Keep up to date with all the big stories from across Greater Manchester in the daily Mancunian Way newsletter. You can receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every weekday by signing up right here.
Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello
In news that will please the thousands of people heading to Parklife or concerts in the city centre this weekend, Metrolink staff have suspended their planned strike action on Saturday and Sunday after being offered a new pay deal by operator KeolisAmey.
It comes after mayor Andy Burnham met with union representatives this week in an last-minute attempt to avert the industrial action. Staff were originally offered a 5 per cent pay rise for a 15-month period but trade union Unite described the offer as a 'very significant real terms pay cut'.
The details of the new pay deal have not been announced publicly, which will now be put to a vote by members. If the deal is not agreed on, members will announce further strike action.
Unite regional officer Colin Hayden told Local Democracy Reporter Joseph Timan: "Unite made it clear from the outset that Metrolink was fully able to make an improved offer and as a result of the intervention of the mayor that has now occurred.”
The two-day action would have seen a big strain on transport across Greater Manchester as fans enjoy Parklife at Heaton Park, The Weeknd at the Etihad, Roger Waters at the AO Arena, and Soccer Aid at Old Trafford over the weekend.
Mr Burnham said: "Last week I made an offer to intervene and facilitate a dialogue between Metrolink operator KeolisAmey and representatives of Unite, in an effort to advance talks and avert industrial action this weekend.
"We’ve worked hard with colleagues at Transport for Greater Manchester to bring the two sides together, and I want to thank the teams at KeolisAmey and Unite for engaging positively and constructively in these talks.
"I’m very pleased that an agreement has now been reached to suspend strike action and put a new and improved offer on the table, keeping our tram network running on another really important weekend for the city-region."
Coming up in today’s Mancunian Way, we’ll be looking at the legend that is Julie Goodyear, the continuing drama over Piccadilly station’s future and the conclusion to the Arena inquiry.
'Decade lost'
It’s been a busy week for Andy Burnham. When he’s not been brokering deals with Metrolink drivers, he’s been meeting with the Rail North Committee to fight for two additional platforms to be built at Piccadilly station.
As we’ve discussed previously, the plans for a platform 15 and 16 at the central station were pulled by Transport for the North (TfN) as a 'new approach' to regional rail infrastructure upgrades is looked at.
Lord Patrick McLoughlin, who signed off the initial plans way back in 2014 when he was transport secretary, said an 'inordinate amount of time and effort' had already been spent on the scheme to unclog congestion on railways across the region
But the committee has refused to endorse a letter to the transport secretary which removes recommendations for the additional platforms at Manchester Piccadilly until their concerns are addressed. Local Democracy Reporter Joseph Timan said that Mr Burnham, who was appointed chair of the committee, feared the new statutory advice would be 'less specific' in what it is recommending.
He added that the 'failure' to progress with the plans is 'not good news' for the region. He said: "It is almost a decade since that went in – that's a decade lost in the North of England."
You can read more on the Committee’s discussions here.
Calls for scrutiny
Families of those who died in the Manchester Arena terror attack have called on the government and police to ensure lessons are learned after a long-running public inquiry into the atrocity came to a close.
Inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders said some organisations had been 'somewhat slow' to act on recommendations and expressed frustration that the healthcare provided at pop concerts and music festivals was ‘exposing’ thousands of people ‘to danger’ due to it being unregulated.
Addressing the families, Sir John said: "Nothing will be worse than the same thing happening all over again despite the considerable efforts of everybody concerned to actually make a difference.”
Pete Weatherby KC, who represents one group of families, told the chairman: "Nothing that has been or could be said in this process can reverse the catastrophic loss to the families by the Arena outrage. However, this inquiry process has been vital to them."
The barrister said it had been important for establishing facts, accountability and ensuring change. As the M.E.N's John Scheerhout reports, he, however, said that there had been 'dismay' among the families that some recommendations weren't being acted on.
Sir John said 'on the whole', organisations called to answer questions about his monitored recommendations had implemented them or had taken steps towards implementing them, although some had been 'somewhat slow'. He added that it was important that public scrutiny continued so lessons learned during the inquiry weren’t allowed to 'drift into the background'.
"It's essential that lessons are learned and the same mistakes are not made again. It's much more likely those mistakes will not be made again if the monitoring process continues," he said.
GMP has since told the M.E.N. that "all frontline officers attend a two-day training course, which includes training in relation to major bleeds and the use of tourniquet."
Kim Harrison - who represents the largest group of families at Slater and Gorton solicitors - expressed anger at the apparent reluctance of some organisations to embrace change.
Ms Harrison told members of the press: "Our families have been present in court every day of the inquiry and listened to failing after failing from all involved on that terrible night of 22 May 2017. We welcome each and every recommendation made by Sir John to try and make our country a safer place and to prevent more families finding themselves in our horrific position in the future.
"We were present this week with the hope that our government and emergency services will have at least begun to change and implement these recommendations, sadly that has not been the case for so many of them. Some, like [the fire service] have embraced the recommendations and have moved swiftly to ensure that all have been implemented. In fact, they have gone beyond the recommendations in some situations and we thank them for that.
"However, other blue light services, and indeed our government, have yet to show enough improvement, phrases like ‘we aspire to’ just aren’t good enough. Actions need to be taken so that when this happens again there is a very different outcome and other families won’t have to go through the heartbreak we have.”
Read more on the Arena inquiry here.
A legendary Bet
Julie Goodyear, one of Coronation Street’s most beloved actresses, has been diagnosed with dementia, her family announced this week.
The lavish character of Bet Lynch had only been set to appear in nine episodes in 1966, but she became a series regular from 1970 to 1995. Best known for her outlandish outfits, leopard print, and the drama that followed her, she was voted the most iconic female soap character ever in 2018.
The news of her diagnosis was revealed by husband Scott Brand, who said: ‘My darling wife and I have had to come to terms with this heart-breaking diagnosis.
"Unfortunately, Julie has been suffering forgetfulness for some time and we have been seeking medical advice and assistance, but we now know that there is no hope of a reversal in the situation – and that her condition will get progressively, and perhaps speedily, worse.”
Scott said Julie, who hails from Bury, had wanted to make the news public to ensure her friends and fans who meet her can be understanding of her condition.
‘We have taken the decision to publicly announce the diagnosis as Julie still loves visiting friends and eating out,” Scott said. “Inevitably she is recognised, and fans love to meet her - and she them - but she can get confused particularly if she is tired.”
Dementia UK said there are an estimated 944,000 people living with dementia in the UK, and one in three people born in the UK this year will go on to develop dementia in their lifetime.
“We’re sorry to hear that Julie Goodyear has been diagnosed with dementia, and hope that she and her family are receiving the support and assistance they need at this time,” Dementia UK CEO and Chief Admiral Nurse Hilda Hayo told the Mancunian Way.
“By choosing to speak publicly about her diagnosis, Julie and her family will raise vital awareness of dementia and we hope that this will encourage others to seek advice if they have concerns for their brain health.”
Anyone affected by dementia can contact the Dementia UK helpline by calling 0800 888 6678 or by emailing helpline@dementiauk.org.
Sign up to The Mancunian Way
Has a friend forwarded you this edition of The Mancunian Way? You can sign up to receive the latest email newsletter direct to your inbox every weekday by clicking on this link.
Weather etc
Temperatures: Sunny intervals. 22C.
Road closures: Moor Lane in Bolton closed southbound from Marsden Road to Ormrod Street until June 13 due to roadworks.
Weather warning: The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms which comes into force at 2pm on Saturday, covering almost all of Greater Manchester. There are also set to be high temperatures. Details here.
Manchester headlines
- ‘Chaos’: Fans trying to get home from the P!nk concert at the University of Bolton Stadium on Wednesday night were left ‘trapped’ in a car park for hours after the gig ended. One fan who lived only 20 minutes away from the stadium said she didn't get home until 2.10am. More here.
Kellogg’s: Cereal giant Kellogg's, which employs hundreds in Greater Manchester with its head office in Media City and a factory in Trafford Park, has announced it will make changes to who it hires in a bid to become more inclusive and attract a 'broader and more diverse group' of staff. Details here.
Taxi: Local musicians are to be given half-price taxi rides home after gigs in the city centre in an attempt to support Manchester’s music scene. The three-month pilot scheme from GigPig and Uber will help performers who finish gigs after 11pm.
Tributes: Those who knew Christopher Barlow, the 31-year-old who was found dead after going missing in Marple, have shared touching words about the 'one in the million' man. "Our hearts are broken, as you're gone far too soon," one person wrote.
Worth a read
P!nk kicked off her world tour in Bolton of all places this week and from the looks of it, it appears to be a huge spectacle.
What’s On editor Jenna Campbell was there for the first of two nights (the superstar plays again this evening), and said it gave ‘Cirque Du Soleil performers a run for their money and audience members heart palpitations’.... Sounds like a great night out to me.
There is also mentions of motorised flamingos, Barbie-style outfits, and dancers hanging off bright bunches of bananas because, well, why not. Check out her review here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email adam.maidment@reachplc.com.
If you have enjoyed this newsletter today, why not tell a friend how to sign up?
