The Mill

So when the owner called him up to tell him that the windows of his cafe had been smashed during a protest about a conflict almost 2,000 miles away from Pakistan, and even further from the Curry Mile, between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, he quite naturally assumed there had been some kind of mistake. The Syrian president, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, is commonly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani. Akbar had been led to understand that the broken windows were the result of a Jilani/Julani mix up. [The next sentence is highlighted.] “Not only was it thuggish behaviour, but it was also stupid,” he says.

@manchestermill.bsky.social doing some proper reporting while the MEN's coverage is sorely lacking.

But I did have a dark laugh at the highlighted bit. Thuggery and stupidity go fist in fist.

Welcome to the Irish nan belt Who were the mammies who made Manchester?

This gender disparity was a “distinctive feature” of Irish relocation. But even though more Irish women than men migrated, their cultural, economic, and political significance is often overshadowed.

Who were the mammies who made Manchester?

Over 500,000 Irish natives migrated to Britain between 1951 and ‘61, and spread out about the country and Manchester itself.

But there was something unusual about the people that came: between the 1940s and ’80s, for every 100 Irish men migrating, there were 115 to 135 women.

Breaking Bread: the TikToker that has the council on toast She started off as a content creator, now they call her Manchester’s greatest journalist

The Mill does it again.

This story of an anonymous citizen journalist chasing justice for poorly placed parking meters reads cinematic and for a former city watchdog like me was an extremely fun ride @manchestermill.bsky.social

manchestermill.co.uk/r/d3dc3f21?m...

Why quality local journalism matters. @manchestermill.bsky.social broke the story about governance failures at the University formally known as Bolton.

Manchester’s flamenco whisperer, a Wigan estate revitalised and the grand emotional return of the Young Atlantic salmon Presenting: our inaugural Good News edition

Read the best of Manchester’s positive stories, and become a Mill member today to get the city’s Good News Edition straight into your inbox each month.

Then there's Alex Timperley, our first-ever Miller of the Month. Back in 2020, Alex set up MCFC Fans Foodbank. Five years later, he's helped football fans set up their own foodbanks across the country.

Liz Twigge, a 45-year-old with an infectious laugh and tireless ambition, was sick of the the cycle of low expectations for residents of Higher Folds, a council estate in Wigan. With the help of locals, she's telling a different kind of story about life there, one that's rooted in its "magic".

When we asked Mill readers how to make Manchester a better place, they wanted us to spend more time spotlighting positive stories.

So, we’ve launched a Good News Edition. This month's features a flamenco whisperer, a Wigan estate revitalised, and the Atlantic salmon’s return.

Over the past few weeks there’s been a spate of graffiti across Manchester and Salford, casting aspersions against various local businesses — crude tags calling Pollen Bakery “Homo-Phobic”, or claiming that The White Hotel “hate Palestine”.

For years, Manchester's businesses have been targeted with baseless accusations. Who is behind them? ‘It’s not about retribution. We’d just rather it stopped.’

Was it a student? A man with a Pomeranian? Or a certain strangely clad individual with an axe to grind?
Read what people are saying is a "fascinating read", one that is "beautifully written" and "well balanced".

For years, Manchester’s businesses have been targeted with baseless accusations.

The situation escalated over the last two weeks, with multiple fresh graffiti-based allegations appearing across the two cities. We decided it was time to do a little digging into who’s behind it.

Two key figures in Greater Manchester have resigned this week following @manchestermill.bsky.social investigations: The chair of the Uni of GM and the CEO of Rochdale Council. This is the kind of accountability local areas need and that they lose when papers stop taking risks and turn to clickbait.

First the vice chancellor was suspended, now the chair of the board of governors is gone too Another big development at the University of Greater Manchester

William Morris, chair of @uni-greatermcr.bsky.social’s board – the most influential person at the university - has resigned

It comes after we reported a curious arrangement in which his wife Baroness Morris runs a company that has charged the university millions manchestermill.co.uk/first-the-vi...

First the vice chancellor was suspended, now the chair of the board of governors is gone too Another big development at the University of Greater Manchester

Read the latest major development in the university's financial scandal here.

His departure marks the second senior figure to have stepped down over the university’s finances claim.

The Mill understands that William Morris, a former judge at Bolton Crown Court and outgoing chair of the board of governors, told governors of his intention to step down on Monday evening.

He is, in effect, the most influential person at the university.

First the vice chancellor was suspended, now the chair of the board of governors is gone too.

Turmoil at the University of Greater Manchester shows no signs of abating in 2026, and it was our investigative reporting that set off this whole saga.

"It seems possible that what was being fought over here was not only the books, but two competing visions of this city," Sophie Atkinson writes.

Read what people are describing as an "excellent article", one that presents "a balanced and truthful account" of the story.

The lost books of Central Library: scandal or conspiracy theory? A quarter of a million volumes were disposed of in circumstances that remain deeply contested. Some former workers accuse the council of a cover up

When Manchester's Central Library underwent a refurbishment in the 2010s, rumours were sparked about the disappearance of many of its books.

We delve back into those rumours, asking whether a shelving miscalculation was a scandal or conspiracy.

Is this the future of local news? The Manchester Mill model goes nationwide

The decline of local newspapers has created a big gap - with areas struggling to build new models of coverage.

But some have been bucking the trend - in particular @millmedia.bsky.social founded as @manchestermill.bsky.social in Manchester.

Find out more: futurenorth.substack.com/p/is-this-th...

In 2012, there were rumblings in Manchester that something strange was happening with the Central Library renovation. Staff were alleging there had been a miscalculation in the amount of shelving that had led to the council needing to cut a disproportionate % of books at speed. (1/??)

The lost books of Central Library: scandal or conspiracy theory? A quarter of a million volumes were disposed of in circumstances that remain deeply contested. Some former workers accuse the council of a cover up

The library as 'living center for community resources' vs. 'archive of the written word': eternal tension illuminated by @millmedia.bsky.social 's @sophieatkinson.bsky.social

manchestermill.co.uk/the-lost-boo...

The lost books of Central Library: scandal or conspiracy theory? A quarter of a million volumes were disposed of in circumstances that remain deeply contested. Some former workers accuse the council of a cover up

The @manchestermill.bsky.social is such a gem of a local paper. This article on the Central Library demonstrates so well how the local can be a microcosm of wider trends.
“It seems possible that what was being fought over here was not only the books, but two competing visions of this city. “

In a Costa in east London, we finally put some questions to Andrew Milne Why is he sending threatening letters? Does he think he’s committed fraud? And will he be paying the money back?

And you can read The Tribune's latest reporting on Milne here, where the team managed to track him down and put some burning questions to him: www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/in-an-costa-...

Meet the London lawyer terrorising the leaseholders of Bolton ‘If these allegations are true, this is one of the most egregious cases of bullying I have ever seen’

"If these allegations are true, this is one of the most egregious cases of bullying I have ever seen," Brickell told us when we contacted him about what our investigation had uncovered. Read the full story here:

The Bolton MP demanded to know why Milne's "bullying, harassment and threatening" of leaseholders had not been stopped by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, with Sir Alan Campbell agreeing that it sounded like a "concerning case".

@sheffieldtribune.bsky.social first started reporting on Andrew Milne, the solicitor demanding thousands of pounds from leaseholders, back in November.

A month later, we uncovered how Milne was also terrorising leaseholders in Bolton.

Today, MP Phil Brickell raises the issue in Parliament.

Map of the expansion of Mill Media

The renaissance in local news is an exciting trend driven by online platforms. And one of the largest of these, @millmedia.bsky.social, was founded by @joshih.bsky.social in Manchester in 2020. It has now expanded to over 200,000 people subscribed across its 6 cities; over 13,000 of these pay.

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Read today's members-only edition to understand how some of Manchester's rough sleepers survive as temperatures plummet, and why people may choose to decline shelter even in lethal conditions.