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 […]
Mayoral candidates for Greater Manchester on the fire brigade
Our innate fear of fire is justified: it can kill and maim with frightening speed. Since 1826, when Manchester first adopted a local authority provided fire brigade, there has been a steady increase in the brigades effectiveness in fighting fires and saving lives. But now the fire brigade’s advances appear to be heading in the […]
Mayoral candidates for Greater Manchester on the environment
Air pollution produced in Greater Manchester (GM) has both local and global effects. Air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, which are produced in vehicle exhaust fumes, contribute to the ill health and death of many in the region, while the carbon dioxide produced as a result of travelling in vehicles or using […]
Mayoral candidates for Greater Manchester on xenophobia and multiculturalism
Since the EU referendum on 23 June 2016, when the majority of UK voters chose the ‘Brexit’ option, there has been a worrying rise in xenophobic abuse in Greater Manchester and across the UK. Far right individuals and organisations are increasingly questioning the benefits of immigration and our multicultural society. Just a week after the […]
Be the media in Manchester: free journalism course starts this Spring
Is there a story in your community that is crying out to be told to a wider audience? Is an important issue many care about not being covered in the mainstream media? Are you concerned about the increasing bias and declining standards of journalism in the UK’s press? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of […]
Mayoral candidates for Greater Manchester on the health and social care crisis
Headlines reporting on the increasing severity of problems faced by our health and social care systems are coming thick and fast, offering a bleak view for the future of the services within Greater Manchester and across the UK. One of the latest reports shows that A&E patients in England seen below the four hour threshold […]
Mayoral candidates for Greater Manchester on inequality and unemployment
Unemployment across Greater Manchester (GM) is above the national average and is contributing to increasing levels of inequality across the region, despite official data showing unemployment dropping to a new 11-year low nationally. Office for National Statistics figures for October 2015 to September 2016 show the unemployment rate across GM at 5.8% was higher than […]
Mayoral candidates for Greater Manchester on the housing crisis
Housing is a basic human right. Yet for many across Greater Manchester (GM) that right is not being met. Increasing numbers of people are falling through the UK’s’ social security safety net and becoming homeless. Poor housing conditions and rocketing rents are rampant across the region, and there is a severe shortage of new homes […]
Rough sleeping in Manchester continues to rise
As Manchester experiences temperatures below freezing, the latest figures released on rough sleeping show an increasing amount of unfortunate and vulnerable people having to endure these severe conditions. The data records an 11% increase of rough sleepers in Manchester in the Autumn of 2016, compared to the previous autumn. Manchester also came fourth highest in […]
“You won’t hear these words from the house of the Queen” – Manchester’s future leaders give annual ‘Teens’ Speech’
Those who sat down to watch The Queen’s Speech after their Christmas dinner yesterday heard Her Majesty speak of the value of doing “small things with great love”. The speech, which aired at 3pm on BBC One, ITV, Sky 1 and Sky News, used the airtime to acknowledge Britain’s “unsung heroes, whose quiet dedication makes […]