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Here is today's Mancunian Way:
Hello,
We’re out! Manchester will not be hosting the Eurovision Song contest, despite our proven pop credentials (Take That, M People, Cleopatra…I mean come on!)
Nevermind eh. It’ll be either Liverpool or Glasgow doing the honours in place of Ukraine. As a show of solidarity with our North West neighbours I’ll be rooting for Liverpool. Although I hope the trains are a bit more reliable by then. I don’t fancy battling the M62 in my Lordi costume.
Manchester Council leader Bev Craig has spoken for us all by expressing her disappointment, but says the successful city will ’put on an incredible event on behalf of our friends in Ukraine’.
'I clean and paint, clean and paint'
It’s extremely difficult to watch the video of four-month-old Gabriel struggling for breath in his mould-ridden home. But by sharing the footage - filmed by his mum for medics before he was rushed to hospital - his family hopes to raise awareness of the conditions they are living in.
Gabriel is one of several children living on Rochdale’s Freehold estate whose parents are worried for their health. Their neighbour, Awaab Ishak died just days after his second birthday in December 2020. His death has been linked to mould and damp in his flat. A post-mortem suggested environmental lung exposure led to his death, a Rochdale Coroners Court hearing was told in July.
Reporter Stephen Topping has been speaking to families on Freehold who say there are damp and mould problems across other properties on the estate. Gabriel’s family are among residents who say they have a constant battle with mould in the bathroom, living room, a bedroom and a kitchen, which was 'black' with the infestation at one stage.
They have tried to leave but Gabriel's mum, Vilma Lavres, says she was told there was ‘nothing’ the council could do. "I clean and paint, clean and paint, all the time. When I moved to this house it was very, very bad, I told them," she said. "They said there's nothing we can do. They say 'keep your windows open'. When I got back [from the hospital] I was sleeping in the living room because the bedroom was too bad."
Social landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) say they are making improvements to the home and have promised to check every home on the estate.
The long wait
There are currently more than half a million people on an NHS waiting list across Greater Manchester - almost double the number waiting before the pandemic. And tens of thousands of them are waiting more than a year for elective care.
Joseph Timan has been looking at the impact and has spoken to Guy Parker, who was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in December 2020 after a CT Scan was delayed due to the pandemic.
He started chemotherapy at The Christie in 2021 and most of his large intestine was removed in an emergency operation that March. He has been cancer-free since last July - but is still waiting for a stoma reversal operation almost 12 months later. “I need to have that surgery to close the book on it,” he says.
Finish the job
Lisa Nandy channelled Tony Blair in a speech to delegates at Labour conference. She said ‘council housing, council housing, council housing’ is the party’s new mantra.
The shadow communities secretary says Labour is ‘coming back to finish the job’ of the New Labour government. In an interview with the Guardian’s Jessica Elgot, the Wigan MP revealed she is working with former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane on a strategy for regional growth. Mr Haldane previously worked with Michael Gove to develop his levelling up strategy.
Meanwhile, Gary Neville - the unlikely star of this year’s Labour conference - has accused Kwasi Kwarteng of failing to ‘read the room’ by offering tax cuts claiming many millionaire footballers came from working-class backgrounds and would rather ensure public services were properly funded.
“Footballers have got a good conscience, they come from Bury and Barrow and Dudley and towns and communities like this, they are not born into wealth and so when they get to wealth they actually still respect where they came from and they are grounded,” he said.
Manchester headlines
Masterplan: Plans for a new £155m development in Wigan have been given the go-ahead, despite numerous objections. Peel L&P’s Mosley Common masterplan includes 1,100 new homes and improved transport links, including giving residents easy access to the Leigh guided busway. Councillors fear lack of capacity is an issue with the scheme.
Isolated: Mosque elders have condemned a 'deplorable' disturbance outside an Islamic centre in which a man was injured and graffiti was daubed onto the walls of the building and onto a car parked outside. The Manchester Council of Mosques believe it to be an 'isolated incident linked to the ongoing situation in Iran' and say there is no wider risk.
Gone: A plaque which read ‘in loathing memory’ of Boris Johnson has been removed from a bench in Atherton. The homage to the former PM drew visitors from across the region after images spread across social media.
Weather, etc.
- Wednesday: Clear changing to light showers by early evening. 14C.
- Roads closed: A57 Eccles New Road westbound from Stott Lane to Gilda Brook Road until October 8. Snake Pass in both directions between Ladybower Reservoir and Hurst Road until October 23.
That's all for today
Email: beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk if you have stories you would like us to look into. If you enjoyed this newsletter, why not tell a friend how to sign up?
