Revealed: nearly all new diesel cars exceed official pollution limits

Guardian

Health experts lambast ‘deceitful’ carmakers as data suggests 97% of vehicles fail to meet NOx emissions standards in real-world conditions.

Win up to £1000 for your local community group or charity

Persimmon Homes

Persimmon Community Champions is here to help local community groups, good causes and charities. So far since we launched in March 2015, we have donated over £500,000 to fund community initiatives.

All Persimmon’s businesses have £2,000 to give away every month – 28 regional businesses, plus Persimmon’s Space4 and PLC head office. That’s a whopping £60,000 being donated every month.

Our charity match programme gives donations of up to £1000 to local UK groups and charities, which have already raised vital funds themselves.

This weekend, Labour will be campaigning to stop forced academisation and for investment in education.

Jeremy Corbyn
,

Jeremy Corbyn - Our children deserve the very best education

The Conservatives are trying to force the academisation of all our schools. This is a top down re-organisation, costing over £1 billion - without a shred of evidence that academies improve standards - that teachers, governors and parents do not want. At a time when the education budget is being cut for the first time in twenty years, Labour wants money spent on driving up standards. This weekend, Labour will be campaigning to stop forced academisation and for investment in education. So, if you believe education matters, if you believe all our children matter, if you believe that every child has a right to go to a local school and do their best and succeed - join us, Labour, in opposing forced academisation.

Posted by Jeremy Corbyn on Friday, 15 April 2016

Ten drivers without blue badges park in disabled bays at Trafford town hall - in one morning

Manchester Evening News

A disabled driver was ‘disgusted’ to find that all but three of the specially designated spaces outside the town hall were taken up by vehicles not showing the correct permits.

Stretford Silver Band play Sevenways

Kate on Twitter

Don't miss the fab @stretband concert on 16 April, 7.30pm Sevenways Church #proudpresident pic.twitter.com/t1bK6N5SoA

— Kate Green (@KateGreenSU) April 14, 2016

Miles of smiles for the Manchester Marathon

Key 103

What a great day. The marathon remains a fantastic day and Gorse Hill is at the heart of it. Organisation was not perfect and councillors will be asking questions but we still love it.

Mike Cordingley

Just a short video we found on youtube

Red Devils chippy handed zero food hygiene rating

Manchester Evening News

The inspector concluded ‘urgent improvements required’, noting that a dead mouse was found in an electronic fly-killer.

Also uncovered were ‘droppings under work surfaces throughout’, according to the report. Inspectors also observed ‘potential entry points by the rear door’ and urged the owner to bring in a contractor to clean up his act. The report also says, at the time of the inspection, that there had been ‘no hot water to the premises for approximately one-and-a-half weeks’ and that staff were ‘unable to wash hands properly’.

Dirt Factory achieves its goal

Dirt Factory

We're delighted to hear news that the Dirt Factory has achieved 150% of its funding target.

A lot of you will be wondering what the next stage of development will be for Dirt Factory. In a nutshell, the plan now is to finalise the crowd fund process, secure the venue and apply for change of use before starting the internal build process. Alongside this we will be firming up our partnerships, putting into place all legalities and services and hopefully getting out on our bikes a bit more than we have done recently.

Dirt Factory Website

This is a hugely exciting project that 'could' yet be coming to Trafford Park.

Laurence Walsh for Labour

Candidate List

Candidates were formally announced today for the Gorse Hill ward Council Election. The election will take place on Thursday 5th May.

We'd love you to help Laurence win in Gorse Hill. Only Labour will stand up to the Tories.

Join the Campaign! Get in touch with the Labour team

Boat on fire along the canal

Manchester Evening News

Fire crews attended a boat on fire afloat on the canal on Sunday evening. No one was on board.

A fire spokesman said that crews – all wearing buoyancy aids – had managed to pull the boat closer to the banks so they can continue to try and put out the flames.

A search of the canal bank was also carried out as GMFRS try to establish if anyone was on board and how it came to be there. It was later found that nobody was on the boat.

Huge clouds of black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from several miles away.

City of Trees. Growing more trees for Greater Manchester

City of Trees

The case for more trees in and around our towns and cities is strong and compelling. Red Rose Forest and The Oglesby Charitable Trust are leading a new movement, to double the tree cover in Greater Manchester and, within a generation, plant a tree for every man woman and child that lives here. They also want to improve access to existing woodland and ensure they are well managed and, where possible, local communities can have an active role in caring for them.

Doing Nothing is not an Answer to Steel Crisis

Mirror

Labour calls for Government to fast track key infrastructure projects and use British Steel.

Tories slammed for blocking EU measures designed to counter China dumping its steel on Europe. Cameron's toadying to China risking Britain's prosperity and its strategic defence capability.

Imagine WWII without British Steel industry.
Winston Churchill turns in his grave

Greater Manchester's groundbreaking £6bn devo health deal comes into force today

Manchester Evening News

Greater Manchester’s groundbreaking devolved health service comes into force today. The region’s entire £6.2bn health and social care budget has been handed over by the government to a new body of local health chiefs and council leaders - in a national first.

Now 37 separate organisations - including hospitals, clinical commissioners and town hall leaders - will take key decisions over how health and social care is provided across the region, including what is commissioned and where, in the hope care can be made better and more consistent.