From vaccinations to NHS capacity: Everything Andy Burnham said on his latest radio phone-in

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham says Greater Manchester’s flood defences worked far better than in 2015 last night thanks to subsequent investment and good planning - making its resilience in the face of Storm Christoph a ‘good news story’.But he admitted a ‘bigger look’ would now need to be taken at the Mersey.Hundreds of people had to be evacuated overnight in south Manchester as record rainfall saw the river come within a couple of centimetres of overtopping late yesterday.

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester is forecasting 200 Covid patients in critical care by next week as the system gears up for an exhausting, drawn-out third wave peak.That projection is 25pc higher than the worst part of November's second wave, according to M.E.N.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) was placed in ‘special measures’ following a damning inspection report last month.

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham has promised a 'new era' at Greater Manchester Police after the force was placed in 'special measures'.The mayor held his first policing press conference yesterday since former Chief Constable Ian Hopkins was asked to step down in the wake of a scathing inspection report.

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham wants to add £15 to the average council tax bill to help restore our failing police force.In his first policing press conference since Ian Hopkins was forced out of his job as the chief constable of GMP, the mayor outlined his vision for a 'new era' of policing.GMP was effectively placed in 'special measures' just before Christmas when Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) inspectors estimated the force had failed to properly

Anne Hathaway paid a virtual visit to “Late Night with Seth Meyers” to promote her new HBO Max film “Locked Down”, a pandemic-set film that was made while she herself was in actual lockdown.

called out the parcels as 'woefully inadequate' and 'just not good enough'. It came after one mum shared a photo of what she received in her food box, with the contents including a loaf of bread, two carrots, two bananas, a single tomato, one can of beans and a small amount of pasta.

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham has defended his handling of the crisis at Greater Manchester Police, saying: "I'm absolutely happy to be held to account". The force was put in special measures following a damning inspection report last month which found it failed to record 80,000 crimes in a year.

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has urged the government to extend its ban on evictions during the coronavirus pandemic to avoid a further surge in homelessness.Court-ordered evictions are due to start again on January 11 after being temporarily suspended after the initial Covid-19 outbreak.Boris Johnson says the ban will be kept under review after being challenged by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during a debate this week.But Mr Burnham is seeking a cast-iron

direct to your inboxCovid-19 infection rates are beginning to rise again in Oldham after weeks of plateauing case numbers.It comes as a more transmissible variant of the virus has begun to circulate in Greater Manchester, which Mayor Andy Burnham says could already account to 25pc of all new cases in the region.Oldham’s infection rate is the second lowest of the ten boroughs, just above Bolton, standing at 249.7 per 100,000 people in the week to January 3.However this is up 29pc on the previous

direct to your inboxPrime Minister Boris Johnson has said parents should send children back to primary school tomorrow 'in areas where schools are open'.His comments come as pressure mounts on the government to keep schools closed amid concerns over rates of coronavirus transmission.The National Education Union (NEU), the UK's largest teaching union, told its members that it is unsafe for them to go back to work on Monday.

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham has called for the government to delay the reopening of primary schools or give the decision to local leaders to avoid 'chaos'. Greater Manchester's mayor outlined his position amid growing pressure on the government to keep schools closed tomorrow.

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham has added his voice to those calling for teaching staff to be vaccinated for Covid-19 ahead of schools reopening next month.The mayor was reacting to the government's decision to delay the return of secondary school pupils until 18 January.Only exam year groups will receive online teaching from January 11, before all pupils return the week after, subject to a review.All primary schools will reopen as planned on Monday, apart from some in Tier 4 areas in London

direct to your inboxThe number of coronavirus patients in Greater Manchester hospitals is rising as it emerged 25pc of cases have been identified as belonging to the new strain.The Mayor Andy Burnham said while the current picture of the region's health system is 'challenging but manageable', he is concerned that the fast-spreading variant of Covid-19 could 'overwhelm' it.He therefore welcomed the government's decision to put Greater Manchester in Tier 4, the highest level of restrictions.It

direct to your inboxUp to 25pc of all new coronavirus cases across Greater Manchester can be attributed to the new strain seen spreading rapidly through southern England.Experts predict there could be even higher number of new cases down to the new variant currently due to a data lag.Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham announced the figures at a press conference this morning.He said that partly as a result of this new strain, he and Greater Manchester’s leaders are in agreement with the

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham has said that Greater Manchester's move into Tier 4 is "justified" but has encouraged a more national approach.The Mayor of Greater Manchester held his final coronavirus press conference of 2020 after the region was placed under the toughest restrictions.From 00.01 on Thursday, millions of people have been subjected to a stay home order with non-essential businesses also forced to close.During his press conference, Mr Burnham confirmed that the new variant of

direct to your inboxA massive 35,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have already been distributed across Greater Manchester – and more are set to follow.Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham gave a press conference this morning (Thursday) and announced the plan for the region’s vaccine distribution.He said 12,000 of the vaccines already provided were given at hospital hubs and 23,000 via the region’s primary care network.Mr Burnham said 25 per cent of Greater Manchester’s new coronavirus cases