Manchester council to spend £2.5m providing food vouchers for children and families over Christmas

direct to your inboxFor many women working the streets of Manchester during the coronavirus pandemic, clients have been their only regular human contact.With the city under lockdown these women were forced to seek help through windows or over Facetime, instead of speaking to someone sitting across from them.This not only had a ‘noticeable’ impact on the mental wellbeing of some sex workers, but it also affected those reaching out to help from Manchester Action on Street Health (MASH).But for one

Boris Johnson, introduced Tier 4 restrictions for 17 million people in London and parts of the Home Counties from midnight on Saturday, which saw all but non-essential shops close and people being told not to travel for Christmas.Get the latest updates from across Greater Manchester direct to your inbox with the free MEN newsletterYou can sign up very simply by following the instructions hereThe French ports were shut after the Tier 4 measures were introduced as a new highly-transmissible

direct to your inboxNearly half of people surveyed think there should now be a national lockdown over Christmas.Some 47% of 5,734 people who answered the question in an Manchester Evening News survey over the Christmas bubble changes thought that we should move to one set of strict rules across the country. It comes as Boris Johnson is facing increasing pressure to take tougher measures after the new fast-spreading variant was identified.

three bags of food containing staple fruit, vegetables and ingredients that can be used to make hearty and healthy meals. Just like every other charity and organisation, the pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on how The Bread and Butter Thing’s services are run.When lockdown measures first came into place in March this year, the charity was faced with a surge in demand.

direct to your inboxHospital bosses in Greater Manchester are meeting today (December 21) for a rapid review of testing, site access and visiting rules in light of a new variant of coronavirus in the UK.Northern Care Alliance (NCA) - the NHS group which runs hospitals and other health care services in Salford, Bury, Oldham and Rochdale - will today decide whether its infection prevention control measures must be strengthened.It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that the new

direct to your inbox The latest figures showing the most recent  coronavirus  infection rate for every local authority area in England have been released.

Bolton Council has said that people in the borough need to 'pull together' over Christmas in order to avoid any further lockdowns. Yesterday, Boris Johnson announced that plans to ease restrictions for five days over the festive period would have to be cancelled due to rising case numbers.

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Bolton on Friday morning - a day after millions across the region learned they would remain under Tier 3 restrictions over Christmas. Making the announcement yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock called on people living in Tier 3 areas to 'pull together' to get out of the measures.

accusing ministers of not treating the north and the south equally.Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester about yesterday's decision, he said:  “It isn’t equal treatment.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has said that Kevin De Bruyne is too important to rest over the Christmas period. The Manchester City midfielder, who picked up another gong on Thursday to recognise his outstanding level over the past 18 months, started the West Brom game just days after the derby with United.

straight to your inbox every day for freeMarcus Rashford has praised his mum's sacrifices to put food on the table when he was growing up.

direct to your inboxCouncils across Greater Manchester have outlined their plans for bin collections over Christmas and the New Year.With Christmas Day and New Year’s Day falling on bank holidays this year, many town halls are having to change their schedules.Bins are being collected in the days leading up to - and after both days - though the exact dates differ from borough to borough.All councils are still urging residents to keep recycling food, cardboard and paper and other recyclable items

direct to your inboxManchester council will proceed with plans to axe its ‘declining’ schools catering service next year despite concerns from councillors and trade unions.Around 430 people - mostly women on low incomes - are employed by Manchester Fayre across a third of the city’s schools.More schools are opting out of the council-run service every year as they want a greater control over pricing and the type of food provided to its pupils.With a dwindling client base and a potential £1m bill

direct to your inboxThe professor who led research into the University of Oxford's Covid-19 vaccination has issued a dire warning about the possible impact of the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas.Sarah Gilbert joined NHS bosses in expressing fears about a third wave of the pandemic in the new year, just as Germany announced a hard lockdown because of record numbers of cases and deaths there.Although cases are falling in Tier 3 Greater Manchester, the infection rate for

direct to your inboxFour years after the Brexit referendum took place, it might be easy to have forgotten that the most significant consequence of the vote Leave victory is yet to come.In less than three weeks, Britain will leave the EU single market and customs union, and at the time of writing, no future trade deal has been agreed.The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reportedly set a new deadline of Sunday, 13 December, to reach an agreement.If that doesn't happen, it means that, come 1

direct to your inboxA heartbroken student nurse has told how she fears she won't get the coronavirus test that would allow her to see her family at Christmas.Erin Hathaway,who is currently studying at the University of Manchester, posted an emotional video online about the situation she finds herself in ahead of finishing for the holidays.Erin, from Blackpool, explained how she will miss the December 15 deadline for tests put in place by the University of Manchester as she will be working until

Sadiq Khan and Manchester leader Andy Burnham - have written to Boris Johnson to demand he looks again the constitutional status quo. The letter warns there is worrying evidence that a growing number of Scots are "losing faith" in the union.

direct to your inboxThe first British patients will receive coronavirus vaccinations today - dubbed V-Day by health secretary Matt Hancock.The inoculations will be administered at dozens of hospital hubs throughout the country, including in Greater Manchester.The UK is to become the first country in the world to start vaccinating people with the Pfizer/BioNTech jab.Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was 'immensely proud' of the scientists who have developed the vaccine.He praised NHS staff for