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Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello,
I thought I’d kick off today’s newsletter by sharing this picture of Heidi-Jade Sargent’s natty customised trainers and jacket.
The Ant & Dec superfan - who has seen the duo more than 100 times - turned up to watch the auditions for Britain's Got Talent at The Lowry wearing clothes emblazoned with images of the presenters.
There seem to be few celebrities who have stood the test of time quite as well as Ant & Dec. I remember a friend of mine being a member of the PJ & Duncan official fan club back in the early 90s. I think I took the mick back then - yet here they are on a pair of high tops in 2023 while my 5ive pencil case collects dust in the attic.
In today’s newsletter we’ll be discussing a new policy that will affect speed limits on all of Manchester’s roads.
We’ll also be talking about the struggles facing The Star and Garter and looking at the historic inner city area that is disappearing from the map.
Slower and safer
Manchester’s roads look set to be reduced to a 20mph limit as leaders work to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Manchester council's new active travel strategy also aims to cut 40mph speed limits to 30mph by 2028.
Council bosses say public health is behind the decision and hope the scheme will create less pollution, better fuel efficiency and lead to fewer crashes. They also say it will make cycling safer.
Council research revealed one of the barriers to walking, wheeling or cycling is the speed and volume of traffic. Crossing busy roads and junctions also came up during the consultation, as well as the poor condition of pavements.
At least £10 per person will be spent each year to achieve ambitions in the Active Travel Strategy and Investment Plan. The local authority also wants at least 70 per cent of primary school pupils to walk or cycle to school by 2028 and 40 per cent of secondary school pupils to do the same.
The report published last week also commits to closing roads outside at least one school in every neighbourhood in the city at drop-off and pick-up times.
Campaign group Walk Ride GM says lowering speed limits means vehicles travel at more consistent speeds, leading to less wear and tear and making it safer.
"In the event of a crash, the likelihood of death or serious injury is also greatly reduced. All the smart cities understand that reducing the impact of vehicles, starting by slowing them down, is necessary to create a safer, healthier, fairer place for everyone,” they said.
Council leader Bev Craig says the policy is part of a long-running ambition to make roads safer and tackle pollution.
"We want Manchester to be one of the best places in the country to live and work. That means attractive, green, and connected neighbourhoods with safe streets which prioritise residents,” she said.
Manchester's 'Granada Familia'
I’m a big fan of Tonkin Liu’s Tower of Light, which has pride of place on Lower Mosley Street, nestled between Gmex and the Bridgewater Hall.
It was previously likened to Gaudí’s Barcelona chimneys by The Observer’s Rowan Moore and I couldn’t agree more. There is something beautiful and ethereal about the great white tower looming above the Britons Protection. In a city where skyscrapers now dominate the skyline, it is unique.
The tower is part of a £24m project to provide more sustainable heat and power to Manchester Central, the town hall extension, the Bridgewater Hall, the Art Gallery and Heron House.
City centre reporter Ethan Davies has been finding out how the ‘Granada Familia’ - as it has been nicknamed - actually works. You can read his piece here.
The worst job I've ever done
Evri couriers have claimed they are regularly left out of pocket and say pay at the delivery company is ‘awful’.
Tensions came to a head at one south Manchester depot last week when delivery drivers became involved in a stand-off with bosses. Workers said they 'grafted hard' over Christmas to help clear a huge backlog of parcels, but claim the 'tipping point' came when changes to their routes were implemented. Evri say they are in discussion with a 'small number' of couriers affected.
Since then, reporter Sophie Halle-Richards has spoken to several Evri couriers about what life is really like working for the delivery firm. One worker, using the pseudonym Craig, claims morale is at rock-bottom, drivers are having to work harder for less money and face having their rounds ‘slashed’.
Evri deny this and say all couriers earn in excess of the minimum wage after expenses - and this includes time for collection and re-delivery. They say drivers can choose how many parcels they deliver and in what time frame, but Craig claims he has to work six days a week in order to keep his round.
In a typical month he would expect to make around £1,000. He gets paid for every parcel he delivers, but claims changes to the packaging sizes mean he makes less money than he used to.
"For a standard parcel you might get 60p but now they've changed the sizing so you could have a massive Dunelm parcel which is huge but doesn't really weigh that much that's put down as a packet," he said. "So someone will be delivering that for the same cost as an ASOS parcel but it will take up the whole boot and you've just got to come back to the depot again to reload."
Another driver, who has worked for Evri for several years, says it's the 'worst job he's ever had,' but he has found it impossible to find work elsewhere.
"The pay is awful,” he says. “We have to stand in the rain and cold for 40 minutes every morning sorting the parcels without getting paid. It's the worst job I've ever done in my life but there is nothing else out there for us."
Turnaround
James Eldon had already been credited with turning around the fortunes of Wythenshawe’s Manchester Enterprise Academy and leading MEA Central, in Levenshulme, when he took the reins at Manchester Academy in 2018.
Staff at the Moss Side school had at the time been told by inspectors it 'required improvement'. But Ofsted has now upgraded it to 'good'.
Headteacher James has been telling Emma Gill how staff at the school turned things around during one of the most disruptive periods in education.
‘Significant concerns remain’
Greater Manchester Police's custody services require urgent improvement, according to government inspectors.
They found there are not enough staff to make sure prisoners are safe, inmates are sometimes left naked in cells, children are being detained unnecessarily and the monitoring of the use of force by officers is not good enough, as Neal Keeling reports.
Inspectors have made six recommendations regarding main causes of concern and highlighted a further 13 areas for improvement. They say there has not been enough progress since recommendations were made during a 2016 inspection, and ‘significant concerns remain’.
The report says GMP's priority under new Chief Constable Stephen Watson - to tackle crime and increase arrests - has led to an increase in demand for cells as the number of detainees rises.
But it adds: "There has been limited monitoring of the effect of this increase on custody services or of how detainees are affected. We saw staff stretched at times and unable to carry out all the duties expected of them. We are concerned that there aren’t always enough staff on duty to make sure detainees are kept safe in custody."
GMP say work has already started to tackle concerns raised.
Mozarmy could be looking for a new home
The Star and Garter’s landlord says the pub simply wouldn’t stay afloat without Morrissey fans.
Andy Martin is currently repaying a tax bill of £26,000 for grants totalling £90,000 which the venue received from Arts Council England between between 2020 and 2021. He is also grappling with ‘huge’ monthly overheads due to rising energy costs.
He told What’s On editor Jenna Campbell the annual meeting of the 'Mozarmy', gigs and some TV filming are the only things helping to keep the city centre pub going.
"We received Arts Council grants during lockdown and we were more than grateful for them until we got the tax bill for them,” he says. "The grants covered the lease for just over two years in addition to some overheads and running costs, which have always plagued a building as old as the Star and Garter. Some of the grant money was also used to fix a massive damp problem and historical problems with the building."
Andy says bills and overheads currently average £4,000 per month, with bills increasing by about 40 per cent in just six months.
“I can honestly say that if it wasn't for the Smiths disco, punk gigs, Mozarmy and Sky One using the building as a location for Brassic then Mozarmy would have been looking for a new home. It may still, who knows?”
Arts Council England say terms and conditions for Culture Recovery Fund grants explain recipients are responsible for seeking their own advice on the taxable nature of the grants/funding.
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Weather etc
- Thursday: Clear changing to cloudy by late morning. 8C.
- Road closures: A5067 Chorlton Road inbound closed due to water main work between Jackson Crescent and A57(M) Mancunian Way Chester Road Roundabout until February 10.
- One lane closed due to carriageway repairs on M56 in both directions between J7 A556 Chester Road ( Bowdon ) and J5 (Manchester Airport) until February 18.
- Trivia question: Which Manchester author wrote Cranford, North and South and Wives and Daughters?
Manchester headlines
- Due diligence: David Goodwillie has left Radcliffe FC less than 24 hours after his first appearance - following widespread backlash over the controversial signing. The 33-year-old was ruled to have raped a woman back in 2011 following a high-profile civil court case in Scotland. He left the Scottish side Raith Rovers last year after his signing prompted outcry. Goodwillie appeared for the Bury side on Tuesday night and scored a hat-trick against rival team, Belper. His signing wasn't formally announced by the club. Less than 24 hours after his first game, the club confirmed he had left, saying: "Our due diligence should have been of a much higher standard." More here.
Officer arrested: A police officer has left Greater Manchester Police after being arrested on suspicion of rape. The constable, based on the Rochdale division, was arrested in October over an alleged offence. He was interviewed and released on police bail while an investigation continues. The officer has now left the force but he remains under investigation. More here.
- Arrest: A 34-year-old man has been arrested over abuse sent to Labour MP Angela Rayner. He is accused of making threats to kill in connection to a phone call made on January 30 this year. The suspect was arrested on Monday morning in the Hemlington area of Middlesbrough. He was taken into custody for questioning and has been released on conditional bail pending further enquiries. The latest arrest takes the total number of people detained under the investigation into abuse and threats aimed at Ms Rayner, MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, to seven.
Inspection: A care service has been placed in special measures after inspectors found vulnerable people were ‘at risk of avoidable harm’. The Elms, in Middleton, provides supported living and home care services to people with autism, learning disabilities and sensory impairments. But a damning report from the Care Quality Commission rates it as ‘inadequate’ - and says it faces being shut down if it does not make significant improvements over the next six months. It comes after a series of inspections which discovered serious failings - including several breaches of care regulations - by the Milton Street-based service. More here.
Dive bar: There are plans for a new dive bar inspired by Johnny Cash in the Northern Quarter. An application from the operators behind Leeds’ Mean-Eyed Cat has been submitted to Manchester City Council. They want to take over the basement and ground floor space at 60 Oldham Street - the former home of Thai-inspired barbecue spot District. The Michelin-recommended eatery announced plans to scale back last year due to 'extreme economical pain'. But after a short run as a bar it appears to have closed its doors. While the closure has not been confirmed, a new license application has been submitted to turn the space into a dive bar, with the consultation period closing on February 23.
Festival: A new global music conference and festival will hold its first edition in Manchester and is being backed by city music legends New Order. Beyond the Music is the brainchild of Oli Wilson, son of Factory Legends music impresario Tony Wilson. The music convention will debate the key issues facing the music industry as well as celebrate the opportunities in the ‘new cultural economy’. The inaugural event will take place in Manchester from 11-14 October. More here.
Cheers!
This brilliant image from the archives shows punters celebrating at the Welcome Inn, in Rusholme, after winning the battle against Manchester City Council - which tried to call time on the boozer.
Worth a read
“Sitting on the doorstep of her family's terraced home in Greenheys, little Liz Murphy gazes into the camera. It's a poignant image of a typical childhood in inner-city Manchester,” writes Damon Wilkinson.
“But, within months of the photograph being taken Liz's home and every other around it would be demolished, a victim of the slum clearances that transformed large parts of the city. Today very little remains of the once bustling working-class district of Greenheys, its name rarely heard.”
Greenheys was once home to celebrated writer Thomas De Quincey - best known as the author of Confessions of an Opium Eater - and textile manufacturer and socialist Robert Owen. Sir Charles Halle, founder of the Halle Orchestra, is another former resident, while Elizabeth Gaskell's 1848 debut novel Mary Barton opens with a description of Greenheys, then a largely affluent, rural area on the outskirts of the city.
But as Damon has been finding out, the large, historically significant area practically vanished from the map in the 1970s. You can read his fascinating piece on Greenheys here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: Elizabeth Gaskell.
