ACORN tenants union in Manchester are fighting against the threatened ejection of homeless people housed in hotels and the growing threat of eviction for private renters burdened with growing rent arrears due to lockdown. They have put together six key demands to create a healthier housing system nationally and are petitioning Greater Manchester councils to […]
Covid-19 and me: my experience
Anti-poverty activist and journalist Charlotte Hughes, explains the experiences and the problems she encountered when she came down with Covid-19 and why she feels that the government let her down. Charlotte, who has previously interviewed Ken Loach, questions the motivations behind government decisions and how it affects the poor. Whilst I haven’t had a test […]
The Covid-19 crisis offers opportunities to create a better world – can we seize them?
Video of online debate discussing the big issues around the Covid-19 crisis. A pandemic that has shook the world and destabilized the status quo. What will take its place? Five panelists from Manchester shared a wealth of knowledge and ideas at this debate, which asked the question: The Covid-19 crisis offers opportunities to create a […]
Campaigners call on Greater Manchester councils to rethink their £250m financial aid package for Manchester Airport
Greater Manchester councils agreed to provide a finance package of more than £250m to Manchester Airport Group to alleviate the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the airport. Open letter signed by eleven organisations asks the Greater Manchester Combined Authority council to reconsider their decision. An open letter addressed to the ten borough councils of […]
Beyond charity: Greater Manchester’s mutual aid response to coronavirus
Like Toto in the Wizard of OZ, the coronavirus crisis has pulled back the curtain to reveal the inner workings of our society. The precarity of the vulnerable and how many of us are much closer to that vulnerability than we realised. The new light has revealed who’s work is truly essential and how deeply […]
Controversial plans for Hulme student flats given green light under delegated powers
Despite calls to reinstate the council planning committee, plans for student accommodation in Hulme were approved by the chief executive. Councillors and campaigners say the council’s emergency arrangements for the coronavirus crisis are undemocratic, with locals feeling excluded and threatening legal action. Last week, Manchester City Council’s chief executive approved controversial plans for a nine-storey […]
‘Community wealth building’ is key to creating stronger local economies post-pandemic, says Manchester based think tank
If we want to own the post-pandemic future we need to concentrate on community wealth building, and embrace the “new Leviathan” state released by the coronavirus crisis, say timely reports released by Manchester based think-do tank the Centre for Local Economic Strategies. The key to creating stronger post-pandemic local economies is ‘community wealth building’ say […]
Four international journalists, who graduated in Manchester, report on their Covid-19 lockdown experiences
Four International Students who graduated at Manchester Metropolitan University discuss the impact of Covid-19 around the world, finding many similarities and a shocking tendency for misinformation and conspiracy theories to spread faster than Covid-19. Four friends from four different countries all graduated as Journalists in Manchester. We may now be living worlds apart, but we […]
Wythenshawe-based domestic abuse charity providing help to victims during coronavirus crisis
There has been a suspected spike in domestic abuse during lockdown. Safe Spots charity stresses that women can still get help during this time and are taking donations in order to be able to continue providing help. First published in The Northern Quota, 20 April 2020 Concerns have been raised about the potential rise of […]
Street Meet soup kitchen reports increased demand for food during lockdown, and not just from Manchester’s homeless
Volunteers running an outdoor soup kitchen in city centre Manchester are reporting increased demand for food during the pandemic lockdown. People using the kitchen include many of the temporarily housed homeless, those still sleeping on the streets, the working poor and those struggling to survive on welfare payments. A band of volunteers responsible for outdoor […]