Levenshulme News ran a workshop as part of the Levolution! programme at Levenshulme Old Library today. Jim chatted with local residents, some of whom had taken part in the protests a decade ago, as well as relative newcomers - we are always on the lookout for more people to help out, and managed to send two people home with piles of our latest newsletter for distribution!
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Manchester City Council says it's facing a budget shortfall of nearly £100m over the next three years because of inflation and higher energy costs. It says calls for extra funds from government have fallen on deaf ears. In response it's identified savings of £42m from frontline services, including £7m from neighbourhoods. That's a 6.5% cut from the £105m pot used for keeping streets clean and looking after parks, leisure facilities and libraries. They're also proposing a £12m cut to the children and education department, and £5m from homelessness. In a statement the council stressed its budgets have been ravaged by a decade of cuts from central government. It estimates it would have an extra £428m a year if, "funding had not been slashed and had instead increased in line with budget pressures". Earlier this year, the council said its total annual budget for services is £690m, with 60% spent on adult social care. First there were food banks, now there are places to stay warm.
With the sharp rise in energy costs Levenshulme Old Library has opened a Keep Warm Club every monday. Warm hubs are popping up around the country in response to the cost of living crisis. The Bread and Butter Thing, which distributes cheap food across the city (including at Inspire), has opened 40 hubs across the north. You can read more about Levenshulme's Keep Warm Club in the Manchester Evening News here - https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/morning-spent-opening-levenshulmes-first-25282631 In September details about Liz Truss's leadership donations were published.
She received £15k from Grolar Developments owned by David Searle and Guy Horne who run the Manchester-based property company HSPG They borrow money and buy properties which they then lease to councils... and housing associations. One local property is the old Your Housing office at the Kingsway roundabout which is leased to the council as temporary accommodation for families... We asked why they supported Truss, but there was no response. Perhaps it was over stamp duty. Since the mini-Budget the threshold has moved from £125k to £250k, and it's one of the few policies to have survived Jeremy Hunt's cull. High school MEA Central has stopped selling bottled water to try and cut down on plastic waste.
It has 1,000 pupils so was getting through hundreds of bottles a week - at least. Since the start of term it's been asking kids to bring their own drinks, and it'll also have more water fountains. This is just one step by the school, not part of a wider campaign such as Plastic Free Schools which is run by Surfers Against Sewage. So far 3,322 schools across the country have signed up, but none in Levenshulme. The nearest are Stanley Grove in Longsight, and Cedar Mount, Gorton. 01/09/22
Slade Hall's 20-year run as a big shared house is coming to an end because the family that own it will soon be moving in. It's long been home to arty folk who've put on events like Sladefest. It dates back to 1585, the year Sir Walter Raleigh was knighted. Long-time resident John Banks writes... "The house has been owned by Abdul Rashid for the past four years, and he also owns properties in Dobcross Close right next to Slade Hall. "The building needed extensive work so he decided to do it all at once and eventually move his family in there and rent out the annex (a self-contained bungalow in the garden) separately. It's the first time it won't be a shared house since the early 2000s. "It's a two-star listed building and he claims he will restore it sensitively. It's currently undergoing renovation and he hopes to move in before the end of the year. "It has been a hub for creatives for many years and we hosted all kinds of events. The last ever Sladefest took place in June and was attended by over 500 people. It's sad to lose such an important community hub but we all recognise the building was badly in need of investment to secure its long term future." |
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