The big day for Greater Manchester is upon us tomorrow, the 4 May, when we vote for our first democratically elected mayor of the region. Supplementary Voting will be used in this election rather than the First Past the Post (FPTP) system used in parliamentary and local elections. You may not be familiar with the […]
Breathing is bad for your health in Manchester: concerned citizens call for action on air pollution
Illegal and health-destroying levels of air pollution across Greater Manchester have forced concerned citizens of Manchester to call on the mayoral candidates to act. Doctors, religious leaders, academics and teachers have signed an open letter asking for a new Clean Air Act for the 21st century, enshrining our right to breathe clean air. The GM […]
Manchester May Day festival goers march to rescue the NHS
Union banners will be flying high during the march from All Saints Park to Sackville Gardens on 29 April. The theme of this year’s May Day march is ‘Save the NHS’. Junior doctors were at the heart of last year’s Festival and this year health service workers will again lead a colourful and noisy procession […]
Emotions run high at GM mayoral hustings on the housing crisis
Mayoral candidates for Greater Manchester (GM) were left in no doubt about the dire effects of the housing crisis on its citizens at a hustings to discuss the issue. The panel were bombarded with questions and statements, often with distressing accounts of individual cases, over a broad range of issues including poor housing conditions, the […]
Mayoral hustings on the housing crisis in Greater Manchester
A chance to publicly challenge the mayoral candidates for Greater Manchester on their plans to tackle the housing crisis in the region is being offered at a special hustings at St Philips Chapel, Salford on Monday 3 April. There are many factors that contribute to the housing crisis, including rising rents/house prices, cuts to local […]
The fight for freedom of expression rages on in Syria
Warning: contains images and ideas that some may find shocking/controversial. War is a cruel and powerful muse. Those affected by the death, destruction and misery create works as acts of rebellion and survival against the inhumanity, chaos and insanity thrust upon them. The people of Syria rose up against the oppressive culture of fear of […]
Journalist persecuted in India appeals against UK refusal of his asylum application
Amitt Bhatt is a journalist from India seeking asylum in the UK on human rights grounds. He fled India after investigations into corruption by the government put him and his family under threat. The Home Office decision to refuse his asylum application is being appealed against at an Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in Manchester on […]
Greater Manchester marches to save our NHS
An estimated 250,000 people travelled, from all over the UK, to take part in the #OurNHS – National Demonstration in London. The demonstration organised by The People’s Assembly and Health Campaigns Together called for: “A fully funded, publicly owned, NHS & social care service. No cuts, no closures no privatisation. End the pay restraint for […]
Manchester Shield accuse St Michael’s development of conflicting with council’s Core Strategy
Gary Neville’s controversial planning proposal for the St Michael’s development has been accused by a local campaign group, Manchester Shield, of serious conflicts with the city council’s Core Strategy. In an open letter to Manchester City Council (MCC) they state five grounds on which the planning application should be refused. Jackson’s Row Reform Synagogue, Bootle […]
Mayoral candidate Will Patterson proposes a green future for Greater Manchester
Will Patterson proposes a green future for Greater Manchester (GM) in his bid to become the first elected mayor of the region on the 4 May 2017, replacing the current interim mayor Tony Lloyd. Patterson answers questions previously posed to four other major mayoral candidates: Andy Burnham (Labour Party), Sean Anstee (Conservative Party), Shneur Odze […]