The new interim chair of the Social Mobility Commission tells us: ‘If somebody can grow up in Oldham and go to Oxford, that's fantastic. But that's only ever going to be very small numbers’
Plus: Dogs now welcome on Metrolink - and the crisis in local hospitals
Chorlton's football ‘yobbos’ are like no other
An end-of-year editor's note from Joshi - and our favourite stories of 2022
The chaotic mission to give abandoned dogs love and care
Jack rounds off his first year in journalism with a writer's edition
Plus: Avanti awarded £6.5m by government, and the latest update on the ENO
‘During Christmas, it’s hard to step into the Trafford Centre without a sense of foreboding’
Chris Brookes oversaw hospitals in Salford, Oldham, Rochdale and Bury
An unexpected music hall-inspired treat, starring Maxine Peake
Plus: the ‘cannon fodder’ of Bury New Road, and a review of the Royal Exchange’s newest show
‘The centre has not delivered' admits Labour, while The Economist calls for the government to 'Free the North'. But does anyone have the courage to end the capital's disastrous hoarding of power?
‘Should I just be celibate? Can I just not have a life?’