Dear readers — a new day, a new week, a new mayor of Manchester. But that’s not nearly the most exciting new-ness at Mill HQ today.
In fact, this sunny Monday marks a whole new era for our little paper, because today we welcome not one, but two new writers onto our team! God knows how we’ve managed to play Tetris with the desks in our office to make this work, but we have and they’re here now. We’ll be introducing them to you properly, along with a reintroduction from the rest of the team, tomorrow — rest assured both names should be at least a little familiar to our more attentive readers…
But first we have our briefing, including who is in line to replace Bev Craig as leader of Manchester City Council, in the latest election to come out of the matryoshka doll that was Burnham's Makerfield election. Plus there’s the celebs backing the re-funding of Jodrell Bank observatory, the joy of seeing a tram pulling up at Trafford Bar again, and an open newsroom request about a sleepy village of Compstall becoming host to large-scale music festivals.
The Queen of the North (and rumours of who might succeed her)
The sun rose this morning on Bev Craig’s Greater Manchester. Already dubbed the “Queen of the North”, the unassuming, low-ego former council leader is a departure from her predecessor Andy Burnham, though in terms of policy she is expected to continue on the same path he has set the city region on during his nine years as mayor. In an interview with the MEN, Craig said her first announcement would be today. We’ll follow up with analysis in Wednesday’s newsletter.
Rumours now circulate about who will be running her office. Craig has already re-appointed Burnham’s deputies, Salford Mayor Paul Dennett and former MP for Stretford Kate Green. Other names floating around for jobs in Craig’s office include former leader of Oldham Council Arooj Shah — a prominent member of her campaign team — and Rabnawaz Akbar, a former close ally who described her as a “once-in-a-generation local leader,” in our recent profile of the new mayor.
There will now be a council by-election in Burnage, plus a vote for the new leader of Manchester City Council. The selection meeting for the Labour candidate is Thursday, with LGBTQ+ adviser Carl Austin-Behan expected to throw his hat into the ring alongside former Fallowfield councillor Ali Ilyas.
Garry Bridges, deputy council leader and a member of Manchester MP Lucy Powell’s office, is the more conventional candidate to replace Craig as leader. The other contender in the race is Clayton and Openshaw councillor Tom Robinson, chair of the Rushholme constituency Labour Party and a “labour man through and through” according to allies. And finally, members say that Gavin White — the council’s exec for housing — would be a popular choice.
Back on line
Tram commuters — Lucy included — will have rejoiced this morning: the three-week track replacements between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield actually finished on time! This marks an end to The Mill’s email inbox overflowing with polemics from readers about the hordes of sweaty commuters waiting for replacement buses (the content of a typical email over the past few weeks reads as follows: “the roasting, old bus was so full at one point… that a fight almost broke out at the door”). We expect a similar volume of emails now expressing their unbridled joy at the return to tram-business as usual.
Celebs want more money in the (Jodrell) Bank
An army of supporters is rallying to save Jodrell Bank Observatory, home to a network of radio telescopes that has produced groundbreaking astrophysics research and discovered new galaxies. The site in Cheshire is owned by the University of Manchester, but just last month, the government decided to pull funding for the observatory to steer investment towards projects with longer-term impact. Now, an open letter criticising the cuts and calling on Andy Burnham to save Jodrell Bank has been signed by over 200 public figures — from Jarvis Cocker to Brian Cox. “We believe in Jodrell Bank. We believe that to shut it down to save just £2.8 million a year is foolish and short-sighted,” the letter reads. The full list of celebratory signatories has been published by the MEN.
Open Newsroom
We’re working on a story about how Compstall locals feel about the festivals happening in their village, which includes Moovin’ and the upcoming Firevolt Festival. Love them? Loathe them? Get in touch.
This week’s weather
This from guerrilla weatherman Martin Miles: “Warm today! Keep hydrated.” Less so as the week goes on…
Tuesday 🌦️ Warm and mostly cloudy with showers, which will be heavy and potentially thundery during the afternoon and evening. Muggy. Max 25°c.
Wednesday 🌦️ Much fresher with a mix of bright spells and showers. Windy. Max 19°c.
Thursday 🌦️ Breezy and cool with showery rain, which will ease later to allow for bright spells. Max 18°c.
Friday 🌦️ Calmer with large amounts of cloud and a few showers. Max 20°c.
Weekend 🌦️ Still rather mixed, although with fewer showers and more sunshine compared to previous days. Temperature highs around average.
Home of the week
This 5-bed period property in Eccles might (might) be worth the £600,000 for the bathroom windows alone.
What our writers are up to this week
🧑🎨 A new exhibition is on display at Manchester Arndale by prominent local artist Stanley Chow. Chow has immortalised icons that have shaped Mancunian identity, turning them into giant inflatable figures suspended from the ceiling. Read Jack’s 2021 profile on Chow.
🛝 Celebrate National Play Day on Wednesday with a trip to Chorlton Park, where kids age five to 15 can get involved in arts and crafts, sports activities and enjoy live entertainment. It’s free to attend and runs between 1pm and 5pm — more info here.
📚 Also on Wednesday, Tice Cin, an award-winning writer from North London, will be hosting a Q&A followed by a DJ set at CUPRA City Garage. Tickets are free and the first 50 through the door also get a free copy of Cin’s book, Keeping the House. More info here.
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