Andy Burnham calls on music industry’s “big players” to pay levy for grassroots venues

direct to your inboxHundreds of people have called a helpline for crime victims unhappy with how Greater Manchester Police has handled their cases.The crime support line was established by mayor Andy Burnham after the force failed to record 80,000 crimes in a year - including one in four violent crimes.But the helpline will be closed down from tomorrow (Friday February 19) due to a ‘very low number’ of new callers in recent weeks.There have been 240 calls to the helpline since it launched in

direct to your inboxA 'very large' yoga gathering held in breach of coronavirus restrictions was broken up and a £10,000 Covid-19 fine issued, civic leaders have revealed.The gathering in Stockport was revealed today by the region's deputy mayor, Bev Hughes.No exact location - or other details - were revealed.It's not known whether the gathering was held indoors or outside.But Ms Hughes, speaking during an update on the pandemic situation across Greater Manchester hosted by mayor Andy Burnham,

Freddie Mercury were “spectacular”.The Fight Club filmmaker was originally set to direct Bohemian Rhapsody in its early stages, before Stephen Frears eventually got the job.Baron Cohen was on board to play the Queen frontman, too, before exiting the project over creative differences and being replaced by Rami Malek.In conversation with Aaron Sorkin on an episode of The Director’s Cut podcast, per The Playlist, Fincher turned to the filmmakers’ shared history with Baron Cohen, as he recently

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester residents will see the amount they pay in council tax towards mayoral functions carried out by Andy Burnham frozen from April.The combined authority agreed that increasing the precept would place a burden on people already struggling through the Covid-19 pandemic.With council tax set by local authorities already expected to rise in the coming years, leaders renewed calls on the government to provide them with more funding.A meeting of the Greater Manchester

Demanding more. Hannah Brown reflected on her past mistakes while sharing her thoughts on Chris Harrison’s controversial interview about Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell.

was found dead after sleeping rough in the doorway of Marks and Spencer in Manchester city centre.

direct to your inboxThe Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester held a closed meeting with Trafford council this week to discuss policing, following the city-region’s police force being placed into special measures.The meeting came after local calls for Mayor Andy Burnham to set out an action plan to bring Greater Manchester Police ‘up to scratch’ in Trafford.Conservative members of the council criticised the fact that the meeting was held in private and felt members of the public,

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham’s plan to freeze his mayoral tax on Greater Manchester residents from April is expected to be backed by regional leaders this week.The mayoral precept which appears on council tax bills goes towards funding the fire service, hundreds of beds for rough sleepers and free bus passes for young people.If approved by the Greater Manchester combined authority on Friday, council tax bills for Band B and Band D properties will stay at £70.73 and £90.95 respectively during

direct to your inbox Andy Burnham has hired external consultants to review Greater Manchester Police’s response to last year’s damning inspection report.

direct to your inboxNew details have emerged about the new jobs and housing masterplan which will replace the scrapped Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.Council leaders of nine of the city-region’s boroughs, along with mayor Andy Burnham, will meet to consider the next steps for ‘Places For Everyone’ this week.

direct to your inbox Andy Burnham has called for poorer parts of the country to be given additional supplies of the coronavirus vaccine. The Greater Manchester Mayor said that more jabs should be given in areas where life expectancy is lower.Speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday, he said there should be 'greater flexibility' within the vaccine roll out programme so that people can be called up earlier.

Coldplay have reportedly been working on a new album called ‘Music Of The Spheres’.According to The Sun, a source close to the band has confirmed that they have been recording new music throughout the coronavirus lockdown which is set to feature on what will be their ninth studio album.“Chris and co. have been dropping hints for a while but now it’s finally getting off the ground,” the source said.

Andy Cohen's son Ben is 2! Thehost took to Instagram on Thursday to celebrate his son's birthday. Cohen shared a precious photo of Ben smiling at the camera while hugging a teddy bear, and wrote a sweet message about his son being his «true delight.» «Ben turns 2 today! He is my true delight and I can’t imagine life without him.

Getting down and dirty! Kelly Ripa joked about why virtual interviews can at times feel like cheating on her husband, Mark Consuelos.

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester Police ‘deliberately’ failed to properly answer the mayor’s questions on its hugely troublesome computer system, Andy Burnham and his deputy have claimed. Last Friday the mayor had appeared before a scrutiny panel to describe a litany of failures within the force, arguing there had recently been a ‘persistent and repeated underplaying of problems’ at ‘the most senior level’, including, ‘at worst’, information being deliberately withheld.

direct to your inboxA failure to guarantee wages and offer support for people during self-isolation is 'unpicking the chain' when it comes to controlling coronavirus.Mayor Andy Burnham has heralded Greater Manchester's local test and trace system for tracking down more than 16,000 people who were missed by the national programme within the 24-hour target.The success of the local push to test and trace cases and contacts in high risk settings like prisons, homeless shelters and care homes, has

Andie MacDowell is embracing her silver hair!

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester Police has at times ‘deliberately withheld’ information from the mayor’s office amid battles for transparency that became a ‘war of attrition’, Andy Burnham has claimed, in a veiled attack on the previous Chief Constable.In a lengthy and unprecedented diatribe on the force’s culture and leadership over the past four years, the mayor promised what he said would be the first ‘open review of the force’ in at least two decades.He claimed that concerns raised