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Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello,
If you’re reading this from your mobile phone I hope it’s still working properly after yesterday’s emergency alert test. I was in the pub when it was supposed to go off at 3pm on Sunday and it was interesting to hear the various devices beeping early, late, or not at all. “Suppose it’s death for me then,” said my friend as her phone sat silently on the table.
On to the news. Today we’ll be discussing an investigation into HMP Forest Bank by my colleague John Scheerhout. He’s been looking into conditions at the privately-run prison, which don’t seem to have changed much in the five years since we first investigated. The local MP has again called for things to be reviewed.
We’ll also be looking at temperature changes, voter apathy and the history of the Mancunian Way (the road not this newsletter). Let’s begin.
Prisoners 'running wings' and staff losing control
When I spoke to former inmates and prison guards about HMP Forest Bank in 2018, I was told about drugs being smuggled into the prison in tubs of protein powder and Pot Noodles and a five gallon container of hooch being found on a wing. One woman even told me she was targeted by a prisoner who tried to get her to smuggle items into prison for him after meeting him on the dating website Plenty of Fish.
At the time, prison officers described being underpaid and overworked with one even knocked unconscious during a ‘ferocious’ attack by an inmate. The complaints of staff followed convictions for prison officers who had themselves turned to crime.
Back then, Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long-Bailey described the issues at Forest Bank as evidence private prisons are in ‘a dire state of affairs’. She declared ‘justice on the cheap has failed’.
Since then, the privately-run Salford jail has welcomed a new governor and bosses say improvements have been made - but reading John Scheerhout’s investigation into the current conditions, it’s difficult to see how things have changed.
John reports a catalogue of failings described by a whistleblower, an ex-prisoner and his father and the family of a grandfather who died in his cell. It has led Ms Long-Bailey to call for Sodexo to be stripped of the contract and the prison brought into state control.
In May last year, a damning report by the prisons watchdog concluded the jail was 'unable to fulfil its role successfully' following an unannounced visit three months earlier.
Sodexo’s contract runs out in January 2025 and though no decision has been made on any new contract at Forest Bank, the company will take over from G4S to run HMP Altcourse in Merseyside in June on a ten-year deal worth £260m.
One current prison guard at Forest Bank told John that managers ‘don’t have control over staff and staff definitely don’t have control of prisoners’. They claim wings that house vulnerable inmates such as sex offenders are 'calm and quite relaxed' - but attempts to control behaviour on the main wings is 'futile'. "Prisoners are able to do almost anything they want because the staff either don’t care, aren’t experienced enough or just simply want an easy life,” they said.
They describe a toxic atmosphere between some staff and managers, reported understaffing and say inmates ‘definitely run certain parts of the prison’. They raised concerns about drugs that come into the prison walls via 'throw overs' and claim guards only have ‘fists and our mouths’ to try and de-escalate situations.
Sodexo said HMP Forest Bank ‘effectively services the needs of the Greater Manchester courts while managing a complex population at the front end of the prison system’. “When adjustments to the prison regime are required to guarantee the safety of colleagues and prisoners, those changes are made,” they said.
John has also spoken to a recently released drug addict inmate who claims 12 out of 60 cells were used for brewing alcohol during his time there, with the hooch sold on the wing for £100 per litre.
The former prisoner also revealed the widespread abuse of 'rule 39' correspondence - legally privileged letters which prison staff aren't allowed to open - which he says are stuffed with sheets of paper soaked in Spice. And he reports deliveries of small rocks of crack cocaine and cannabis, often smuggled into the prison during visits or via throw overs.
“I ended up owing three different people money on the wing. People were coming to me every day, threatening me. Once they came into my pad and battered me. I had to have stitches because they split my eye open,” he says.
His father, a respected Methodist minister, told John he sent a string of emails to prison managers asking for his son to be moved to another wing. But he claims these were ignored and the attacks continued. Frustrated, he called to speak to one of his son's dealers on the wing and reluctantly paid one of his debts.
“He was being attacked and bullied. They should have protected him. I don't make a habit of paying his drug debts but I had to do something to protect him. I don't think they have enough staff. It's obvious they cannot stop drugs coming in,” he told John.
A spokesperson for HMP Forest Bank said the conveyance of illegal items in all forms is ‘a well-documented challenge across all prisons’ and bosses ‘constantly review’ activities to respond to the frequently changing tactics employed in conveyancing.
How temperatures are changing where you live
No, this isn’t Reading FC’s new kit, it’s a graphic that shows how dramatically temperatures have risen in Greater Manchester over the last century.
According to new data from a leading climate scientist, average annual temperatures have changed dramatically in the last 100 years, as Sophie Halle-Richards reports. The 'warming stripes' show shades of blue indicating cooler-than-average years and red showing years that were hotter than average.
The graphic was created by Professor Ed Hawkins in partnership with UK charity Carbon Copy - using data from the Met Office. "We wanted to create these very localised stripes to give people an indication of how things are changing right where they live,” he says. “We know that different parts of the UK have different landscapes, different key industries, different population sizes - and all of this can have an impact both on emissions, and average temperatures. Our key observation is that regardless of all these factors, the trend remains the same – most of the more recent years have been a lot warmer than most of the years a century ago.”
When the UK declared a climate emergency in 2019, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority announced their own ambitious five-year plan for the region to become carbon neutral by 2038. The ultimate vision for the conurbation is to become one of the globe’s healthiest, cleanest and greenest city regions.
Reducing carbon dioxide emissions and increasing the amount of renewable energy that is generated locally are key tenets of the plan. The controversial clean air zone, which is still yet to be formalised, also falls under the plan.
Voter apathy in Manchester's student suburb
Last year, fewer than one in four residents registered to vote in Manchester actually did. In Fallowfield, there has been a consistently low turnout in recent years with just 15.22 per cent of the electorate heading to the ballot boxes last May - the lowest in the region.
As the local elections draw nearer, Joseph Timan headed to the student suburb to chat to locals about their thoughts on voting. There he found students who admitted they had little interest in local politics, despite having plenty of thoughts on the national picture. This is what they had to say.
Meanwhile, Ashton-in-Makerfield had one of the lowest ever turnouts at the by-election in December 2022, with just 5.34 per cent of eligible voters bothering to do so. Poll aggregator Britain Elects feared it could have been ‘the lowest council by-election turnout in post-war history’ - something they attributed to postal strikes and sub-zero temperatures.
George Lythgoe spoke to voters in the Wigan suburb and found some real strength of feeling. “I always vote when the elections come around,” 87-year-old Ernest Moore told George. “I’ve got to play my part in democracy, there is a need to vote, there is no point complaining if you don’t do anything about it.”
Meanwhile Alan Pilling said he believes people must make their voices heard. “Lots of people have lost their lives to give me the chance to vote and I’ll always take that opportunity," he said. "People should exercise their right to vote. It is about getting out there and even if they don’t agree with any party, spoil a card, it’s about making your feelings known.”
You can read George’s full piece here.
Big Issue North to close
Sad news - it’s the end of the road for Big Issue North. The Manchester-based magazine will cease production next month following a decline in sales since the pandemic and soaring print, paper and energy costs.
Bosses say it is 'no longer financially viable' to print the weekly magazine and vendors in Manchester and other northern towns and cities will instead sell the national version from next month, as Damon Wilkinson reports.
Big Issue North editor Kevin Gopal said: “This is a sad moment for independent northern-based publishing and a sign of the difficult commercial outlook for much of the media industry. But I'm grateful for a great 16-year spell - thanks to readers, sources and contacts, a brilliant band of freelance contributors and especially the wonderful editorial team here. Hopefully we’ve done good journalism and helped vendors. I'm pleased the vendors will continue to get the support they sorely need.”
Big Issue North was founded in Manchester in 1993 as a northern-focussed version of the magazine which helps the homeless and those in poverty. Vendors make half of the £4 cover price on every issue they sell. That arrangement will remain in place following the switch to Big Issue UK.
Officer used cadet scheme as 'grooming playground'
A former Greater Manchester Police constable has been found guilty of five sexual assaults on young men and women.
Adnan Ali ran a large cadet unit for the force and used the training scheme as a 'grooming playground' and 'exploited the freedom he was given', a court was told previously. The 36-year-old father-of-one went on trial at Liverpool Crown Court, where he denied twenty charges including sexually assaulting two teenage girls and a 17-year-old boy, and misconduct in public office involving sexualised conversations.
He was today found guilty of five counts of sexual assault and 15 counts of misconduct in a public office, as Ashlie Blakey reports. The charges relate to incidents, between 2015 and 2018, involving young men and women enrolled on the scheme.
Ali, of Leighton Road, Old Trafford, sexually assaulted two teenage girls and a 17-year-old boy. The misconduct charges involved allegations of sexualised conversations with six other teenage boys and asking for and sending indecent images to some of them.
In April of last year, Ali was dismissed from GMP and barred from policing at a gross misconduct hearing. The force will now make representations to that Deputy Mayor that he should have to forfeit his pension.
You can read the full story here.
Far too often and far too early
Firefighters are dying ‘far too often and far too early’. That’s according to the Fire Brigades Union, which has commissioned a cancer monitoring programme being launched in Greater Manchester.
As Paul Britton writes, 100 firefighters will provide blood and urine samples to University of Central Lancashire researchers. The results will be used to detect cancers and other diseases at the early stages and to identify evidence linking occupational cancers with exposure to toxic fire chemicals.
Instances of cancer among UK firefighters aged 35-39 is up to 323 per cent higher than in the general population in the same age category, according to research. It also found firefighters are significantly more likely to die from rare cancers, heart attacks and stroke, and several other diseases.
Riccardo la Torre, FBU national officer, says the participating firefighters are contributing to ‘vital research’ on the urgent issue of firefighter cancer. “The Government and fire service employers have ignored firefighters and their exposures to toxic contaminants for far too long,” he says.
“Meanwhile, firefighters are dying far too often and far too early. Lack of health monitoring means these cancers are caught tragically late, at much more untreatable stages. We won't stop until every firefighter in the UK has access to regular health monitoring.”
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Weather etc
- Tuesday: Sunny changing to cloudy by lunchtime. 11C.
- Road closures: A662 Pollard Street, New Islington, in both directions closed due to roadworks from Boond Street to A665 Great Ancoats Street. Until May 10.
- Trivia question: Which Mancunian wrote A Clockwork Orange?
Manchester headlines
Taylor2: Manchester's iconic Taylor Swift cut-out, which became a familiar sight for commuters on the Metrolink, has been joined by a new cardboard Taylor. The original 'Tram Taylor' - a life-size cardboard cut-out of pop sensation Taylor Swift seen in Castlefield - is to be sold at auction, with proceeds donated to Mermaids. But a new Taylor cut-out has also popped up in the front window of a home on Liverpool Road this week. More here.
Last race: Olympian Sir Mo Farah will race in the Great Manchester Run this May for the final time. The four-time gold medallist, who took part in the event last year, will retire from elite competition after the AJ Bell Great North Run in September. He also raced in the event in 2018, when he triumphed over Ugandan Moses Kipsiro in a memorable sprint finish with 100 metres to go, winning in a time of 28 minutes 27 seconds. Farah said: “There is something incredibly special about racing in Manchester, the support from the city for me has always been phenomenal. I’m looking forward to seeing the crowds out on the streets and the thousands of other runners who will be running the half marathon and 10k.”
Investigation: An investigation has been launched after Rochdale AFC player D’Mani Mellor was alleged to have been the victim of racist abuse following Saturday's match against Stockport County. Rochdale AFC were relegated from the Football League following their defeat at Edgeley Park. Wycombe Wanderers striker D'Mani, 22, who is signed on loan to the Rochdale club, said following the match that there is 'no room for racism in football'. It is believed the alleged abuse came from a Rochdale supporter following the club's defeat. The club says it has been ‘reported to the relevant authorities’. More here.
Chocolate cafe: Locals have reacted with shock following news that Ramsbottom’s Chocolate Cafe is closing after 15 years. The Bolton Street cafe - which first opened in 2008 - underwent a total refurbishment in 2020, but the cost of living and rising energy bills has forced owner Philip Hargreaves to pull the plug on the business. One customer, Helen Greaney, described the closure as ‘a massive loss to Rammy’, adding that she was ‘gutted’ to hear of the news. More here.
Worth a read
How nice, I thought when I saw the ‘Slender and elegant' headline on this piece about the Mancunian Way. Sadly, reporter Damon Wilkinson was talking about the elevated motorway, not this newsletter or the elevated ego of its author.
Nevertheless, his piece on Manchester's 'highway in the sky' is very interesting and well worth your time. As Damon reports, the Mancunian Way was praised for its appearance and hailed as the future of urban transport when it first opened in May 1967.
Opened by Prime Minister Harold Wilson, a brochure unearthed from the archives of Manchester Central Library describes it as ‘an outstanding example of the type of road required by modern urban traffic planning’.
The name was chosen by schoolchildren following a competition across the north west. But things could have been very different. Other suggestions at the time were 'Highway 64', 'President Kennedy Way' and 'Busby Highway'.
You can read the full piece here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: Anthony Burgess.
