” to stop the blast carried out by Salman Abedi. Here, they respond to the inquiry’s verdict:

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Manchester Arena inquiry lacks crucial details but is still hard reading for MI5

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Two pieces of pre-attack intelligence cannot be made public but it would be unwise to be overly critical of report

In a frustrating final report, the chair of the Manchester Arena inquiry half gets at the truth. Tasked with answering the most important question – could the suicide bombing at the Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017 have been prevented? – Sir John Saunders admits his approach will have “raised more questions” in the minds of the families of the 22 who lost their lives.

It is nearly six years since that tragedy and yet Saunders feels he cannot fully explain what were the two pieces of intelligence that MI5 obtained in early 2017 which, if acted upon, might have prevented Salman Abedi from carrying out the deadly attack. It was “a significant missed opportunity”, the inquiry concluded, but such is the British state’s addiction to secrecy it cannot be made public, even now.

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How family and Libya conflict radicalised Manchester Arena bomber

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Parents’ extremist views and civil war in the country of their birth set Salman Abedi on path to terrorism

Although Salman Abedi was born in Manchester, on New Year’s Eve in 1994, his path to becoming one of the UK’s most deadly terrorists began in Libya, the country of his parents’ birth.

It was from there that Ramadan Abedi and Samia Tabbal fled in 1993, claiming asylum in the UK on the basis that they faced persecution under the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. The couple went on to establish new lives in Fallowfield, south Manchester, with their children attending local schools.

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Manchester Arena inquiry: MI5 braced for criticism in final report

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Victim’s mother expects ‘catalogue of mistakes’ to be exposed in Sir John Saunders’ report on 2017 atrocity

The mother of a victim of the Manchester Arena attack has said she expects “a whole catalogue of mistakes” to be laid bare when a landmark report on the atrocity is published on Thursday.

MI5 is braced for criticism from the report, which will examine whether the deadliest terror attack in Britain since 7/7 could have been prevented.

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Police release new CCTV footage of missing couple with newborn baby

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Authorities believe Constance Marten and Mark Godon have been sleeping rough and travelling around the UK by taxi for six weeks

Police have released new CCTV footage of an aristocrat who disappeared more than six weeks ago with her boyfriend, a registered sex offender in the US, and their newborn baby.

Constance Marten, 35, and her partner, Mark Gordon, 48, have been travelling around the UK by taxi since their car was found burning on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on 5 January.

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Police release CCTV image thought to be of missing couple and newborn in Essex

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Image believed to be of Constance Marten, who went missing last week with her baby and Mark Gordon

A couple and their newborn baby who went missing last week are thought to have been seen after travelling inland from an Essex port, police have said.

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon abandoned their vehicle when it broke down on the M61, near Bolton, on Thursday evening.

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North of England mayors urge ministers to tackle rail misery

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Five metro mayors meet transport secretary saying action needed to avoid ‘Christmas chaos’

Mayors in the north of England have called for immediate government action to tackle continuing rail misery, warning time is running out to avoid a Christmas of chaos.

The five metro mayors for Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and North of Tyne met Mark Harper, the transport secretary, in offices near to Manchester Piccadilly station on Wednesday.

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A fight at the opera: could forcing ENO up north work out?

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The ultimatum to English National Opera was attacked as ‘cultural vandalism’, but raised some hopes nearer Manchester

When the Arts Council halved English National Opera’s funding earlier this month and made its new £17m grant contingent on the company leaving London – possibly for Manchester – the diktat was greeted as “madness” by the London Evening Standard, “cultural vandalism” by Melvyn Bragg and an order which would kill off the institution by April by the company’s chair, Harry Brünjes.

The battle over ENO’s future soon became the latest frontline in the culture wars as debate raged over what it meant to “level up” culture.

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Landlord admits it made assumptions about family in mouldy Rochdale flat

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Rochdale Boroughwide Housing says ‘we got that wrong’ after two-year-old killed by exposure to mould

The landlord of the flat lived in by a two-year-old boy who died because of long-term exposure to mould has admitted it made false assumptions about his family’s lifestyle when they raised complaints.

Awaab Ishak’s parents, who originally came from Sudan, last week accused Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) of racism over its handling of the damp and fungus they faced. The landlord failed to fix the mould or improve ventilation despite complaints and had suggested issues such as bathing habits and cooking techniques might be a cause when they were not.

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Lonely Planet selects Manchester as top travel destination for 2023

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Publishers praised UK city’s arts scene and gastronomic diversity as it makes the list of 30 best places to go

Lonely Planet has chosen Manchester as one of its must-visit destinations for 2023, the only UK destination to make the guidebook’s annual Best in Travel list.

The city is described as “one of the best – if not the best – cities in the UK, with something for everyone” in a roll of honour that includes Sydney, Lima, Montevideo, Marseille and Dresden.

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Burnham: poor leadership left Manchester emergency crews unready for attack

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Greater Manchester mayor says report into 2017 atrocity raises serious questions for whole of UK

The “poor leadership” of emergency services meant Manchester was not ready for the terrorist attack that killed 22 people in 2017, the region’s mayor, Andy Burnham, has said.

A damning inquiry report on the Manchester arena bombing identified significant failings by police, fire and ambulance services. At least one of those killed would probably have survived were it not for a response that was described as badly prepared, delayed and chaotic, it was found.

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Mother of victim says lessons need to be learned after Manchester Arena report

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Chair of inquiry into the bombing said significant aspects of the emergency services’ response ‘went wrong’

Figen Murray, who lost her 29-year-old son Martyn Hett in the Manchester Arena bombing, said she wanted now to look forward and make sure the same mistakes never happened again.

Speaking outside Manchester magistrates court shortly after publication of Thursday’s inquiry report, Murray said: “Today we have learned about the failings of the emergency services. There’s no denying these failings led to a loss of life but I’m not here to play the blame game.

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Man pleads guilty to racist assault on teacher in Stockport

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Video footage showed Robert Browne, 56, hurling abuse at man on a street in Cheadle

A former soldier has pleaded guilty to a racist assault on a man of Asian heritage after chasing him down the street with two umbrellas and using a racial slur.

Robert Browne, 56, pleaded guilty on Thursday at Tameside magistrates court to racially/religiously aggravated common assault/beating on 26 July this year after a video showed him hurling racist abuse at a man and striking him with umbrellas. A second charge was withdrawn.

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Manchester Museum to reopen with ‘ordinary folk’ co-curating new gallery

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Director says it’s ‘time to tell new stories’ as people from south Asian diaspora contribute experiences

A museum with a dizzying, encyclopaedic collection that spans Egyptian mummies, dinosaur skeletons and live Costa Rican frogs is to reopen next year after a £15m revamp – with a promise to be more inclusive and imaginative.

Manchester Museum has about 4.5m objects from around the world, a mix of exhibits from natural sciences and human cultures all under one roof.

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Ministers urged to expel China diplomat over Manchester protest violence

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UK government facing growing criticism for ‘weak’ response to attack on democracy campaigner

British ministers have been urged immediately to expel a senior Chinese diplomat who admitted being involved in violence against protesters in Manchester, as the government faced growing criticism over its “weak and supine” response.

Zheng Xiyuan, the Chinese consul general, said it was his “duty” to grab the hair of a pro-democracy campaigner who was badly injured after being dragged inside the consulate grounds on Sunday.

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