It is safe to keep schools open 'at this point in time', says Andy Burnham despite problems with coronavirus testing

Andy Burnham has been told to ‘get a grip’ and ensure the region’s development masterplan gets over the line after a row over an industrial estate left it dangling by a thread.The third - and final - version of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework was due to be revealed on Monday, but it was pulled as Stockport and Tameside bosses continued to argue over plans to extend Bredbury Park industrial estate into the Tame Valley.It raises the incredible possibility that the blueprint, developed in

Do you think the lockdown system should be changed? Have your say in the comments below It is believed no areas in England would immediately be mapped into Tier 3.Responding to the potential system, Mr Burnham said he believes 'the new approach could improve public understanding of the restrictions in different areas.'But he warned that 'it will not be acceptable if the policy is imposed by Whitehall without meaningful consultation, which so far has not happened.'The Mayor set out five 'key

A full list of all the projects is at the end of this article.Funded by the Mayor’s Challenge Fund, all of Greater Manchester’s 10 districts will benefit from a total of 35 projects, with the first Bee Network signage to be installed by next summer. Chris Boardman, Greater Manchester's cycling and walking tsar, told the Manchester Evening News: "I'm just so excited to see it happening at such a scale.

The government's introduction of tougher coronavirus measures in the north of England ‘could do more harm than Margaret Thatcher’, according to Andy Burnham.Greater Manchester’s mayor has warned that the north-south divide will ‘massively increase’ in the winter if millions of people in the region are still under the restrictions without further support.Mr Burnham said places like Bolton, where the hospitality industry has been shut down despite infection rates being higher elsewhere, had been

A Prestwich man has declared his intention to stand for Mayor of Greater Manchester – claiming his bid is ‘a move away from party politics’.Businessman Michael Elston, 39, intends to stand as a independent candidate in next May’s election, opposing current incumbent Andy Burnham.The election, which was due to take place in May, was deferred until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.Mr Elston grew up in Prestwich and was a keen Bury FC fan.

There has been a ‘significant increase’ in the number of coronavirus patients in ICU beds across Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham has revealed. The mayor spoke out about the rising number coronavirus cases during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.The ‘significant rise’ in cases refers to those in ICU and non-ICU.There were 41 cases of Covid-19 in ICU beds across Greater Manchester hospitals in the week ending September 29, up from 28 the previous week. There were 228 cases of Covid-19

spilled into Manchester city centre streets and supermarkets on Saturday night at 10pm closing time after the new rule was introduced on Thursday in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus. The scenes prompted Andy Burnham on Monday morning to call for an urgent government review into evidence from police forces across the country.

here"The government has said the 10pm curfew is based on Belgium, but they also have police to disperse people on the streets."My personal feeling is that the curfew is probably doing more harm than good as it’s creating a major incentive for people to carry on drinking and partying at home. And that is where we are told the virus spreads - gatherings in the home."He added: "If it is doing more harm and damaging businesses, then the government shouldn’t just plough on with it.

hugely damaging to residents' health, especially if they live with dementia.Now, care home bosses and charities are calling for a solution to enable safe visitation.Earlier this month, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham spoke of testing for residents and visitors and vowed 'to have a look' at the issue.But on Thursday, a spokesman from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said: "Under the current central Government measures, local areas with increased restrictions are advised to not

Manchester Evening News asked Mr Burnham about the position on care homes, as he had previously promised to take on the issue, after hearing heartbreaking stories from families. The M.E.N.

hereHe spoke of concerns over the performance of NHS Test and Trace in Greater Manchester, particularly the contacts of the people testing positive."The numbers are increasing each week as we see more positive cases," he said."So is the number of people not being reached.

hereSpeaking as the total number of cases rose to 4,368 in 24 hours and Covid-related deaths were recorded as 41,788, Mr Burnham also called on the Government to consult consistently with the regions - and invite more regional voices to the COBRA meetings, one of which is to be held today (Tuesday).He said: "If he (Boris Johnson) listens more to people at a regional level we would build a greater sense of national unity in facing this virus going into the rest of autumn and the winter."Referring

huge gatherings taking place at student accommodation, despite these measures - and some of the city's most familiar faces want to help put a stop to it.

government's decision to offer a one-off £500 support payment for those on lower incomes who could face a loss of earnings as a result of self-isolating.

Manchester Evening News' political editor, Jennifer Williams, said the payment will be "welcomed" in Greater Manchester.

Manchester Evening News' political editor, Jennifer Williams, also appeared on The Andrew Marr Show to talk about the new support payment, which will be "welcomed" in Greater Manchester.

here“Leaders are talking about a form of local shielding - perhaps not the full national programme we saw earlier this year - but certainly a discussion is now underway about whether we can have a shielding programme in Greater Manchester that affords greater protection to the members of the community most at risk.”He added: “We believe as we go into the autumn and winter this is something that will be needed and is the right thing to do.

Andy Burnham has slammed health secretary Matt Hancock for the way the government has announced a string of new coronavirus restrictions affecting Greater Manchester.The region’s mayor says the approach has kept local leaders in the dark and led to ‘anxiety and confusion’ among residents.He said he fears ministers are in danger of ‘losing the public’ and is calling for a return to daily briefings led by expert scientists and medics.Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Mr

There has been a ‘significant’ rise in Covid hospital admissions here in the last week, Andy Burnham has warned, urging everyone in Greater Manchester to pay urgent attention to the increase.While still at low levels, the number of admissions in the week to yesterday was around twice that of the week before.The M.E.N.