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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]