Major retailers hand back £1.8bn in business rates relief - Andy Burnham wants the money to help millions excluded from government support during pandemic

direct to your inboxA former police rep says any culture shift within Greater Manchester Police must start with the region’s mayor.Ian Hanson says Andy Burnham must deal directly with those delivering the service if the force is to make important changes after it was placed into ‘special measures’.Mr Hanson - who retired as GMP’s Federation chairman in 2018 - claims Mr Burnham met with him just once during his tenure.He has accused the mayor of “shouldering” responsibility for policing to his

direct to your inboxThe number of new Covid-19 hospital admissions in Greater Manchester is rising for the first time since mid-November, as the mayor warns the arrival of a potent new strain to the region is now ‘inevitable’.However Andy Burnham says he does not yet think the time is right for the conurbation to be placed into Tier 4 restrictions.He told this afternoon’s weekly press conference that infection rates here - which are up 1pc in the past week - are still ‘flatlining’ and argued the

placed in ‘special measures’ following a damning inspection report. Greater Manchester’s Labour mayor previously said he was ‘confident’ that "in just a small number of days, significant progress has been made".A new complaints line for people who do not feel their crime report has been dealt with properly will be launched, as well as further recruitment to a new centralised crime recording unit, he said.

direct to your inboxThe mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has slammed the government’s decision to keep the region under the toughest coronavirus restrictions.Speaking on BBC Radio Manchester this afternoon, he said: “The average for all of Greater Manchester is lower than Liverpool and London when they went into tier 2.“I don’t think they’ve got the balance right at all here, so I understand the frustration, but let’s not take it out on the NHS.“We’ve got to follow those rules and it

direct to your inbox If Andy Burnham’s year opened with a lot of noise around the police, in the form of his report into the calamitous 2004 Operation Augusta investigation, it now seems to be closing in the same vein - albeit in the form of a less politically flattering story. Thursday’s verdict from Her Majesty’s policing Inspectorate on Greater Manchester Police’s current performance is a much harder sell than the mayor’s own historic inquiry into child sexual exploitation.

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham has responded to Priti Patel's letter detailing her concerns about a damning report into Greater Manchester Police. The Home Secretary wrote to both Mr Burnham and GMP to express ‘deep’ concerns about the findings of the inspection report into the force - and to demand their plans for improvement.

direct to your inbox The Home Secretary has written to both Andy Burnham and Greater Manchester Police to express ‘deep’ concerns about the findings of a damning inspection report into the force - and to demand their plans for improvement.

direct to your inboxThe latest coronavirus infection rates demonstrate a widening gap between northern and southern boroughs in Greater Manchester.Public Health data from the week ending December 6 shows that boroughs which lie south of the city now have an infection rate lower than the national average.It comes as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the disparity in rates could see the conurbation split up into different tiers when the government come to review the system next week.He

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham is planning to freeze the element of council tax bills that pays for mayoral functions next April.The precept - which is used for a number of Greater Manchester-level purposes, including part-funding the fire service and mayoral priorities such as free bus passes for young people - will stay as it is under proposals that will go before council leaders in the New Year.That would see the mayoral charge stay at £70.73 for a Band B property.Last April, the precept

“Schools, colleges and early years settings across the country have worked tremendously hard to put protective measures in place that are helping reduce the risk of the virus being transmitted and our regional school commissioner teams continue to support local authorities and school trusts.

direct to your inboxA senior Manchester Arena boss has issued a public apology to the mother of one of the 22 victims of the 2017 bombing atrocity.Two policing experts, meanwhile, have outlined to the public inquiry into the attack a series of criticisms they have found relating to security in place on the night.John Sharkey met with Figen Murray, Martyn Hett's mother, on December 8, 2017, seven months after the bombing.At the meeting, arranged by the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham,

The government took into account the potential economic impact on the capital in sparing London from tough Tier 3 restrictions.But the same analysis wasn't applied to Manchester and the rest of the country.That's according to furious Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham who described the alleged differing approach as 'unacceptable' as MPs prepare for a key vote in Parliament today (Tuesday).Last week Boris Johnson's government announced that Greater Manchester would be placed in the toughest

including Greater Manchester where cases are falling rapidly.Michael Gove was reportedly among those arguing London should be under the strictest measures due to the high infection rate in several boroughs.The M.E.N has attempted to contact Downing Street for confirmation that the cabinet received a briefing note on potential job losses in London and whether similar impact assessments were made of other regions.So far, we have had no response.The Mayor Andy Burnham tweeted the Mail's story and

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The Mayor’s A Bed Every Night homelessness reduction scheme is being extended after a charity warned numbers seeking help have rocketed during the pandemic.With ‘at least’ 40 new rooms added to the scheme in time for the winter, £663,000 has also been pledged to support young people at risk of homelessness and to tackle the causes that could see people ‘slip through the net’.Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, announced the expansion of his flagship scheme using cash from his mayoral

coronavirus restrictions has led to a chorus of disapproval from Andy Burnham and many of the region's MPs.

Andy Burnham wants Greater Manchester to be moved into Tier 2 within a fortnight if the region's coronavirus infection rate continues to fall.The Mayor was reacting to the government's decision to place the region in Tier 3, the highest category of restrictions under the new system due to take effect on December 2.It means all hospitality venues will have to stay closed except for takeaway and delivery services.Other areas with high infection rates, including Liverpool and London, have been

government announcing this morning that Manchester will be placed in Tier 3 when national lockdown ends on December 2, the mayor says the 'halfway house approach' taken to lockdown is partly to blame.Reacting to the news that the region now faces the toughest measures for at least another fortnight, he told the Manchester Evening News: "It was a personal view and maybe not everybody's view, but I think schools should have been included in the national circuit break, because actually it would

Andy Burnham says it is ‘more likely than not’ that Greater Manchester will be put into the highest tier of coronavirus restrictions despite falling infection rates.The mayor is expecting that the new measures, due to be shared with leaders tomorrow, will be applied consistently across the city-region.But the government has been urged to look at Greater Manchester’s position in two weeks when the first review of the revised arrangements takes place.There are widely-held expectations that almost