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Here is today's Mancunian Way:
Hello,
We all know rents in Manchester have gone through the roof in recent months. But one young woman is so fed up with trying to find a home she can afford that she’s warning others off moving here.
Meanwhile, the mayor has been in Edinburgh criticising the way the country's government treated the north during the pandemic. Let's take a look at both stories.
'How do they expect young people to ever save?'
Jess Geary has warned people to stay away from Manchester branding the rental market 'ridiculous'.
In an angry video shared on TikTok, the 25-year-old said: "I know there's a housing crisis, it's horrendous, it's horrific. How do they expect us young people to ever save for a house? Don't move to Manchester. Is it cool to live here now?"
The influencer currently lives in a two-bed flat in the Green Quarter but decided to move after her landlord upped her rent to £1,300pcm. She has since spent three months looking for a flat in the city centre, telling reporter Nicole Wootton-Cane she’s had just one viewing in that time and will be ‘homeless’ unless she finds a property within the next week.
She claims flat advertisements are taken down 'within minutes' and soaring rents mean she’s being priced out. "Don't move to Manchester city centre right now if you have a choice," she said. "It's ridiculous. I can't afford to pay £1,400 for a flat, and that's not even thinking about bills or anything like that."
We've discussed rents in The Mancunian Way a lot recently. But it's becoming a huge worry for many. The average rent in the city is £1,127 per month according to Rightmove. But inflation was at 10.4% in the city in July, with workers seeing an average wage loss of £112, according to the latest Centre for Cities analysis.
Weather, etc.
- Thursday: Cloudy changing to sunny by lunchtime. 21C.
- Roads closed: A57 Eccles New Road westbound for roadworks from Stott Lane to Gilda Brook Road until September 12.
- Trams: No service on Metrolink between Eccles and MediaCityUK due to engineering works until October 21.
- Trains: Cancellations across the network on Avanti West Coast.
- Today's Manc trivia question: What are Eccles cakes filled with?
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter
Burnham in Scotland
Andy Burnham has said the North of England was treated ‘with contempt’ when the Scottish government imposed a travel ban during the pandemic.
Speaking during an Edinburgh Fringe event, the Greater Manchester mayor said the ban in the summer of 2021 was done without notification or discussion with his office, the Independent reports.
“What message do people in the Scottish Government think that sent to people in our place? Basically, ‘you’re not welcome’,” he said. “We expect the Tories to treat the north of England with contempt, but that was the Scottish National Party treating the north of England with contempt.”
The mayor also discussed Scottish independence saying the country should have ‘as close as you can get’ to home rule.
We can’t do it alone
A senior officer has dismissed claims of a knife crime 'epidemic' in Greater Manchester - but says police cannot tackle the problem alone.
Deputy chief constable Terry Woods said GMP can ‘of course’ do something to tackle a 7% increase in knife crime, but called on residents to pull together as ‘we're never going to police our way out of it’.
"Please don't think that every knife carrier is some big gang member,” he said on BBC Radio Manchester. “It could be your son, your daughter or your partner and we all need to take some responsibility for just having conversations. Please don't think I'm blaming anybody – I'm really not. But part of this is within the community's gift. We will absolutely do our part and we're determined to. But please don't think that this is all bad people."
His comments come in the wake of three deaths across the region over the past week. Rico Burton, the cousin of boxer Tyson Fury, was fatally stabbed in Altrincham on Sunday; Javell Morgan, 20, died after a stabbing in Moss Side on August 15 and Elinor O'Brien, 22, died after being stabbed in Manchester city centre last week.
Deeply disappointed
Uniformed police officers have been asked not to attend this year’s Manchester Pride parade.
Organisers say it follows concerns about officers in uniform taking part, however GMP Police with Pride network colleagues will be free to march in civilian clothing or t-shirts with the Pride progress flag. It comes after Chief Constable Stephen Watson asked officers not to wear rainbow epaulettes or rainbow laces.
But one gay officer has told reporter Adam Maidment the decision seems ‘reactionary’ following London Pride’s decision to exclude the Met police. “I feel the police in Manchester have, at least in the last decade or two, had a good relationship with Pride and the community in Manchester,” they said.
“Whilst I respect the right and decision of Pride organisers to ultimately decide who can and can't take part in the parade, I am deeply disappointed with the decision to exclude uniformed officers. I am an openly proud gay member of the police service and a proud police officer.”
The Manchester Pride parade will take place in the city centre from 12pm on Saturday.
Independence day
It’s Independence Day of Ukraine and Manchester will be showing solidarity with the war-torn country by lighting up Central Library and the Tower of Light in yellow and blue.
To mark 31 years since Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union - and six months since the country was invaded by Russia - the Ukrainian Cultural Centre is holding a family fun day until 9pm.
The MCR Ukraine Welcome Fund remains open for donations, with £68,000 raised so far to provide assistance to families and individuals relocating to the city.
Manchester headlines
Museum revamp: Manchester Museum is having a £15million refurbishment with a new South Asia Gallery and the creation of the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture gallery. The dinosaur and prehistoric exhibitions will be displayed in a new area and there is a brand new Exhibition Hall to house the Golden Mummies of Egypt exhibition on opening day, next February. Click here for a first look video.
Officer charged: A serving Greater Manchester Police detective has been charged with rape. He is due to appear in court next year. The charge follows an investigation by the force's own Professional Standards Branch. The officer has been suspended and misconduct proceedings will recommence following criminal proceedings, GMP said.
Formal letter: Town hall chiefs insist they are holding Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) to account after a Manchester Evening News investigation into conditions on a Rochdale estate. Two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in December 2020 after living in a property affected by damp and mould on the Freehold estate. A post-mortem established a medical link between the conditions he was breathing in and his death. Rochdale Council say discussions are taking place with RBH to make sure 'standards are upheld' and one councillor said a ‘formal letter’ has been sent asking questions about ‘concerns on Freehold Estate’.
Supported by Jimi Hendrix
These colourful posters, made by the Manchester-based Electric (Modern) Printing Company, show just how many iconic musicians played in UK venues in the 1960s.
The posters are going up for auction, and as Neal Keeling writes, show some of the unusual lineups that were ‘enthralling thousands during a boom time for theatres’.
Particularly striking is a 1967 poster advertising a Walker Brothers show in Stoke, which lists Cat Stevens and Jimi Hendrix as support acts.
Worth a read
The mystery of the ‘Angel of the Meadow’ murder has long perplexed detectives.
When a woman’s body was discovered on Angel Meadow in January 2010, police had just a few clues - a piece of floor carpet, a patterned pinafore dress and an old Guinness pub sign. But 12 years on her identity, and that of her killer, are unknown.
Reporter Paul Britton has been looking back over the case.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me, the next edition of the Mancunian Way will be with you around the same time tomorrow. If you have any stories you would like us to feature or look into, please email: beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk
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The answer to today’s trivia question, what are Eccles cakes filled with, is currants.
