The consultation for what has been reclassified as Phase 2 of the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood covering part of Burnage Ward has been extended to 25 January 2021. The council website says 21 January but letters recently sent out to some people now state 25 January.
The council Project Team is also planning four online video events to allow people to comment. These are planned to happen in January. The council says it is organising these meetings geographically “…to allow people to talk in more detail about their local area and hear the views of their neighbours“. Each meeting will last one hour.
The meetings will be:
A Grangethorpe Drive, Crossley Road and connecting streets and the area to the south of the LBAN boundary between A34 Kingsway to the south of Cringle Park
B Area between A34 Kingsway and Burnage Lane, south of Fallowfield Loop
C Area bounded by A34, Moseley Road, and streets off Slade Lane north of the Fallowfield Loop
D Area bounded by Albert Road and the railway line, and streets off Forrest Range and Errwood Road north of the Fallowfield Loop
E Area bounded by Stockport Road and Crossley Road, including streets off Errwood Road south of the Fallowfield Loop
If you are interested in attending one of the online events to talk about the trial in Phase 2 of the project covering the Burnage Ward please email: levyburnageproject@manchester.gov.uk stating which event (A-E) you wish to attend.
NOTE: The project email address has not been working for some weeks. If you have any difficulty all we can suggest is you keep trying. The council has been made aware of this problem.
The elections scheduled for May 6 2021 have been postponed because of the pandemic. This includes both the local elections and the election of the Greater Manchester Mayor.
New dates have not been confirmed yet but the elections are expected to take place in the summer (June or July). There is also the possibility they may be delayed further to the autumn.
The option of holding elections using postal ballots only has been ruled out.
We will post again when further information is available.
The council is holding an online event for businesses to discuss the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood scheme Phase 1 (Levenshulme). The Project Team says:
“We felt that people attending [previous] events did not fully represent all of the business community in Levenshulme, and for this reason, we are reaching out to offer an additional event to ensure local businesses are aware of the scheme and have the chance to have their say.”
The event will take place at 18.00-19.00 on Thursday 14 January, 2021
The meeting will be attended by Levenshulme Councillors, colleagues from the Highways Service and Central Neighbourhood Team.
Please also share this information with any other businesses in the area who you think would be interested in taking part. The Active Neighbourhood project and the current trial of road blocks / “modal filters” are likely to have a significant impact on businesses. You can find a list of the locations at www.manchester.gov.uk/consultations.
[EDIT: The project email address is now working again]
Thee project email address has not been working properly recently so please feel free to email the LCA and we will pass your request on to the Project Team. If you cannot get through on the project email use this email address <secretary@levenshulmecommunity.org.uk> and add “LBAN Business Meeting” in the subject line.
We are now in another lockdown introduced by the government to attempt to reduce Covid19 infection rates. This is particularly in response to the rapid spread of the new variant of the virus which is much easier to catch. The Health Secretary and Prime Minister have both stated that the virus is currently out of control. These rules became law on Monday 4 January and have subsequently been ratified on Wednesday 6 January in a retrospective debate and vote in Parliament.
Summary: what you can and cannot do during the national lockdown
You must stay at home. The single most important action we can all take is to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.
You should follow this guidance immediately. The law will be updated to reflect these new rules.
Leaving home
You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:
shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
Higher Education provision will remain online until mid February for all except future critical worker courses.
If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local – unless it is necessary to go further, for example to go to work. Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.
If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. You should not attend work
Meeting others
You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with (if you are legally permitted to form one).
You may exercise on your own, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
You cannot meet other people you do not live with, or have not formed a support bubble with, unless for a permitted reason.
Large wooden planters were installed on 14 roads across Levenshulme on Monday 4 January as part of the council’s Active Neighbourhood scheme for Levenshulme and Burnage.
Currently the planters pose a significant danger as there are no signs on them and no reflective hazard strips. They are particularly dangerous when it gets dark as well as when people come across them unexpectedly on the roads. No road signs are in place to warn of changes to the road layout either. Unfortunately some planters have also been moved and modifications have been made to block pavements to prevent vehicles driving around the planters.
LCA Secretary Jeremy Hoad has been in touch with councillors to highlight these problems and the LCA can confirm that:
Warning signs will be added to the planters starting on Wednesday 5 January to be completed by Friday 7 January at the latest;
Street signs will be installed to notify road users of the change to road layout and restricted access;
Additional measures will be put in place to make the planters more secure, possibly by adding brackets and bolting them to the ground or linking them together.
New bollards will be installed on pavements either side of the planters to prevent vehicles driving around the planters.
This is very welcome news and will make the planters more effective and safe during this six month trial.
How to give feedback
A formal consultation is now active. If you wish to comment you can use the project website HERE.
You can also email the Project Team: levyburnageproject@manchester.gov.uk (please note that this email address is currently not working but the council is aware of this and looking into it)
If you wish to lodge an objection (quoting reference L/GS/EVD2001/1887) you can email the council here: phlegal@manchester.gov.uk
or write to the council:
Fiona Ledden, City Solicitor PO Box 532, Town Hall, Manchester, M60 2LA
The formal notification of the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood has been published. You can view the announcement HERE or read the text below. The notice was dated 18 December 2020 and states it will come into force on 26 December 2020.
Phase 1 of the scheme will install 14 road blocks / “modal filters” for at least six months across Levenshulme. The council has said that a further five road blocks / “modal filters” might be added during the trial but this has not been confirmed yet.
The council had originally said the trial measures would be installed from 4-8 January 2021 but now says “early January”.
A consultation on measures for Phase 2 (covering parts of Burnage Ward) is still live. You can take part and submit comments HERE or by emailing the council directly <levyburnageproject@manchester.gov.uk>. This consultation closes on 21 January 2021.
Where are the road blocks / “modal filters” going?
The 14 filters which will be installed on a trial basis early in the New Year are at:
Buckhurst Road
Cardus Street (North)
Delamere Road and Gordon Avenue
Dorset Road
Caremine Avenue
Guildford Road
Henderson Street
Longden Road
Manor Road (East)
Mayford Road
Molyneux Road
Osborne Road
Portville Road and Randolph Street
Victoria Road
Unfortunately the council has not provided any detailed plans of where these road blocks / “modal filters” will be located or whether parking spaces will need to be removed to allow vehicles accessing these roads to turn around despite repeated requests for greater clarity and detail.
Five more proposed filters are being paused until an assessment can be made of what their impact would be on surrounding residential streets, but could still form part of the phase 1 trial, with alternative solutions to be considered as part of the wider scheme development. These are at Chapel Street (East), Crayfield Road, Dunstable Street, Manor Road (West) and Marley Road.
Public Announcement Text
Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984
Notice is hereby given that on the 11th December 2020 Manchester City Council made the following Orders under Sections 9 and 10 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The Orders, which will be introduced on an experimental basis for a period of up to 18 months are as follows:- City of Manchester (Various Roads, Levenshulme) (Prohibition of Driving Except Cycles And Revocation) (Experimental) Order 2020
The effect of the Order will be to introduce the following:
Experimental Prohibition Of Driving (Except Cycles) on –
Buckhurst Rd – both sides from its junction with Albert Road in a northerly direction for a distance of 3 metres.
Cardus St – both sides from its junction with Cromwell Grove in a northerly direction for a distance of 3 metres.
Caremine Ave – both sides from a point 10 metres west of its junction with Lonsdale Road in a westerly direction for a distance of 3 metres.
Dorset Rd – both sides from its junction with Fairbourne Road in a westerly direction for a distance of 3 metres.
Gordon Ave – Gordon Avenue/Delamere Road junction, from the north east corner of the junction to the south west corner with a minimum width of 2 metres.
Guildford Rd – both sides from a point 2 metres south west of its junction with Norley Drive in a south westerly direction for a distance of 3 metres.
Henderson St – both sides from a point 32 metres north west of its junction with Nall Street in a north westerly direction for a distance of 3 metres.
Longden Rd – both sides from its junction with Stovell Avenue in an easterly direction for a distance of 2 metres.
Manor Rd – both sides from a point 80 metres east of its junction Audley Road in an easterly direction for a distance of 3 metres.
Mayford Rd – both sides from a its junction with Stockport Road in an easterly direction for a distance of 3 metres.
Molyneux Rd – both sides from its junction with Cumbrae Road in a southerly direction for a distance of 2 metres.
Osborne Rd – both sides from its junction with Slade Lane in a north easterly direction for a distance of 5 metres.
Randolph St – both sides from a point 13.5 metres south of its junction with Mayford Road in a southerly direction for a distance of 3 metres.
Victoria Rd – both sides from its junction with Albert Road in a north westerly direction for a distance of 3 metres.
City of Manchester (Cardus Street, Manchester) (Experimental Revocation of One Way Traffic) Order 2020 The above Order is revoked in its entirety.
The Orders shall come into operation on 26th December 2020.
A copy of the Orders, together with the plans showing the roads to which they relate and a Statement of the Council’s Reasons for making the Orders may be inspected at Customer Service Centre Ground Floor, Town Hall Extension M60 2LA (for Sat. Nav. use M2 5DB) between the hours of 9.00am and 4.30pm on Monday to Friday inclusive for a period of 6 months until 26th June 2021. Due to Covid 19 restrictions please ensure that the Contact Centre is open before attending. If it is closed or you are unable to attend, a copy of the plan may be requested (without payment) by emailing phlegal@manchester.gov.uk or writing to the address at the end of this notice.
The City Council will be considering in due course whether the provisions of the Order should be continued in force indefinitely. Within a period of six months from the coming into force of the Order or if the Order is subsequently varied or amended from the coming into force of the variation or modification (whichever is the latter) any person may object to the indefinite continuation of the provisions of the Orders.
Any person wishing to object should submit their grounds of objection in writing to phlegal@manchester.gov.uk or the address below no later than 26th June 2021 quoting reference L/GS/EVD2001/1887.
Any person who wishes to question the validity of the Orders or of any provision contained in it on the grounds that they are not within the powers conferred by the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 or on the grounds that any requirement of that Act or of any instrument made under it have not been complied with in relation to the Order may within six weeks from 11th December 2020 apply to the High Court for such purpose.
Signed: Fiona Ledden, City Solicitor PO Box 532, Town Hall, Manchester, M60 2LA
Levenshulme Community Association is pleased to confirm that we are partnering with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to provide information on the 2021 census.
The 2021 Census will take place on 21 March. Resources, information and guidance will be provided on the LCA website to help understand the value, purpose and importance of the census as well as how to take part.
Jeremy Hoad, LCA Secretary has already had a meeting with ONS staff to explore collaboration. Keep an eye out for further announcements but in the meantime you can find more information on the dedicated ONS census website HERE
What is the Census?
“The census is a survey that happens every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. The census is unique. There’s simply nothing else that gives so much detail about us and the society we live in.
All kinds of organisations, from local authorities to charities, use the information to help provide the services we all need, including transport, education and healthcare. Without the census, it would be much more difficult to do this.
By taking part, you’ll be helping make sure you and your community get the services needed now and in the future.”
The council would have had to issue formal notification of the Phase 1 road blocks / “modal filters” trial today at the latest if it was to start on 19 December as previously announced. However, there is no notice in the “public notices” section of the MEN. The council’s website also makes no mention of the trial starting on 19 December and the project website also has no announcements or updates.
In fact, reference to the Phase 1 trial start date has been removed from the council’s website which now says “The trial measures will start to be put in place from December (during school holidays).” So the trial is still planned to start in December but it doesn’t look like that will happen on 19 December.
The phrasing on the council’s website also suggests all elements of the trial will not be installed at the same time. This might have something to do with the proposed road works at the end of Broom Lane and Chapel Street where those roads meet the A6 that are part of the plans released in September 2020. These haven’t even started yet. Without those changes all residents and businesses in the blocked off area off Chapel Street would have to access their properties via Elbow Street. If the trial measures are installed in phases that would also suggest the trial will run for longer than the original six months as all measures must be trialled for a minimum of six months.
So we have more waiting with a continued lack of information. It isn’t even clear today – the legal deadline for announcing the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order to commence on 19 December – when the council might even start to install the trial measures, how long the trial measures will take to install fully, where specifically there are to be located on the roads, how turning points and access will be facilitated, whether emergency services have approved any plans yet or even what will be included in the plans as they might change from the revised plans announced in September. Or they might not.
Phase 2 (Burnage)
At the moment we also do not know how and plans for Phase 2 covering Burnage Ward will be decided on or trialled. There is an ongoing consultation on Phase 2 until 21 December 2020.
We understand an online consultation event was planned for Crossley Road and Grangethorpe Drive although no details were provided when requested.
Monitoring and data gathering
Additional traffic and air quality equipment is also planned for some of the busier “through routes” but this might not be installed until next year. We will provide further updates once any changes or additions are confirmed. This monitoring is being done by Manchester Urban Observatory at the University of Manchester and started earlier this summer. Unfortunately this means there may not be any substantive pre-trial data for comparison with the trial data once the road blocks / “modal filters” are installed for our busiest roads.
The Active Neighbourhood project itself has not installed any traffic or air quality monitoring equipment in the almost two years the project has been running despite previous claims this was being done in the summer of 2019. Information on the Manchester Urban Observatory monitoring was previously reported by the LCA HERE and the data is freely available on the MUO website HERE.
Further consultation
The Active Neighbourhood project has confirmed its intention to hold further consultation events online with businesses and what it identifies as “the BAME community”. This was announced at the online events at the end of October 2020. So far not dates have been confirmed for these events but we will provide information as and when they are confirmed. The second stage consultation on the revised plans announced in September ended on 4 November 2020.
The further delays and lack of information is, to say the least, disappointing.
Clarification on road works near schools
For clarification please note that the roadworks being undertaken on Barlow Road at the back of Chapel Street Primary School, the previous work done on Broom Lane to install traffic calming and the work done around Alma Park Primary School has nothing to do with the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood project. This work is part of a separate initiative for safer streets around schools. A previous LCA article about this is available HERE.
Please see below a message from Cath Keane, Neighbourhood Liaison Manager at the MCC Highways Service and part of the Active Neighbourhood team, regarding an event for local businesses. This is welcome and follows up on a previous commitment for further engagement.
Please draw this to the attention of any businesses in the area so they can take part.
Manchester City Council held formal consultation around a scheme to make walking and cycling easier and safer in Levenshulme. We also held a number of face to face on line events which allowed people to have their say on the suggested measures. These events were well attended and gave around 170 people the chance to have their say, while more than 3,500 others have responded through our website.
However, we felt that people attending these on line events did not fully represent all of the business community in Levenshulme, and for this reason, we are reaching out to offer an additional event to ensure local businesses are aware of the scheme and have the chance to have their say.
Although the formal consultation end date has passed, we are still keen to receive feedback for the next six months as this will inform any final, permanent measures which could be implemented.
If you or representatives from your organisations would be interested in attending an on line event about the trial in Levenshulme, please email levyburnageproject@manchester.gov.uk.
If you would find it useful to have an interpreter at the on line event, please let us know and we can arrange it.
The event date will be confirmed in the near future and we will send details to everyone who has emailed us to request an invite. To join the meeting, you will need a laptop or smart phone . A link will be sent which you can click and join.
Please use the levyburnageproject@manchester.gov.uk email address if you have any other queries concerning this scheme. Further information about Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhoods scheme is also availabe on our website at www.manchester.gov.uk
We look forward to hearing from you.
Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood Business Engagement Event
The Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood website is available HERE
The LCA has requested all publicity material for the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood Project including in different languages. All material that is currently available can be downloaded below as PDF documents. There are instructions here on how to comment on the plans online, by email and by written questionnaire including deadlines that have now changed.
Be aware that all the maps in the printed materials are different and the deadline for comment has been extended by a week because of a mistake in the printed materials that have been distributed.
As of today (16 October 2020) only the questionnaire leaflet is available in any language apart from English. That language is Romanian.
UPDATE: Urdu version of the questionnaire leaflet added on 23 October 2020
UPDATE: Bengali version of the questionnaire leaflet added on 22 October 2020
UPDATE: Arabic version of questionnaire leaflet added on 19 October 2020.
The Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood deadline for feedback and comment has been extended to Wednesday 4th November 2020.
You can find out more about what the plans are and how to give feedback HERE.
Many people in our community still haven’t received notification of these plans. The LCA had written to the Project Team requesting an extension to the deadline so an extra week is helpful although we still don’t think that is sufficient. In the meantime you can download the booklet and poster by following the link above.
We have also requested a PDF copy of the Active Neighbourhood questionnaire form to make available to people but so far this has been refused and we have been told people must go to either Arcadia Library and Leisure Centre or Burnage Library to collect a paper copy of the booklets and forms. Publicity material has also been requested in other languages for distribution but so far this has not been provided and does not seem to be available yet.
Manchester City Council has now released an information booklet and poster on the revised plans for the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood project. You can download PDFs of both below.
You can also request paper copies of the booklet and information in other languages by emailing: levyburnageproject@manchester.gov.uk Copies will be made available in the Arcadia Library and Leisure Centre and hopefully at other locations in the area (to be confirmed).
The website for feedback is available HERE. Comments must be received by Wednesday 28 October 2020.
Letters have been sent to schools this week and should be received by all residents and businesses across the project area in Levenshulme and Burnage next week. This will allow about two weeks to comment on all four response areas and the 25 proposed individual road blocks / “modal filters”.
The MCC website currently says:
Comments on the trial (Phase 1) area will need to reach us by 28 October to be accepted, but all feedback given during the trial period (19 December 2020 to19 June 2021) will be reviewed before any final decisions are made. Feedback on problem areas and what the issues are in Cringle Park (Phase 2) are also welcomed, and can influence the trial, which is currently due to start early in 2021. These will need to be received by 21 December 2020.
MCC LBAN feedback dates
NOTE: Information on the council’s website has been changing every few days in the past two weeks probably partly due to the project losing its second Project Manager after the new plans were released on Monday 02 October. The LCA will continue to monitor whatever is released and make sense of the process.
We will also request an extension to the feedback deadline as two weeks seems unreasonably short period for people to understand the complex proposals and comment on the scheme especially as no formal notification of the engagement process and new plans has been sent to residents or businesses yet.
Active Neighbourhood online feedback deadline 28 October 2020
Road Blocks / “Modal Filters” trial will run from 19 December 2020 to 19 June 2021
UPDATE: The Manchester City Council website did not mention any dates initially, then within the last week the dates were added. It seemed the dates had been removed but actually an extra page of text was added to the MCC website on 7th October HERE that still includes the dates.
Manchester City Council still hasn’t actually informed anybody about the new plans and consultation on the proposed Active Neighbourhood but it has set a deadline for feedback.
Letters were promised to all residents, businesses, schools and community groups but so far nothing has been sent out. We were also promised a phone line to make comments and that has not yet been provided and an email address which so far doesn’t seem to exist. The new website for commenting is only available in English. No posters or information have been put up in the area informing people about the online consultation. So the only way to comment on a scheme the council hasn’t officially told anyone about yet is online HERE.
Regardless of not telling anyone about the new plans apart from a tweet from our MP, Afzal Khan, that was shared by some councillors the council has now provided a deadline when the online consultation will end on 28th October. So we won’t be able to comment on a plan the council hasn’t told anybody about after 28th October.
There are now 25 individual road blocks / “modal filters” on the new plans in Phase 1 covering Levenshulme. The Commonplace website says temporary crossings and traffic calming will be included the trial but there is no evidence of these on the new plans although part of the online consultation invites comments about these. A summary of the new plans is available HERE.
Note that the project has now been renamed “Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood”. When it was called Levenshulme Bee Network it included part of Burnage. Now it is called Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood that part of Burnage is now excluded from the trial starting in December.
The part of Burnage included in the project is now identified as “Phase 2”. The project claims it will reduce traffic in the area but the council says the Burnage area has now been excluded from the December trial “…because of the density of schools in the Cringle Brook (Phase 2) area, and issues with traffic congestion…” which is a little confusing.
The Phase 2 area covers part of Burnage Ward and was identified previously as “Cringle Park Area”, not “Cringle Brook” as the council website says. The road blocks / “modal filters” that were in the previous plans in what is now Phase 2 have been removed from the new plans and you are invited to propose ideas for Burnage Ward. No timeline is available for Phase 2.
The project was paused in the summer to allow for further and more extensive engagement with the community. The July statement from Levenshulme councillors is below for reference. Since then a new Project Manager was appointed by the council, new plans developed that seem to be almost identical to the original plans despite them receiving considerable opposition from our community and the Burnage section of the project has been removed from the trial despite Sustrans (who developed the plans for the council) saying the whole scheme needed to be trialled or it wouldn’t work.
The whole thing is ever more confusing but further updates will be provided as things develop to try and keep people informed.
The project has now been split into two with Phase 1 covering Levenshulme and Phase 2 covering Burnage. A trial of road blocks / “modal filters” will start in December 2020 and last for a minimum of six months.
Note that a “modal filter” is the name given to something that blocks the road to vehicular traffic but still allows access through for pedestrians and cyclists (and presumably mopeds and motorbikes).
Manchester City Council says:
We now have a plan for the future direction of the project, and have decided to tackle it in two phases. We would like your feedback on some of the measures which we are going to trial (Phase 1). The trial measures will start to be put in place from December (during school holidays).This is also a great way for the scheme to be seen in action, tested and analysed, so it can be tweaked or changed where required but also allow peoples habits to change and through traffic to re-route.
Because of the density of schools in the Cringle Park (Phase 2) area, and issues with traffic congestion, we are continuing to seek opinions from local residents, businesses and schools on what measures are needed and where before they are trialled.
We hope to commence the trial in the Festive season break in December and will last a minimum of 6 months. The final designs for the Active neighbourhood will be drawn up based on the results of the consultation and implemented within 18 months should the funding application be successful.
MCC Active Neighbourhood Plans
The Phase 1 trial area excludes Burnage. No date has been suggested yet for Phase 2 in Burnage. The Phase 1 / Phase 2 split has been done based on political Wards, not the Park Area cells the Project has identified which is why the Henderson Street road block / “modal filter” is included in Phase 1.
The Levenshulme Phase 1 trial identifies 25 road blocks / “modal filters” outlined on the map below. The revised plans are not very different to the original plans. We will look at them in detail and post further information once we have worked out what differences there are.
The Phase 1 trial is still primarily for road blocks / “modal filters”. The council is also asking for feedback on where temporary crossings and traffic calming could be located as part of its Phase 1 consultation. The council says:
The trial includes a number of temporary crossing points and traffic calming measures to provide immediate benefits on routes that have been raised through previous consultation. [ * ]
We understand from previous feedback that traffic volume and speeds make certain streets hard to cross. We’d like you to tell us where you feel crossing points or traffic calming may help day to day life and make getting around safer and easier.
Further community feedback on the locations of these is welcomed, so that a final Trial Plan can be developed. The trial plan has a degree of flexibility once live, but we need to allow the trial to bed in to understand how habits change and the trial is being used.
MCC Active Neighbourhood crossings and traffic calming
[ * NOTE: there is no evidence of this on the map for the Phase 1 trial]
Give your feedback
Phase 1 feedback (Levenshulme) can only be made by responding to the 25 locations identified by the council. You can, however, drop a pin on the map for the Phase 2 feedback (Burnage) to identify a location and comment where you think an intervention could or should be located.
Phase 1 (Levenshulme)
You can comment HERE on the proposed road blocks / “modal filters”.
You can comment HERE on where you think crossings and traffic calming should go.
Please see below the statement to the House of Commons by the UK Prime Minister. This includes announcements on stricter measures following the recent surge in infections, hospitalisations and deaths. These measures are expected to last for six months.
There will be a further televised statement by PM Johnson tonight at 20.00 that will be added to this post.
Key points:
Schools, colleges and universities will remain open.
Office workers who can work at home should do so.
Key public service and key workers who cannot work from home should continue to attend their workplaces.
From Thursday 24th September 2020 all pubs, bars and restaurants must operate a table service only except for takeaways.
All hospitality venues must close at 10pm with doors closed, not just last orders at 10pm.
Takeaways must also close at 10pm although deliveries can continue after 10pm.
Compulsory wearing of masks extended to taxis, private hire vehicles and all staff in retail.
Alll staff and customers in hospitality venues (except when seated at a table to eat or drink) must wear masks.
In retail, leisure, tourism and other sectors government covid secure guidelines will become legal obligations. Businesses will be fined and could be closed if they breach the rules.
From Monday 28th September a maximum of 15 people can attend wedding ceremonies and wedding receptions.
Up to 30 people can still attend a funeral.
“Rule of Six” will be extended to all adult indoor team sports.
The “Rule of Six” (when meeting friends and family you do not live with – or have formed a support bubble with – you must not meet in a group of more than six) will now therefore apply in all circumstances apart from weddings (15 people), wedding receptions (15 people), funerals (30 people) and outdoor organised team sports (30 people).
Business conferences, events and large sporting events will not be permitted as was planned for 1st October 2020.
People who were previously shielding will not be advised to do so again for the time being.
These rules will be enforced by tighter penalties.
Fine of up to £10,000 for those who fail to self isolate already exist and these fines will now be applied to businesses who break these covid rules.
Fine for breaking the “Rule of Six” or not wearing a mask will double to £200 for a first offence.
There will be a greater police presence on our streets and extra funding will be provided to police to enforce these rules.
Military support will be called on where required to free up the police for other matters.
These measures apply in England. Devolved administrations are taking “similar” measures.
13 million people in England are living under further restrictions over and above these national measures [see HERE for the local lockdown measures that apply in Manchester].
“Fire power will be drawn upon” to deploy further measures if these measures do not work and people do not follow these rules.
These new restrictions should be assumed to remain in place “for perhaps SIX MONTHS”.
What are the differences between these new national rules and the extra local lockdown rules in Manchester?
Please note at the time of this announcement the rules for the Greater Manchester local lockdown have not been updated to reflect the new national rules that apply variously with immediate effect, from Thursday 24th September and from Monday 29th September 2020 as outlined above.
The rules across Greater manchester vary between different areas. This is outlined in the link above. Key differences to the new national rules that currently apply in Manchester are outlined below.
Key differences in Manchester:
You MUST NOT:
host people you do not live with in your home or garden, unless they’re in your support bubble*. (A support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households within a bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit public places together.)
meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, whether inside or outside of the affected areas unless they’re in your support bubble.
You are ADVISED to NOT:
socialise with people you do not live with, unless they’re in your support bubble, in any public venue. This applies to inside and outside of the affected areas. Examples of public venues include pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions and parks.
visit friends or family in care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances.
Other differences:
You should follow all relevant transport guidance when making a journey into, within or out of the areas affected.
Organised dance and exercise classes can take place in groups of more than 6, where a risk assessment has been carried out, but you should limit your social interaction with other participants.
Friends or family who you do not live with should not visit your home to help with childcare unless they are part of your support bubble.
This information is provided in good faith as an accurate reflection of changing circumstances and the differences between the national and local restrictions and rules. Please follow the links for more detailed guidance and rules from the government.
Prime Minister’s Statement to the House of Commons, 22nd September 2020
Prime Minister’s Statement to the House of Commons, 22nd September 2020
Prime Minister’s broadcast to the nation, 22nd September 2020
Prime Minister’s broadcast to the nation, 22nd September 2020
Levenshulme is in the news with an article in the Manchester Evening News about traffic problems around schools.
“A community campaign group [Streets For People] is urging local councillors to take action on dangerous parking and increased school traffic in south Manchester.”
Extract from MEN article
Streets For People is hosting a Zoom meeting on Sunday 20th September 2020 at 3pm. The group says:
“We are organising a public meeting on the issue of what’s happening with the Low Traffic Neighbourhood proposals, and especially the council’s inaction on the dangerous situation outside schools caused by motor traffic.
We challenge the Levenshulme and Burnage councillors and council leadership to attend this meeting and explain to residents what is happening.”
The government has announced harsher lockdown rules that will apply to all of England from Monday 14th September 2020.
An announcement from PM Johnson is expected tomorrow (Wednesday 9th September) but the new rules will ban gatherings of more than six people with only limited exceptions.
At-a-glance: What are the new rules?
Social gatherings of more than six people in England will not be allowed in law from Monday 14 September
The new rule applies to private homes, indoors and outdoors, and places such as bars and cafes
The rule does not apply to schools and workplaces, or weddings, funerals and organised team sports
A full list of exemptions is due to be published before the law changes
People who ignore police could be fined £100 – doubling with each offence to a maximum of £3,200
Further information is available from the BBC HERE
We will provide another update when more information is released by the government.
Manchester City Council is half way through its ten year strategy for the city. It is now doing a survey about priorities at the half way point. You can go direct to the survey (deadline 23rd September 2020) HERE.
The questions in the survey are weighted towards prioritising issues that have already been determined but there is also opportunity to comment.
The Council’s description / introduction to the survey is below for reference or can be viewed HERE.
The current version of the “Manchester Strategy” is available HERE. The existing priorities state that the city needs to be:
Thriving — creating great jobs and healthy businesses that our people benefit from.
Filled with talent – homegrown in all our local communities as well as the world’s best.
Fair — with equal chances for all to unlock their potential, no matter where in our city they were born, or where they live.
A great place to live — with loads to do, leading the way to a low-carbon future that creates new opportunities for our residents
Buzzing with connections — world-class transport and brilliant broadband that put all Mancunians in touch with chances to get ahead.
The Council says:
“The challenge to now include everyone in this successful future is bigger than ever. But Manchester is determined to do it. We’ve seen, through the COVID spring of 2020, what coming together in new ways, and doing things differently, can achieve.
Help to reset Manchester’s ambition to be the place where everyone can be everything they want to be. Take the survey, tell us your priorities, share your ideas and let us know how you can play your part in moving Our Manchester on.”
Significant improvements are taking place to the roads around our schools as part of a road safety project by Manchester City Council. Full details of the improvements are provided below.
The schools affected in this area are:
Acacias Primary School
Alma Park Primary School
Chapel Street Primary School
Crowcroft Park Primary School
Levenshulme High School for Girls
St Mary’s Primary School
St Richard’s Primary School
The aims are:
to reduce the speed that traffic can move around the school
to increase the visibility of the crossing
to stop drivers parking on or near the crossing.
Manchester City Council says:
“We’re committed to making the roads around our schools much safer. These improvements are essential and should encourage more families to walk to school.
The improvements have been designed specifically for each crossing location, taking into account facts and figures relating to accident data and evidence from the site and surrounding areas.
We believe that these measures will make our school neighbourhoods much safer environments, and reduce the likelihood of accidents happening.”
Manchester City Council School Road Safety Projects
The council announcements are available HERE. Work has already started on the Chapel Street Primary School improvements.
Please note that this project is not part of the Active Neighbourhood proposals currently in development that were previously badged as Levenshulme Bee Network.
What are the changes?
Acacias Primary School
Burnage Lane / School Entrance
Zebra Crossing
Bollards
Guardrail
Crossley Road and Moorton Avenue
Speed cushions / traffic calming
Bollards
Alma Park Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School
Errwood Road / Clare Road / Buckhurst Road
(assumed roads as specific locations not specified apart from Buckhurst Road)
Flat top junction/crossing
Tactile paving
New signage
Renew road markings
Tighten Buckhurst Road junction
Raised puffin crossing
Speed cushions
Bollards and railings
Chapel Street Primary School
Barlow Road / Cromwell Grove
Tighten junction
Realign island
Signalised crossing
‘No Waiting At Any Time’ markings
Broom Lane / Chapel Street
Speed cushions
New signs and road markings
Crowcroft Park Primary School / St Richard’s Primary School
The government announced around 21.30 on Thursday 30th July that new restrictions would be introduced at midnight. The announcement was made by four tweets and one interview from the Secretary of State for Health who then did not appear on any of the main news bulletins. Nobody from the government bothered to appear.
These new restrictions are now in force. See below for the news reports from Thursday 30th July and the new government rules and press announcement released on 31st July.
The main change is nobody can visit another household either indoors or outdoors.
An outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has been identified in parts of Greater Manchester, East Lancashire, and West Yorkshire. The government and relevant local authorities are acting together to control the spread of the virus. From 31 July 2020, if you live in these parts of Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire, you should follow these rules when meeting people who you do not live with. Separate guidance advises on the similar rules imposed in Leicester.
Affected local areas
Greater Manchester:
City of Manchester
Trafford
Stockport
Oldham
Bury
Wigan
Bolton
Tameside
Rochdale
Salford
Lancashire:
Blackburn with Darwen
Burnley
Hyndburn
Pendle
Rossendale
West Yorkshire:
Bradford
Calderdale
Kirklees
Local restrictions
Social contact
If you live in one of the affected areas, in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, you should not:
meet people you do not live with inside a private home or garden, except where you have formed a support bubble (or for other limited exemptions to be specified in law).
visit someone else’s home or garden even if they live outside of the affected areas.
socialise with people you do not live with in other indoor public venues – such as pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions. You may attend these venues with people you live with (or are in a support bubble with), but should avoid interaction with others. If you run such a business, you should take steps to ensure people do not interact with people they do not live with, in line with COVID-19 Secure guidance.
The government will pass new laws to enforce the changes to meeting people in private homes and gardens. The police will be able to take action against those that break these rules, including asking people to disperse and issuing fixed penalty notices (starting at £100 – halving to £50 if paid in the first 14 days – and doubling for subsequent offences).
Business closures
In Blackburn with Darwen and Bradford, the following premises must remain closed by law:
indoor gyms
indoor fitness and dance studios
indoor sports courts and facilities
indoor swimming pools, including indoor facilities at water parks
Changes in restrictions
Does my household include close family members?
Your household – as defined in law – is only the people you live with. If you have formed a support bubble (which must include a single adult household i.e. people who live alone or single parents with dependent children aged under 18) these can be treated as if they are members of your household.
What will be illegal?
It will be illegal for people who do not live together to meet in a private home or garden, except for limited exceptions to be set out in law. You should not host or visit people you do not live with, unless they are in your support bubble. If you live in the affected areas, you should not visit someone’s home or garden regardless of whether this is in or outside of the restricted area.
Can I still meet indoors with people in my support bubble?
Yes. Where people from single adult households (people who live alone or single parents with dependent children aged under 18) have formed a support bubble with another household, they can continue to visit each other, stay overnight, and visit other public places as if they were one household.
Can I still meet people outdoors?
In line with the national guidance, you can continue to meet in public outdoor spaces in groups of no more than six people, unless the group includes only people from two households. You cannot meet people you do not live within a private garden.
At all times, you should socially distance from people you do not live with – unless they are in your support bubble.
I live in this area. Can I still meet with my family and friends to celebrate Eid?
Due to higher rates of infection, if you live in this area you should not host or visit friends and family in each other’s homes or gardens. It will shortly be illegal to do so, unless specific exemptions apply. You also should not meet friends and family in other venues – including restaurants or cafes.
Up to two households, or six people from any number of households may meet outdoors (excluding people’s gardens) where there is a lower risk of infection. If you do so, you should still socially distance from those you do not live with, and avoid physical contact.
You may attend a mosque or other place or worship, where Covid-19 Secure guidance applies, but you must socially distance from people outside of your household. This means maintaining a distance of 2 metres, or 1 metre with mitigations (such as wearing face coverings). We recommend at this time that, if possible, prayer/religious services take place outdoors.
Can I still go to work in this area?
Yes. People living inside and outside of this area can continue to travel in and out for work. Workplaces must implement Covid-19 Secure guidance.
I live in this area. Can I still go to cafes, restaurants, the gym and other public places?
Yes. But you should only go with members of your own household – even if you are going outside of the restricted area.
I live in the area. Can people from outside of the lockdown area visit me at my house?
No. This will be illegal.
Do I still have to shield if I live in this area?
Clinically extremely vulnerable people will no longer have to follow the shielding guidance from the 1 August, unless they live in Blackburn with Darwen in the North West and other local affected areas across England where shielding continues.
Can I visit a care home?
You should not visit friends or family in care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances. Care homes should restrict visits to these circumstances.
Can I still have my wedding if it’s in the lockdown area?
Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies in these areas can still go ahead. No more than 30 people should attend a marriage or civil partnership, where this can be safely accommodated with social distancing in a COVID-19 secure venue. Further guidance can be found here.
Large wedding receptions or parties should not currently be taking place and any celebration after the ceremony should follow the broader social distancing guidance of involving no more than two households in any location or, if outdoors, up to six people from different households.
Can I travel outside of the lockdown area to attend a wedding ceremony?
Yes.
Can I travel into the lockdown area to attend a wedding ceremony?
Yes. Weddings should be limited to no more than 30 people and subject to COVID-19 Secure guidelines.
People living outside the lockdown areas may travel into the areas to attend a wedding, but should not go into a private home or garden.
Can I still visit a place of worship in the lockdown area?
Yes, but you must socially distance from people outside of your household. This means maintaining a distance of 2 metres, or 1 metre with mitigations (e.g. face coverings). We recommend at this time that if possible prayer/religious services take place outdoors.
Can funerals still take place in the lockdown areas?
Yes. Funerals should be limited to no more than 30 people and subject to COVID-19 Secure guidelines.
People living outside the lockdown areas may travel into the areas to attend a funeral.
Can I holiday in the lockdown area, or visit shops, leisure facilities, or cafes in it?
Yes. However, you must avoid socialising with people indoors when doing so.
Can I travel in a car with someone I do not live with?
You should try not to share a vehicle with those outside your household or social bubble. If you need to, try to:
share the transport with the same people each time
keep to small groups of people at any one time
open windows for ventilation
travel side by side or behind other people, rather than facing them, where seating arrangements allow face away from each other
consider seating arrangements to maximise distance between people in the vehicle
clean your car between journeys using standard cleaning products – make sure you clean door handles and other areas that people may touch
ask the driver and passengers to wear a face covering
The Department for Transport has provided specific guidance on using private vehicles. Please see their guidance on private cars and other vehicles for more information on car sharing and traveling with people outside your household group.
The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has this evening announced that new rules on social gatherings will be introduced in Northern England to stop the spread of COVID-19. These changes will also apply in Leicester city.
This is in response to an increasing trend in the number of cases per 100,000 people in the area, and data from PHE and the JBC which suggests transmission among households is a key infection pathway in the area.
The areas that these changes apply to are:
The Greater Manchester area
Pendle
Hyndburn
Burnley
Rossendale
Blackburn with Darwen
Bradford
Calderdale
Kirklees
Leicester City
It means people in these areas will not be permitted to mix with other households (apart from those in their support bubbles) in private homes or gardens.
Some exemptions will be put in place, including for the vulnerable.
The government will sign new regulations to make these changes legally enforceable.
The regulations will give local authorities and police forces the powers to enforce these restrictions and more details on these will be set out when the regulations are published.
Households may go to hospitality, for instance bars and pubs, but new guidance will make clear that two households should not go to hospitality together.
Meanwhile local leaders and government have today agreed a number of changes to local restrictions in other areas.
While social gathering restrictions remain in place in Leicester City, the area will benefit from the lifting of restrictions that took place on 4 July in England, and all local restrictions currently in place in the neighbouring borough of Oadby and Wigston will end.
It means from Monday 3 August restaurants, cafes, bars and hairdressers in Leicester City can get back to business but leisure centres, gyms and pools will remain closed. In addition, cinemas and museums will open and religious ceremonies will be able to take place.
And on Saturday 1 August, Luton will be brought in line with the rest of the country after significant progress has been made in controlling the virus.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:
We’re constantly looking at the latest data on the spread of coronavirus, and unfortunately we’ve seen an increasing rate of transmission in parts of Northern England.
We’ve been working with local leaders across the region, and today I chaired a meeting of the Local Action Gold Committee. Based on the data, we decided that in Greater Manchester, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire we need to take immediate action to keep people safe.
The spread is largely due to households meeting and not abiding to social distancing. So from midnight tonight, people from different households will not be allowed to meet each other indoors in these areas.
We take this action with a heavy heart, but we can see increasing rates of coronavirus across Europe and are determined to do whatever is necessary to keep people safe.
The restrictions currently in place in Blackburn, announced last Friday, which saw indoor swimming pools, indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor gyms and sports facilities remaining closed, will continue.
From Saturday, these leisure facilities will open in Luton, bringing it in line with the rest of the country.
We have been working closely with local leaders across Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and East Lancashire and have made the decision to bring in new restrictions on social gatherings for selected areas.
For those preparing to celebrate Eid Al Adha this weekend with friends and family these restrictions will come as a blow but everyone is being urged to follow the new rules and to protect the ones they love from catching coronavirus.
Mosques and other places of worship have reopened for prayer and communal worship, but in a different socially distanced and COVID-19 Secure way. This means that while mosques can remain open, many will not able to welcome as many worshippers as before.
Anyone with any symptoms must isolate immediately and get a test for free by going online or ringing 119. Everyone must continue to socially distance and regularly their wash hands to help bring this virus down further so all areas of Leicester can return to normal as soon as possible.
Manchester City Council has been allocated funding from the (Greater Manchester) Mayor’s Challenge Funding (MCF) to improve the Fallowfield Loop. Funding will go towards cycling and walking improvements to help the public safely make essential trips by walking, cycling and other active modes of travel. Measures that are already being looked at include:
Providing Street Lighting along the route.
Introduce more litter bins and seating areas.
Widening the route to 3 metres or more.
Introduce new areas of public realm for everyone to enjoy.
The Fallowfield Loop proposals are the latest of Manchester’s Bee Network proposals to be developed and the Council is asking for feedback to help determine the details of the plan.
You can also see a video below about the project from Angeliki Stogia, Manchester City Council Executive Member with responsibility for environment, transport and planning.
Following intervention by Manchester City Council and local councillors the Levenshulme Bee Network project has been “paused” to allow for further consultation.
This follows considerable concern across our community after the Levenshulme Bee Network released proposals for a trial of 29 vehicle road blocks (referred to as “modal filters”) across the area.
The maps released by Levenshulme Bee Network at the end of May also included other things such as a series of new and improved pedestrian crossings, bike racks, a “parklet” and several bus gates blocking the road to other vehicles but these are not part of the trial that was due to start in July.
Levenshulme Community Association will continue to ensure our community is informed and involved as further information is available about what this means including how people can contribute and have their voices heard.
A trial will start in July 2020 of some of the Levenshulme Bee Network changes to our roads. 29 locations will have changes with roads being blocked to vehicle traffic. But which roads will not be affected?
Residents have made their own maps to help people see which routes will not have road blocks to vehicles on them starting in July (referred to as “modal filters”). These roads are likely to have significantly increased traffic.
The reason these have been done is the Levenshulme Bee Network maps do not show which roads traffic in the area will be redirected onto and can be used as “through routes”. They have been done by residents to help everyone understand the impact of the project and so people can plan how to change the routes they take from July.
Roads that traffic will be diverted onto:
Albert Road
Barlow Road
Broom Lane
Cromwell Grove
Crossley Road
Grangethorpe Drive
Hemmons Road
Kingsway
Matthews Lane
Moseley Road
Mount Road
Slade Lane (north of Albert Road)
See below for the maps. Further information on the July changes can be found HERE
An update on improvements to Levenshulme Station from Afzal Khan MP
Thanks to pressure from Afzal Khan MP together with Levenshulme’s Labour councillors and local campaigners, there is now a start date for work to improve Levenshulme station. For many years, passengers have been subjected to flooding, poor lighting and an overall lack of cleanliness at the station, and it is hoped this work will dramatically improve passenger experience.
Earlier this year, local MP Afzal Khan visited Levenshulme station with representatives from Northern and Network Rail and walked through planned upgrades. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the upgrades due to start in Spring 2020 were significantly delayed. This week, Network Rail informed Mr Khan that works are now due to start in September 2020.
Afzal Khan MP said,
“I am delighted to have a new start date for the work. Levenshulme Station is a critical transport hub for the local community. Community groups, councillors and I have been campaigning for station improvements for many years and I am pleased that our hard work is starting to pay off.”
He continued,
“Despite this good news, I will be continuing to campaign to make our station accessible for all Levenshulme residents. It was incredibly disappointing that we were not awarded any Access for All funding from the Department for Transport in the last round of bidding, despite submitting a strong bid backed by a great community campaign. The truth is that the Tory Government has not allocated enough money for this work, and at the current rate it will take over fifty years for all of Greater Manchester’s stations to be made accessible.”
Cllr Bernard Stone said,
“Levenshulme’s Labour councillors – Dzidra [Noor] , Basat [Sheikh] and I – welcome the long overdue work being undertaken at Levenshulme Station. Local residents and Councillors have been pushing for this to be done for a long time. It is good to now have a definite start date.”
Levenshulme Bee Network is holding a series of “webinars” on the “Filtered Neighbourhood Trials” starting in July 2020. These involve blocking off roads to motorised vehicles in 29 locations across the area. Pedestrians and cyclists can still access these roads through the “filters”.
Please see the LCA post HERE for full details including maps.
You can now register directly using the links below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
If you would like to send in any questions for the Q and A – we are using the links below to collect questions so people can ask and then upvote the most popular ones to be answered in the sessions.
Levenshulme and surrounding areas are about to experience major changes to our roads.
This is the first stage of the changes being imposed by the Levenshulme Bee Network Project. This is a new idea to create a “Filtered Neighbourhood” and to make walking and cycling easier by blocking off roads and restricting access for motorised vehicles. A whole host of other ideas are planned as well. This is just the start.
Travelling around Levenshulme and getting to and from the area will never be the same again.
12 June update
Please note that the information below was correct when it was posted. However, Levenshulme Bee Network has now changed the description on its website about the July 2020 changes. There is nothing on their website to indicate this has been changed.
Original text when the announcement was made:
“In the next few weeks we will be installing 29 temporary modal filters throughout the neighbourhood.
These will remain in place for a minimum of six months whilst we consult and tweak the filters with your feedback. They will then become permanent within 18 months.”
New text as of 12 June 2020:
“In the next few weeks we will be installing 29 temporary modal filters throughout the neighbourhood.
The trial will be undertaken using an experimental traffic regulation order which means that we can make changes following your feedback and monitor the impact for the first 6 months before the Council decides if the filters will be implemented on a permanent basis. All feedback from residents and monitoring of traffic, pedestrian and cycling levels as well as air quality levels will be considered before any of the filters are installed permanently.”
See below for details of the roads that will be affected, what will be done in July and maps including these changes.
Many of you will have noticed that the lovely Living Tree that we planted on the Village Green is looking, well, less than living. Unfortunately this tree along with three others in other locations have died. This is despite our collective efforts as a community to welcome our tree to Levenshulme, make it feel happy and keep it watered (huge thanks to everyone who helped with that).
But don’t worry, Levenshulme Community Association has been working with Manchester City Council and the suppliers to find a solution. We are pleased to confirm that the tree will be replaced. This is at no additional cost to us.
A new tree will be supplied and planted later in the year and we will let everyone know when this happens so we can collectively say hello to our new living Living Tree.
The UK government has released new guidance on its proposed “recovery strategy” described as a “roadmap for how and when the UK will adjust its response to the COVID-19 crisis”. The contents are listed below for reference.
The new guidance provides information on changes to the current restrictions in place since 23rd March 2020 and changes planned for the coming weeks and months.
Please note that although this is identified as guidance from the UK government it only applies in England. The devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have independent responsibility for their own approaches.
Click HERE to view the document on the government website.
May 9th is Europe Day. This is the day when people across Europe come together to celebrate peace and unity in Europe following the horrors of the two World Wars. The day was chosen in recognition of the Schuman Declaration in 1950 which was the precursor to the formation of many European collaborative institutions and organisations. It was itself preceded by the formation of the Council of Europe in 1949.
The government’s Job Retention Scheme is now live and taking claims.
Claim for 80% of your employee’s wages plus any employer National Insurance and pension contributions, if you have put them on furlough because of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The government is building several new hospitals across the UK to cope with the demand placed on the NHS because of the Covid19 crisis. The Manchester “Nightingale” hospital is being contracted in the Manchester Central Convention Complex (formerly known as the G-Mex).
It has been confirmed that Prime Minister Johnson has been moved to intensive care follow his admission to hospital yesterday (Sunday 5 April 2020). The Prime Minister’s condition has since worsened with persistent symptoms of the Covid19 virus.
Johnson has asked Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary, to take over some of his responsibilities for the time being although the exact nature of how the government will operate while the Prime Minister is incapacitated is yet to be confirmed.
You’ll need to contact the school yourself if it isn’t listed.
If your child’s school is outside Manchester, their free school meals will be dealt with by the local authority the school is in. Go to the GOV.UK website and enter the postcode of the school your child attends to find out how to get them.
Which children qualify for them?
Your child may qualify if you have any of these incomes:
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
the guaranteed part of Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (as long as your annual gross income is £16,190 or less and you don’t get Working Tax Credit)
Working Tax Credit run-off after you come off Working Tax Credit
Universal Credit that you applied for on, or after, 1 April 2018. As long as your household income is less than £7,400 a year after tax, not including any benefits
Children who receive these benefits themselves instead of through a parent or guardian, can also qualify for free school meals.
Your child may qualify if you are an asylum seeker.
Children who are eligible for free school meals now will be eligible for them until either:
they finish school; or
if on 31 March 2022 they are still in school, until they finish the phase of schooling they are in (primary or secondary) –
whichever is sooner.
Infant free school meals in England
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 can get free school meals whatever your income. But if you have one of the qualifying incomes (above) it will help the school if you tell them this, so they can get extra funding.
If you need help you can get it now by calling 0800 234 6123
We have set up a hub to support Manchester’s most vulnerable people, and help them cope with the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak.
We want to help you if you are:
over the age of 70, are self isolating and have no support network,
if you have received a letter from the NHS advising you are high risk, or
you are medically vulnerable according to the government criteria.
We can help with things like:
Delivery of food
Delivery of medication
Combating loneliness
Managing fuel top-up payments
Help is also be available for other reasons, for example if you are a carer, care leaver or young carer.
Across the City a community of charities, businesses, community groups and the Council have all come together to make sure you have the support you need during this challenging time.
Get help – 0800 234 6123
If you live alone, are struggling to make ends meet, are self-isolating or generally in need of advice or support please contact us between 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday.
The government is setting up a NHS Volunteer Responder Service, hoping to recruit 250,000 people to do simple but vital tasks such as:
delivering medicines from pharmacies;
driving patients to appointments;
bringing them home from hospital;
or making regular phone calls to check on people isolating at home.
The NHS Volunteer Responders Service is not intended to replace local groups helping their vulnerable neighbours but is an additional service provided by the NHS.
Arcadia Library and Leisure Centre has been closed in line with instructions from the government during the current crisis. A payment freeze has been applied for the duration of the closure.
Better, who operate the centre, has made the following announcement:
“In line with Government instruction, we will be closing all of our Better Leisure Centres and Better Gyms across the UK at the end of Friday 20th March, 2020.
The health and well-being of both our staff and valued customers is paramount. We have a social responsibility to everyone in the local community to take action to protect ourselves and others.
We would also like to help you during this difficult time by automatically applying a payment freeze for all of our members. A payment freeze means that you retain your membership or lesson/course, but will not have to pay during the period that the centre is closed. That means, whether you have an annual, monthly, pre-paid or pay and play membership or lesson/course your Direct Debit payment will not be collected throughout this period. If you would like to know more about how we’re working to help you, or any other queries, visit our dedicated FAQs page.
We are working closely with local public health authorities and receiving all official updates from the Government. We will keep you up to date on what is happening going forward.”
Please note the following announcement from Manchester City Council:
“To protect the health of residents the Councillor’s advice surgeries have been suspended until it is felt it is safe for them to resume. This page will be updated when that happens. Until then, please use the email and telephone contact details.”
The LCA AGM has been postponed in light of the current situation with the Covid19 virus. Officers have decided it is best to be cautious in the current climate. We will monitor the situation and advertise a new date when confirmed. This is likely to be in May or June. Officers will continue in their current roles until the AGM in these exceptional circumstances.
Levenshulme Community Association is delighted to have worked with partners to plant a living tree on the Village Green.
The new tree will be a permanent feature and means that we will no longer have to pay annually for a Christmas tree. The new tree has been planted in the same position as the Christmas tree is positioned. This means the Village Green remains unobstructed with good views of the Levenshulme Bee and when decorated with lights at Christmas it will be visible from a distance along Stockport Road.
The tree is a sequoiadendron giganteum (giant redwood). This is the best type of tree because it is resilient, long lasting and will establish itself quickly. It was supplied by Glendale Civic Trees, imported from the Netherlands.
We are grateful to Manchester City Council for providing funding through the Neighbourhood Investment Fund. Sponsors also providing funding are:
Levenshulme Traders Association
Great Places
One Manchester
Manchester Central Fund
Levenshulme Community Association
Thanks to Manchester City Council for arranging all necessary groundworks and in particular to Ikhlas Ur-Rahman, MCC Neighbourhood Officer for providing the support and coordination to enable this project to happen. This would also not have been possible without the support of Levenshulme Councillors Dzidra Noor, Basat Sheikh and Bernard Stone.
The Living Tree also meets several of the aims of the Levenshulme Community Manifesto including to:
Protect and enhance our formal and informal green spaces for recreation and play.
Promote changes for clean air and to reduce pollution.
Improve our urban landscape, for example with more street trees.
“As you may have seen in an article on Manchester Evening New’s website yesterday Manchester City Council are now looking to build a school on Showcase Cinema, Hyde Road and not Nutsford Vale. We held our monthly meeting today and we our very pleased with this outcome. As stated on Manchester City Council’s website and the article on line, it has proved far too expensive to build safely on Nutsford Vale. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last three years. NUTSFORD VALE STAYS GREEN!!”
The LCA is holding two Hustings meetings for the 2019 local elections.
Burnage Ward
19.30, Thursday 18th April, The Klondyke, 1 Burnage Range, Levenshulme
Levenshulme Ward
19.30, Thursday 25th April, The Klondyke, 1 Burnage Range, Levenshulme
These are open, public meetings where anyone can question candidates directly. The full list of candidates is provided below.
Ward boundaries were changed in 2018 with Levenshulme Ward now expanded to include much of what was previously the Gorton South Ward which has been abolished. Burnage Ward has also expanded and now includes a big chunk of what was previously Levenshulme Ward running right up to Albert Road.
Please share and promote these Hustings. They are your opportunity to question candidates who will represent us on Manchester City Council.
The LCA is holding two Hustings meetings for the 2018 local elections.
Levenshulme Ward
19.30, Wednesday 18th April, The Klondyke, Burnage Range, Levenshulme
Burnage Ward
19.30, Wednesday 25th April, The Klondyke, Burnage Range, Levenshulme
These are open, public meetings where anyone can question candidates directly. The full list of candidates is provided below.
The local elections this year are “all out” elections with ALL councillors up for election – three positions in each Ward.
Ward boundaries have also been changed with Levenshulme Ward now expanded to included much of what was previously the Gorton South Ward which has been abolished. Burnage Ward has also expanded and now includes a big chunk of what was previously Levenshulme Ward running right up to Albert Road.
Please share and promote these Hustings. They are your opportunity to question candidates who will represent us on Manchester City Council.
