The plan for Greater Manchester’s vaccination roll out - 35,000 doses have already been administered

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

direct to your inboxA flood 'alert' has been put in force in Greater Manchester today after hours of heavy rainfall overnight.The alert warns of 'possible' flooding around the area of the middle River Mersey catchment area.It includes areas near Bramhall in Stockport, Sale, Altrincham and Urmston.The Environment Agency warned: "Flooding is possible - be prepared."And Transport for Greater Manchester said: "With heavy rain in Greater Manchester this morning, expect flooding in some areas.

direct to your inboxThis is the first look inside Greater Manchester's mass coronavirus vaccination centre ahead of its opening on Monday.The site, at the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre at the Etihad Campus, has undergone a remarkable transformation as this exclusive footage provided by the NHS shows.It's one of seven vaccination centres being launched in England next week.Initially it will be open to people over 80 and healthcare staff by appointment only.Manchester's director of public

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham admits there is 'a real worry' about the NHS in Greater Manchester due to the spiralling number of coronavirus patients.The Mayor revealed today there were 119 people in intensive care units and 922 in general hospital beds with covid-19 on January 5.That represents a 'steep rise' in the number of people in ICU, in particular, the mayor said.And the figures are, in fact, likely to be 'quite a bit worse than that', Mr Burnham added, as the situation is changing so

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 inboxThe streets were empty as Greater Manchester said goodbye to 2020 and ushered in a new year - but many were determined to keep alive at least one tradition.Our video from Werneth Low shows how many parts of Greater Manchester were ablaze with colour as people set off fireworks at midnight to celebrate the arrival of 2021.Around 200 socially distanced people gathered on the popular spot to watch the moment our region said goodbye to 2020 and ushered in the New Year.Car horns

direct to your inboxIt has been a year like no other.However Great Mancunians have still made headlines across the world, for all sorts of reasons.Here we look at those who have put the region on the map in 2020, a year we will never forget.2020 has undoubtedly belonged to Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford.However it is his incredible work off the pitch which has made the headlines, even more than his impressive goal-scoring feats on it.The Withington-born and Wythenshawe raised

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 inboxThe coronavirus pandemic has exposed the crisis in the "broken" social care system – and it would be "immoral" not to fix it, Andy Burnham has warned.The mayor of Greater Manchester said the only way to cope with an ageing population would be to more closely integrate social care with the NHS.

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

direct to your inboxThe deputy mayor has expressed fears there could be a rise in illegal raves and house parties in Greater Manchester over the Christmas period.Beverley Hughes told a press conference led by Andy Burnham on Tuesday that there is intelligence to suggest the region 'could see a return' of the raves and parties seen over the summer.