Catherine Stuart

💯

I'm also reflecting that 30 years later I'm increadibly grateful the delayed train I was waiting for this evening was a Northern one.

I used to reflect that Stevenage station on a Sunday evening is the place anyone who thinks it's 'grim up north' should be sent, for eternity.

Undoubtedly. One of the most unequal.

Well, here's the official take from the council's recently published Housing Needs Assessment...

'Everyone in London is moving to Manchester' SPECIAL REPORT: As Manchester city centre's development shows no signs of slowing down, town is busier than ever with more visitors and 100,000 residents. But a tension between the old and new establi...

It's filling up with Londoners, apparently: 'Everyone in London is moving to Manchester'

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...

Seeing first hand how difficult it was claiming housing benefit made me favour the idea. Anything to make life easier for marginalised people is a good thing, and this will. It might make processing claims quicker too.

That was definitely the opinion of The Northern Echo commentariat, which was much amused.

Was thinking the same. Or spell. Reminds me of one of those emails you write in anger, then delete before you send a sensible one back.

🤣 true.

Some were housed near us, in Cheshire East. Apparently, architects and bright, able people who could contribute amongst them. When our volunteers, all older people, were busy planting spring bulbs on Wilmslow Road two passing 20 something asylum seeker lads came and offered to help them.

One way to capture the 16 year old voter!

Bigger than all the other privatisations put together, if I recall correctly, but the most damaging bit was stopping new build. We were much closer to building enough housing to meet our needs when councils built houses, though even then it wasn't enough.

Absolutely agree. Housing is high cost to create, with a long life span. We create better developments where communities engage in their design.

Yeh, that's the one I mean.

In the dark places on the internet (MEN Facebook comments!) there's a strongly driven rhetoric that immigrants are to blame for every societal ill. Every article. It's quite sinister. I wonder if it's the EU Referendum all over again. Create a problem by misinformation and offer a solution.

Completely agree, St Pancras is one of the downsides of living in Manchester over Newcastle.

Summer in the city

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Northumberland poppies.

That was my conclusion from trying to manage the problems it caused in council housing.
The impacts of drug dealing on whole communities with crime and ASB is much more consequential and damaging than the impact of taking drugs on individuals.

The sector is already struggling to recruit and has an ageing workforce, most jobs tend to be lower paid. This would likely create an exodus.

Isn't pretty much everything hampered by toxic online debates? My greatest shock, when campaiging to become a councillor, was how lovely most people in my ward are. This after years of running our social media.

The response from the Leeds supporter here: 'I wouldn't be so certain.'

As a Northumbrian I'm not a tiny bit surprised!

Moved here in 2004, the time of Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders and The Northern Way, the thing that stands out for me was homelessness was hardly an issue.

Reading your words and 💯 in agreement right now.

Hexham and the Tyne Valley are perfection.

Meh, that's bleak. It will get better at some point. It must. There is a lot of luck in life.

My eldest was born literally just as Northern Rock melted down. He's now doing A levels (he helpfully explained the idiocy of the tariff formula to me). There has been a lot of turmoil in the last 18 years.