Trafford council spends £38m on investment properties: are they ‘gambling’ with public money?

An investigation into speculative property deals by local government, show the practice is increasing rapidly across England, as cash strapped councils try to survive austerity cuts. Vince Cable, leader of the Liberal democrats described these types of investments as “gambling” and that there was “a very high risk of bankrupting their local authorities”. Amongst the […]

The men behind Manchester City: the dark side

Guest article from Nicholas McGeehan. Second part to an investigation into the background of the owners of Manchester City Football Club: The trailer for the forthcoming Amazon Prime documentary ‘All or Nothing: Manchester City’ is out and it’s hard to escape the feeling that they came mighty close to calling it ‘Death or Glory: Manchester […]

Cities are recognising the dangers of speculation and big capital: what will Manchester’s politicians do next?

With thousands of housing units being built in across wards including Deansgate, Piccadilly and Ancoats, central areas of Manchester have now become a key investment ‘hot-spot’ for profit-seeking finance that cares little for local communities. This rampant speculation, surge in international investment and links to rising rents, displacement, homelessness and destruction of heritage and culture […]