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Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello
Hope you all had a lovely weekend considering the weather was pretty nice for once.
Eurovision fever was in full force on Saturday night, with Sweden getting a seventh win at the contest. While the UK didn't fare so well, it was a brilliant show from Liverpool and the atmosphere looked amazing on screen.
The contest was also screened at numerous parties and venues across Manchester, with thousands flocking to Piccadilly Gardens to soak up the 'Eurovibes'. We'll look at how the party went down here further on in today's Mancunian Way.
We'll also be looking car park woes, a 'model' Lord Mayor, a controversial appeal and a bar looking to find the next big star.
We're going to start with a look at the temporary homelessness situation in Manchester, following the release of new government data that found that 1,106 single females with dependent children were living in temporary housing in Manchester between October and December last year. But why?
An 'incredibly worrying' situation
"I looked at the story and thought 'oh my god, this could be why my daughter is getting a cough'," one woman told Sophie Halle-Richards about the moment she read the tragic story of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died from a respiratory condition in December 2020 after being exposed to mould and damp in his housing association flat.
"I've been in temporary accommodation for three years now and I've had nothing but problems with it. I've got black mould all round my windows, on my blinds, in the kitchen, of the tiles, in the bathroom.
"I'm just thinking 'if she just keeps on breathing in damp and mould, it's going to keep coming back'. The damp and mould in my daughter's bedroom, it stinks. Last year the ceiling went through in my daughter's room due to water damage."
The recently released figures are up by 12 per cent in 2021 and are more than double the national average of five per cent. In Manchester alone, 3,194 people and 1,981 families were without a permanent home at the end of 2022.
One mum said she was passed around seven different emergency temporary accommodation properties in the space of three months, including a room at a B&B next door to an alcoholic and under the same roof as a registered sex offender.
Another woman, pregant single mother Shauna, said she can barely remember what it feels like to have a safe and secure roof over her family's head.
Earlier this year she told the M.E.N she and her daughter had both had chest infections, and she was terrified to bring her unborn baby back to her mould-infested house in Newton Heath.
"They think because you've got a roof over your head everything is okay, but it's not," Shauna said.
Deborah Garvey, policy manager at Shelter, says the main reasons why so many single mothers are finding themselves homeless and stuck in temporary accommodation are soaring prices in the private rental market and a lack of social housing.
"It's incredibly worrying," she said. "They feature so heavily in the figures because if you are in need of a family home and you only have one income and you are competing with couples it is very difficult to afford anything."
Local organisations have also warned that a significant proportion of single mothers who have found themselves homeless are those who have been the victim of domestic abuse.
One woman said she was stuck in an emergency hotel after fleeing an abusive relationship with her two young children. She said she considering going back to her violent ex-partner due to the lack of stability the accommodation offered.
Sam Pratt, who works for the Shared Health Foundation, warned that many women will have taken on debt as a result of coercive or controlling relationships - which makes it hard to secure housing.
"Domestic violence is a massive culprit for causing families - particularly single mothers - to become homeless," he said. "You can't bid on social housing if you are in debt but if you are in debt you get evicted from housing. If you link that to domestic violence, quite often the abuser will put the debt in the victim's name."
Organisations such as the Shared Health Foundation, which aims to reduce the impact of poverty on health, have also been calling for temporary accommodation to be properly regulated.
"Clearly affordable housing and social housing needs to be built but we are not going to see that overnight,” Sam added. “In the meantime, we need to be putting more effort into prevention.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said that £1 billion is being made available to local councils through the Homelessness Prevention Grant over three years to help them prevent and tackle homelessness targeted in areas where it is needed most.
"This is on top of £26 billion cost-of-living support this year – helping those most in need,” the spokesperson added. “Local authorities have a duty to ensure no family is without a roof over their head and temporary accommodation plays an important role in this.”
Cllr Joanna Midgley, Manchester Council’s Deputy Leader, said ‘Manchester has made significant progress since’ the time period of the data and are continuing to find alternatives to temporary accommodation.
"This is not a quick fix but it is beginning to have positive results," Cllr Midgley said. "For example the number of families in Bed and Breakfast-type accommodation has reduced from 227 at its peak to 81 now. While this figure is still too high, things are moving demonstrably in the right direction.”
‘The same story all the time’
Like clockwork, the nice weather at the weekend saw people flock to Dovestones Reservoir in Oldham in their droves.
But the popularity sees all 125 spaces at the beauty spot's car park go quickly, leading some visitors to instead park on tight lanes which block access for residents and other vehicles.
Residents described the situation this weekend as a 'nightmare' due to the volume of vehicles and claimed there were no wardens in place to manage the situation.
One resident who lives near the reservoir, Louise Donnelly, said she has been 'shouted and sworn' at when approaching motorists. "Me and the neighbours are trying to get everybody to move from here but there is lots and lots of cars and they are starting to park down the lane. There are no wardens on," she told Lyell Tweed.
"We are telling people to move in-case we need to get the emergency services through. However, we are getting shouted at, sworn at, and it's the same story all the time. Something really needs to be done about it because it's getting out of hand."
Another resident, Kenneth Bennet, said there were 'lots of problems' with motorists in the area. "The reality is it's a nightmare for people living here," he explained. "The motorists are breaking every rule in the book."
United Utilities, which owns the site, said it is 'aware of issues at Dovestone Reservoir caused by the improving weather over this weekend' and encouraged visitors to 'park considerately' and to 'be respectful to the local community and environment'.
'Wrong build, wrong place'?
Campaigners in Didsbury say they feel ‘let down’ after Manchester Council announced it will no longer fight to stop a block of 75 flats from being built in a Tesco car park.
The plans to build the flats within the supermarket’s East Didsbury car park off Parrs Wood Lane were rejected by councillors last year after town hall planners raised concerns about parking, traffic and suitability for the area, but developer Dandara later appealed the decision.
A final decision is yet to be determined, but Manchester Council has decided it will not defend its original decision to refuse it after 'additional information' - which addresses the reasons why the application was refused - was submitted by the developer.
Residents and campaigners say the development would add to the congestion in the area during rush hour and say that parking in neighbouring roads is already ‘at capacity’.
"Once this is built, traffic will get worse,” Tracy Lyn, who lives in Parrs Wood Avenue, said. Simon Miles, who also lives in Parrs Wood Avenue, added: "We believe it's overdevelopment. It's a huge imposition on a suburban site."
Following feedback from the public, the proposal was revised to include one less floor than previously planned and nine extra parking spaces.
But campaigners say the development will still overshadow the car park’s clock tower, which dates back to when the site was a bus station and is now regarded as part of Didsbury's 'civic history'.
Local councillors say they still express concern over the appeal and are working ‘to find a solution’.
But some residents believe the development could be beneficial to the area. Ellie Hall, of Saddlewood Avenue, said that, in a housing crisis, 'all housing is good housing'.
On the town hall's U-turn on the scheme, a Manchester Council spokesperson said: "Every application that is received is robustly assessed on its own merits, having full consideration to local and national planning policy frameworks - and site consideration. If an appellant provides additional information that addresses the reasons for refusal as part of the appeals process, the Local Planning Authority must decide whether it is reasonable to defend its decision."
Commenting on the decision, a Dandara Living spokesperson said they were pleased to see the scheme is now being ‘considered to be compliant with planning policy’.
Read more about the plans here.
Hats amore!
Traditionally, Manchester's Lord Mayor would be seen in mayoral robes and a feathered hat whilst on duty but when Clayton and Openshaw councillor Donna Ludford was selected for the role, she knew she wanted to do things a little bit differently.
Whilst Donna will always be seen on duty wearing the Lord Mayor's chains, which date back more than 130 years, she has opted for a more modern look when representing the city.
She wore purple whilst leading Manchester's annual Walk for Women in March and opted for red and white - in a nod to China’s flag - at the opening of the new Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery at the Manchester Museum last month.
Speaking to Joseph Timan, the city's first citizen said her outfits of choice - which are worn to the likes of council meetings, conferences and events with local community groups - were part of an intentional effort to put her own spin on things.
Discussing her collection of 30 hats, Donna said: “When I was young, my foster mother used to make men's suits and I used to wear male suits with ties and I always wore a hat – so I was always different from everybody else.
"Obviously, four kids later, and that goes. You wear tracksuits and things. But I was in town one day and I'd seen this woman who had a hat on and I thought, 'she looks fabulous'. So I went into a shop, bought a hat and they've bred ever since."
The 54-year-old has recently written a book about her experiences of growing up in care. She hopes it will resonate with people and show that anyone can hold the ceremonial role.
"From my point of view," she said, "it's about breaking down the barriers about what the Lord Mayor is. To say to young people you can aspire to be anything.
"From where I grew up in the foster care system to being the Lord Mayor of Manchester and starting off as being a cleaner at Manchester City Council, to being a caretaker, to a youth worker and working your way up – when I tell that story, it gives a bit of hope to young people, especially if they've come from difficult backgrounds. I just wish I could have gone to every school in the city."
Looking ahead, Donna, who will stand down as Lord Mayor on Wednesday, said she hopes to continue speaking at schools and at events for people who have grown up in care.
You can read the full story here.
‘A magical Manchester party night’
The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest took place in Liverpool on Saturday night and while it wasn’t a great night for the UK’s Mae Muller - who undeservingly came in 25th place - there was a great party spirit here in Manchester.
The event was screened live in front of thousands of people in Piccadilly Gardens and, with the weather being as great as it was, it led to a great atmosphere as the night got underway.
Dianne Bourne was there on the night and has written about the experience here. She said there were plenty of picnics and parties, with entertainment and Eurovision music provided before the contest by Manchester drag icon Misty Chance.
“The biggest reaction of the night at the Manchester fanzone was to the track by Finland - with revellers going wild singing its catchy "Cha Cha Cha" chorus and waving flags,” Dianne reported. “Until, that is, the UK's own entry from Mae Muller was performed as the very final song of the night - and the crowd lept to their feet to sing and dance along to the tune.”
The event has been regarded as such a hit with fans that City centre spokesman Coun Pat Karney has teased that they will be looking at hosting similar events at Picadilly Gardens in the future.
He said: "It was a magical Manchester party night. Over 3000 fans had an amazing night of Eurovision Memories.The crowd went wild for Mae Muller and cheered loudly for Ukraine - we will definitely do it again."
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Weather etc
Tuesday temperatures: Sunny changing to cloudy by late morning. 15C.
Roads: Contraflow and roadworks on A62 Oldham Way between B6477 Prince Street and A627 Ashton Road (King Street roundabout) until May 26. Delays expected.
Manchester headlines
- Fire: Twelve households were forced to evacuate as flames tore through a beloved former social club in north Manchester that had been standing derelict. A number of roads in the area were forced to close while emergency crews tackled the incident on Sunday afternoon.
SATs: The government has defended a “challenging” English test which was given to 10 and 11 year olds during SATs week at schools. One headteacher said pupils were in ‘tears’ over the reading test, which was deemed to be harder than in other years. You can try the test and see for yourself here.
Radio: Bolton-born presenter Vernon Kay has said that replacing Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2 is 'like replacing Alex Ferguson' at Manchester United. He kicked off his new weekday morning slot this morning, taking over from Bruce who left the station after 31 years. More here.
Pride: Pride in Trafford kicks off on Wednesday with four days crammed full of cabaret, comedy, theatre and dance celebrating LGBTQ+ culture. Read the line-up here.
Worth a read
Bosses at a new bar in Stockport said they intend to 'champion local talent' in a bid to find the next Blossoms.
Amp, in Market Place, takes over from the spot previously vacated by glam rock venue Doctor Feelgood, which closed last month.
The bar, which launched at the weekend, has already seen Inspiral Carpets legend Clint Boon take to the decks, whilst Stone Roses legend Mani will be DJing for an upcoming charity event.
Manager Aaron Davies, who was also at the reins of the former Feelgood venue, said he is working with in-house promoter Charlie Cole, who runs the Vault studio on Stockport’s Underbanks, to ensure the bar leans heavily towards the town’s musical heritage and future.
“We want to showcase the talents of Stockport,” he told Ben Arnold. “The town has given us so much fantastic musical history, from Blossoms right back to 10cc, all the stuff at Strawberry Studios, Elton John has played in Stockport, David Bowie has played in Stockport.
“It’s a great musical town, and we want to give back to local artists and give them somewhere to perform, because there’s just not that many places at the minute.”
Read more about Amp and Stockport's musical background 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.
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