By Persons Unknown, MCR During December 2018, there were four deaths on the streets of Manchester, and Persons Unknown MCR believe that more go deaths undocumented each month. In response, they occupied an empty building on Market Street to demand the Council be proactive with a Winter Homelessness Plan (WHP). Whilst homelessness isn’t winter specific, …
By Green Quarter residents (@GqrMcr) For 18 months residents living in the Green Quarter, Manchester, have been living with the knowledge that two of our blocks have the type of cladding that is “more flammable than petrol”; the same cladding that facilitated the Grenfell Tower fire to take hold so rapidly and with such devastating …
By ACORN Manchester (@AcornManchester) As we enter 2019, it’s good to take stock - to stop and reflect on the 12 previous months. Evaluate how it all went. And how did it go for ACORN this year? We absolutely smashed it. Tripling our membership since we launched in January, winning countless cases for our …
By Housing Futures What can community-led housing do for cities such as Greater Manchester, and what steps can activists, practitioners and policymakers take to support this? Richard Goulding discusses the findings and recommendations of the Housing Futures project. Housing activists and media exposés have increasingly shone a spotlight onto Greater Manchester’s housing crisis. From …
By Charlie Winstanley The recent article by Jen Williams investigating the conditions faced by homeless children in Manchester was truly shocking. It threw a light on the appalling conditions faced by families in temporary accommodation - rat infested properties shared with people that are putting children in danger. While the piece focused on Manchester, …
By Jon Silver (@InvisibleMapper) The partnership between Manchester City Council and the Abu Dhabi United Group through their joint venture, Manchester Life, highlights the connections being made by a growing number of people between the housing crisis in British cities, flows of big capital seeking investment and worrying new international relations involving our …
By Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe, an aspiring barrister called to the Middle Temple and qualified mediator, currently working as a self-employed advocate on the northern circuit in general civil litigation matters. As a volunteer for GMLC, Jennifer aims to draw attention to GMLC’s causes and assist readers with gaining knowledge and understanding. Below, Jennifer responds to the …
Sophie King interviews Professor Diana Mitlin At our next event on Thursday 1st November, Professor Diana Mitlin will address this question by engaging critically with the challenges, complexities, and possibilities that we have been discussing throughout the year. In the short interview that follows below, Diana gives us a sneak preview… The penultimate session …
By Steady State Manchester The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has announced that the launch of a redrafted Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) has again been delayed. Here's why. 1) GMCA now thinks 175,000 houses could be built on available land. Most of this is "brownfields" sites but some is on Green Belt [see …
By Richard Goulding and Sophie King We are undoubtedly witnessing “a moment” in the history-making of community-led housing in the UK. Where has it sprung from? Where is it going? What are the motivations behind new forms of political support on left and right, from the centre, and at the local level? What would …