News - Deansgate Labour

Proposals for a new urban park in Castlefield

Andy Burnham has announced in his manifesto his pledge to work with Manchester City Council and the National Trust to develop Castlefield Viaduct into an Urban Park. This is strongly supported by your local Labour Councillors Marcus Johns, Joan Davies, and William Jeavons. The viaducts in Castlefield are crucial to…

Fighting for streets to open for people

Share your views using our short survey below On Monday 12th April, outdoor hospitality venues, shops, gyms, and hairdressers will be able to reopen. We want to see our city getting moving, welcoming visitors back, and able to come back together once again–safely. Businesses are taking steps, supported by the Council,…

City Centre Transport Strategy Progresses

The City Centre Transport Strategy was heard by the Council’s Economy Scrutiny Committee last week before being submitted to the Council’s Executive later this month. It has been developed in partnership with Salford City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester. This strategy sets out how people will travel into and…

Filming in Manchester city centre: What do you think?

One aspect of city centre life which continued during the pandemic is the city’s popularity as a location for filming, because the filming industry have been permitted to continue in recent lockdowns. For many, filming can be exciting and there’s nothing like watching a TV show and suddenly spotting your…

Compassion & help for those in need:  Ending homelessness

Throughout the pandemic, Manchester Labour are ensuring support is available for all rough sleepers. Last year, under the Everyone In scheme, we secured over 370 new beds. Now, around 1,000 people are being housed in Bed Every Night and emergency accommodation. Despite Government cutting funding for this in 2020, your…

Climate Crisis: Manchester’s journey to net zero

The climate emergency demands action. In 2019, your City Centre Labour team voted to commit our city to net–zero emissions by 2038. The Council’s 2021/22 budget, set on 5 March 2021, outlined Manchester Labour’s plans to invest £92.5 million on tackling the climate emergency. Our Council is on target to…

New city centre park progresses: Better green spaces for residents

In 2018, you elected your Labour team to fight for more green spaces and improve existing ones. We are delivering on that promise. We are creating new green spaces, including the new 6.5-acre city centre park at Mayfield, pocket parks in Piccadilly Basin, at First Street, the Glade of Light…

Deansgate Labour Councillors back motion on cladding & fire safety

At today’s (3rd Feb) meeting of Manchester City Council, the motion written by Councillor Marcus Johns on the campaign to #EndOurCladdingScandal and to remediate fire safety defects was debated. This followed the UK Labour Party’s opposition day motion on Monday (1st Feb): That this House calls on the government to…

Marcus Johns responds to consultation for better buses

Greater Manchester has been consulting on proposals for better buses through a system known as bus franchising, which means regulation and public control over things like bus routes, fares, and timetables. Below is the response submitted to the consultation by Councillor Marcus Johns. Better buses for Greater Manchester GM Bus…

Getting the Covid-19 vaccine, a personal view from Cllr Joan Davies

The Docs on Bloom Street, with 8,000 registered patients, will next year celebrate 40 years of providing GP services to city centre residents. Its friendly welcoming style is well known, so it was a great uplift to receive their text on the morning of Monday 18th January: ‘Dear Miss Davies,…

Continuing to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping during the pandemic

While lockdown has been a significant challenge for everyone, it has been especially challenging for those who sleep rough or have no fixed address. During the first lockdown, Government provided funding to house everyone rapidly – called Everyone In – and this funding enabled the Council to temporarily accommodate people…

Supporting city centre residents on planning issues

Manchester’s economy is resilient and city centre development has helped create jobs and new homes over recent decades, leading to more people than ever choosing to live here. We think that all new buildings and development should contribute positively to our city, enhancing our neighbourhoods, and that residents’ voices should…

Jobs, jobs, jobs: A post-pandemic economic recovery plan for Manchester

Your Labour Councillors are working to build our city’s economic recovery. Too many residents have lost jobs and more are at risk. The government’s one-size-fits-all approach is not helping the businesses and people who need it most. At the end of last year, the Council released an economic recovery plan…

Review of construction hours survey

Earlier this month, your City Centre Labour Team called on the Council to review their Noisy Construction Hours policy in light of what residents have been telling us during the pandemic right. Getting a balance between quality of life and construction is vital. We want to hear your thoughts about…

What are your hopes for 2021?

We are in a turning point – the vaccination programme is proceeding at pace. And, we are all looking forward to restrictions unlocking over the next few months. We are starting to recover as a city and as a country. We know this will be a difficult journey, in the…

Update on Deansgate Pedestrianisation

In May, a stretch of Deansgate was pedestrianised to help people practice social distancing. It was successful, well used, and responses to our survey showed it had strong local support. There were some teething problems, but they were addressed with the strong and welcome help from local residents. We also…

Work to improve Piccadilly Gardens starts

Sign up to be notified when this consultation goes live at the bottom of the page. This week, the Council started work to remove the freestanding portion of the wall in Piccadilly Gardens as part of the £2 million in long-term funding earmarked to improve Piccadilly Gardens from the Council’s…

Our Mayor Andy Burnham demands more support from the Prime Minister

Tell us what you think with our 1-minute survey below. Greater Manchester has been under Tier-2 style restrictions for nearly three months, with very little economic support and support for local Councils. The Government is now pushing for Greater Manchester to accept additional restrictions, including the closure of bars and…

New City Centre Transport Strategy Consultation

The Council is now consulting on a new transport strategy for Manchester City Centre which will map out our shared transport vision until 2040. It establishes a clear priority of different transport users: Pedestrians Cyclists Public Transport like metrolink and rail Private motor vehicle traffic It has seven overarching ambitions:…

An update on the Council’s budget

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on every part of our city and our lives. Unfortunately, the financial situation of the Council is no exception. During the Covid-19 crisis, significant emergency resources were put in place such as the Manchester Community Response Hub which took over 18,000 calls and helped…

Pubs, bars & restaurants are opening up – what you need to know

On Saturday 4th July 2020, pubs, bars, and restaurants can legally reopen after further relaxation of the lockdown by Government. The reopening process has been happening quickly and trying to help our hospitality industry get back on its feet quickly. This has included allowing over 70 pubs, bars, and restaurants…