Latest news with #Renaker
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The Mancunian Way: Ding-dong in a Munich nightclub
'We are homeless' reads the sign fashioned from a scratty bit of cardboard attached to a bright blue tent in Stockport town centre. This makeshift shelter is currently home to a family who came to the UK last year from Iraq. Mohammed, his wife and their 18-year-old son have been sleeping rough outside the offices of social housing provider Stockport Homes. READ MORE: Driver dies after crashing into wall in Greater Manchester READ MORE: Girl, 13, 'topples into reservoir in front of her dad while taking photo' "We need help, it's not safe here. I've been here for ten days, my wife is sick, we can't stay like this,' Mohammed told local democracy reporter Declan Carey. The family - and another rough sleeper in a tent next to theirs - are among a growing number of people sleeping rough in the town. The council, grappling with major housing shortages, expects to spend up to £1m on hotel accommodation this year - up from £180,000 three years ago. Stockport Homes say Mohammed's family was offered accommodation but turned it down because it was outside the borough - a situation that would leave them in temporary accommodation. You can read more about the family's predicament here. Yehudis Fletcher always felt 'comfortable' in Manchester as a child visiting from Scotland - joining her grandmother on day trips into town and to the Jewish Museum. But when she moved to the city as a teenager to live with a Jewish scholar - and subjected to horrific abuse at his hands - she was silenced by the city's Orthodox Jewish, or charedi, community. Now a convicted paedophile, Grynhaus sexually assaulted Yehudis repeatedly, stealing into her bedroom at night and forcing himself upon her. Young and shielded from sexual ideas and language through her religion, she didn't even have the words to describe what was happening to her. In her new memoir Chutzpah, she explores her faith, sexuality and the community. She has been speaking to reporter Nicole Wootton-Cane about her horrific ordeal at the hands of a man she thought she could trust. It's a harrowing but worthwhile read. One of Manchester's biggest developers has been accused of using 'different figures' to avoid having to build affordable housing. Renaker, which has built many of Manchester's skyscrapers, has repeatedly successfully argued the schemes it has put forward would not make enough profit to be 'viable' if it included affordable housing as per council policy. However, a court heard this week that the developer allegedly uses a 'different set of figures' when seeking loans with 'modest' interest rates. It comes as the Greater Manchester Combined Authority defends itself against claims brought to the Competition Appeal Tribunal that it loaned £120m to Renaker through its Housing Investment Loan Fund with 'no lawful or proper process'. Politics writer Joseph Timan has all the details here. "Good luck with that," says Roger Carrington, on hearing that Warburton Toll Bridge may have to close. For more than 160 years travellers have been paying to cross the iron and stone bridge on the south west edge of Trafford. It's now a well-used route for drivers heading to and from the M6 and M62. But Peel Port Group say it may have to close permanently unless 'selfish and irresponsible' drivers of lorries, tractors and other HGVs stop crossing it in spite of current weight restrictions during a £6.5m upgrade. The long-standing 12p toll has been temporarily removed. But the threat of closure and a planned increase in the toll to £1 once work is complete hasn't gone down well with villagers in Warburton, as reporter Damon Wilkinson discovered. American pop-rockers Haim have chosen an unusual spot for their latest photoshoot. It appears the cover art for their new release features an area near Piccadilly Gardens, with Don Tacos and One Piccadilly Gardens quite easily recognisable in the background. It's sent fans into a frenzy with one declaring: 'Omg not near Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester take me back to uni lmao!' While another said: 'What the hell are you doing on Portland Street? I am beside myself.' What's On writer Adam Maidment has been scouring the details of the shot, including a W H Smith bag and a reference to a very noughties celeb couple. Drought: The Environment Agency has declared a drought in the north-west of England. Details here. Move on: Stockport council's new leader has demanded action rather than words on the town's call for a Metrolink stop. Mark Roberts said plans to expand the Metrolink network to Stockport need to move forward. Affordability: Despite efforts to build more homes, property in Salford is becoming 'less affordable', the city's mayor has said. Paul Dennett has warned that the cost of living in Salford is being pushed further out of reach for some of the city's residents as prices continue to surge. Tickets: Oldham Athletic FC will play Southend at Wembley on Sunday - the first time the club has visited the iconic stadium in over 30 years. But there are concerns Lactics fans will miss out due to ticket allocations for the game. More here. Friday: Light rain changing to overcast by late morning. 19C. Roads: A572 St Helens Road southbound, Leigh, closed due to roadworks from A578 Twist Lane to Bonnywell Road. Until June 30. A6 Chapel Street westbound, Salford, closed due to long-term roadworks from A6041 Blackfriars Road to A34 New Bailey Street. Until January 19. A58 Park Road in both directions closed due to water main work at Westhoughton until May 30. 'The infamous Oasis 'ding-dong' in a Munich nightclub that cost Liam Gallagher €50,000 and his two front teeth'. How's that for a headline on a story I am definitely going to read. As you can imagine, the copy is littered with Liam's usual fruity parlance, so look away if you are easily offended. Otherwise, read on.
Telegraph
16-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Andy Burnham defends £800m taxpayer loans for luxury skyscrapers
Andy Burnham has defended his administration's controversial decision to hand £800m of taxpayer cash to a skyscraper developer that has not built any affordable homes in the city. The Labour Greater Manchester Mayor said the loans to developer Renaker had helped deliver 'high-quality infrastructure that the city needs' and 'driven our growth'. Mr Burnham said he stood by the arrangement with Renaker, which is the subject of a High Court challenge by a rival. It comes amid scrutiny of the loans to Renaker, a property business owned by millionaire developer Daren Whitaker. Rival developer Weis Group, which has bought the High Court claim, last week wrote to Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, to urge him to investigate the arrangement, citing 'serious concerns'. Renaker has been building luxury towers across Manchester with money borrowed from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), which Mr Burnham chairs. Nearly £600m has been lent by GMCA's Housing Investment Loans Fund and £200m has come from linked affiliates. Rival developers have claimed the significant support for Renaker is distorting the local market. It is thought the towers have also not produced any low-priced homes, despite Mr Burnham's pledge to tackle the city's housing crisis. Mr Burnham said the GMCA's housing fund was intended to 'bring regeneration' to Manchester, rather than deliver affordable homes. He told The Telegraph at the MIPIM property conference in Cannes: 'Renaker, in my view, should be commended for the commitment they've made to Manchester. The fund was created because London-based organisations wouldn't make a commitment to Manchester. 'In the 10 years since that fund was set up, Greater Manchester has been growing faster than the UK economy at 3pc a year. Housing growth through the fund has hugely driven that. '[Renaker is] building out high-quality infrastructure that the city needs, that has driven our growth. It should be celebrated as a success story, without an implication that there's something wrong.' Mr Burnham added that there had 'not been a single default' on loans made under the taxpayer fund. The Labour Mayor said the proceeds from the loans will help pay for housing initiatives, including a 'good landlord charter' aimed at raising standards in the city's private rental sector. He added that returns from loans had also paid for some social and affordable housing outside of the city centre. He said: 'You've got to balance it with the other things that we're doing as a city region.' The GMCA is contesting a High Court case lodged by rival developer Weis Group claiming that it has unfairly lent taxpayer cash to Renaker. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Renaker, and the authority says it has acted fairly. Lawyers for Weis Group wrote to Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, this week to urge the department to investigate the fund and how its loans are being used, citing 'serious concerns'. The letter, dated March 11 and seen by The Telegraph, called for more scrutiny over financial viability assessments submitted by the developer in its planning applications and in its applications for loans from the fund. It also alleged a significant proportion of the flats Renaker has built are now owned by overseas investors and were 'marketed directly to foreign investors months ahead of anyone in the UK'. Telegraph analysis of Companies House filings last year suggested that hundreds of flats in two taxpayer-backed skyscrapers have been sold to Asian investors. A spokesman for the GMCA said: 'The lending criteria for the Fund are based on parameters set by central Government and we have not turned down a single viable scheme which met those criteria. 'In the past nine years, the Fund has helped unlock more than 11,000 new homes across the city-region, supporting a wide variety of developers and projects and helping to regenerate brownfield sites at no cost to the taxpayer.'
