Mayor hires private consultants to help turn around Greater Manchester Police

direct to your inbox More than 5,500 people have died in Greater Manchester's hospitals alone after contracting coronavirus. And tragically, this number continues to rise everyday.

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has described harrowing body cam footage of an 'unlawfully killed' father begging to be freed as he was restrained by Metrolink-contracted staff as "one of the most distressing things you could see."He expressed sympathy to the friends and family of Jack Barnes, 29, who was pinned down outside Australasia restaurant on Deansgate in Manchester city centre.The dad-of-one had been involved in an altercation with staff at Victoria Station,

direct to your inboxAlmost a third of all adults in Greater Manchester have now received a coronavirus vaccine jab.And for the first time, new data reveals the take up figures for every postcode area in our region.It shows the five neighbourhoods where more than half of residents have now been vaccinated - one in Trafford, the highest rate, two in Bury, one in Stockport and one in Rochdale.The statistics, compiled by the Manchester Evening News, are from the latest available NHS data.They show

direct to your inboxConcerns have been raised for people in a deprived part of Rochdale after a development ‘masterplan’ for the area went out to consultation.The council document sets out a broad-brush strategy for Lower Falinge, including the potential for new housing and a different mix of homes.A previous version of the plan included neighbouring College Bank - better known as the Seven Sisters.This has since been removed after the council fell out with landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing

direct to your inboxBus and taxi drivers and teachers over the age of 50 should be given Covid jabs at the half-empty mass vaccination centre at the Etihad, say local leaders.Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has repeated calls on the government to give local authorities greater flexibility over how to use spare capacity at the site.Covid jabs are said to be ‘sitting in fridges’ as people belonging to the four groups on the government's vaccine priority list are waiting to be called

direct to your inboxHundreds of fines have been handed out for Covid breaches in Greater Manchester in the last week - including at weddings, house parties and Manchester Airport.Illegal barber shops in garden sheds, unlicensed backroom bars and crowded premises with no social distancing have been discovered during enforcement visits.The number of Covid-related incidents reported to police rose by almost a quarter in the last week as the half-term and a change in weather has seen more people

direct to your inboxCoronavirus has brought heartache to thousands of families across Greater Manchester.More than 5,200 people have died in our region's hospitals alone. And tragically, this number is continuing to rise.

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 inboxThe NHS has confirmed the deaths of 18 more patients in hospitals in Greater Manchester who had tested positive for coronavirus.Nationally, a further 309 hospital deaths were reported on Thursday.Of those, 42 were in hospitals in the north west region.Six further deaths have been recorded at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, with five more at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.Three further deaths were recorded at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh

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,

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

direct to your inboxAldi are looking to hire nearly 100 apprentices across Greater Manchester this year.The supermarket giant has hired over 2,000 apprentices, the majority of which have gone on to secure permanent roles, since launching its Apprentice Programme in 2012.In 2021, Aldi plans to recruit 96 store apprentices in Greater Manchester and applications are open now.Apprentices will receive full training and gain real qualifications while launching their careers and working towards

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 inboxGreater Manchester Police have been forced to step in after a 'criminal' Weetabix combination went viral on Twitter.The tweet in question was posted by the popular cereal brand this morning, and quickly caught the attention of cops.And when you see what Weetabix were suggesting, it's clear to see why.Instead of the uncontested cereal and milk combination, it was suggested that customers try their Weetabix with something new.Baked Beans."Why should bread have all the fun, when

direct to your inboxThe Home Secretary has slammed the 'appalling situation' at GMP and vowed to 'hold everybody to account' for the force's failings. Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday Priti Patel said a 'force improvement plan' had been put in place in the wake of a damning inspection report in December.

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 inboxIt was a tragic twist of fate.Artist George Mayer-Marton had carefully packed his possessions and life's work to save them from the Nazis by emigrating to England.The Hungarian had made his reputation and home in Vienna - but his Jewish heritage and artistic brilliance made him vulnerable.The German invasion of Austria in March 1938 was the trigger for him to leave that year.

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.