Mayor Andy Burnham backs simplified 'three tier' lockdown system - if government gives local leaders a say

Daily Star Sport takes a look at the seven worst signings during his reign.The Spaniard was undoubtedly one of the best strikers in world football when Chelsea spent £50 million to acquire his services from Liverpool in January 2011.However, the numerous injuries he suffered during his time at Anfield meant he failed to rediscover his prolific form in a blue shirt.In total he scored 45 goals in 172 appearances and won the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup with the club.However, he ultimately became a peripheral figure at Stamford Bridge and simply didn’t justify his hefty transfer fee.Morata joined Chelsea from Real Madrid for a then club record £60 million in the summer of 2017.Much expectation was placed on the shoulders of the Spain striker who was signed during Antonio Conte’s spell in charge of the club.However, he only scored 24 goals in 72 appearances for the Blues.Morata left Chelsea just two seasons later and joined Atletico Madrid.The Ukrainian goal scoring legend arrived at Stamford Bridge from AC Milan in a £30 million deal in 2006.Shevchenko was expected to take English football by storm given his impressive record in Serie A and the Champions League.But his reputation as a world class striker was questioned after he could only muster nine goals in 48 league appearances.He became a squad player under then manager Jose Mourinho and re-joined AC Milan on loan just two seasons later.The former Leicester midfielder was an integral part of the Foxes side that won the Premier League in 2016.Drinkwater’s impressive form earned him a move to Chelsea a year later in a £35 million deal.However, the former England midfielder failed to establish himself in the Blues’ midfield and has only made 23 appearances

A severely fire damaged detached Falkirk house - and once restaurant - with a 'charming canalside view' has gone on the market for £195,000.

A ban on leaving the local area for at least four weeks could be among new coronavirus measures being brought in tomorrow, according to reports this morning.Northern leaders, including the Mayor Andy Burnham, are locked in negotiations with the government over the new rules.Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly signed off an agreement for a simplified, three tier system of local lockdowns for regions in England this week.They are said to be 'medium risk', 'high risk' and 'very high risk'.Manchester will reportedly be placed in the highest category along with Liverpool and Newcastle, where infection rates are also soaring.Further details of what that might mean have been leaked to the Sunday national newspapers.According to the Sunday

hereMeanwhile the impact of students household transmission is stark in Manchester’s data. Some figures fear pub closures will merely drive socialising underground, making enforcement much harder.But the evidence and analysis from Greater Manchester’s own devolved system did not seem to be of interest, said several present.

Northern leaders have threatened legal action against new Covid-19 wage support measures and called on MPs to reject the plan in a Commons vote.

The government's new coronavirus furlough package will lead to 'multiple business failure', Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has warned.He criticised the financial measures proposed to come in alongside impending lockdown measures during a northern leaders press conference on Saturday afternoon (October 10).Greater Manchester and many other areas face new tougher restrictions as early as next week, included reported plans for the closure of pubs and restaurants.Despite no official announcement being made on the new tiered system, the Chancellor announced that under the new measures, the government will fund businesses that are legally forced to close during the winter by paying two thirds of workers' wages.Eligible businesses will be

here"It would also run the risk of severe redundancies across the north of England, particularly when you combine the effect of any new local restrictions."We think it would be to do long term damage to the economy of Greater Manchester and the north of England, and would actually weaken recovery."This package is insufficient to protect our communities as we go into the rest of the autumn and the winter."The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, previously that under a new localised furlough scheme, employees of businesses forced to close would receive just over two thirds of their pay, in comparison to the 80 per cent during the national lockdown earlier this year.Mr Burnham said this would lead to 'severe hardship'.He said: "If you work in a bar or a

Northern leaders have rejected the Government's new local furlough scheme - saying it would put thousands in "severe hardship" - as a tougher lockdown looms.

Outraged bosses of pubs, restaurants and cafes in the North say they feel abandoned by the Government as another lockdown looms.

would be closed down from next week to try and combat soaring infection rates. The proposed move has sparked furious backlash from the region's leaders and businesses, with Labour MP Angela Rayner saying Boris Johnson was treating the north 'with contempt'.

led to the publication of the proposals being put back again while the details of a compromise are worked out.However speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Burnham denied the clash over the industrial estate plans had thrown a spanner in the works at the eleventh hour.“I don’t think you could describe this as just a last minute objection, there had been concerns expressed about the site and I think there were ongoing discussions with both councils but then there was a planning application which further complicated the situation so that’s the situation that we were in,” he said.“What I can say today is that the two leaders and the two councils concerned have come to an agreement in principle which is really welcome and I would like

said it was unfair for students to continue footing £9k-a-year for tuition when they were not getting the ‘full university experience’. Most students at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and the University of Manchester (UoM) will be taught online until at least October 30.

threatened to derail it and meant the document didn’t materialise. The row centres on a single site, the Bredbury Park industrial estate, despite it having been in the plan since the first version was published in 2016.

Andy Burnham has been told to ‘get a grip’ and ensure the region’s development masterplan gets over the line after a row over an industrial estate left it dangling by a thread.The third - and final - version of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework was due to be revealed on Monday, but it was pulled as Stockport and Tameside bosses continued to argue over plans to extend Bredbury Park industrial estate into the Tame Valley.It raises the incredible possibility that the blueprint, developed in partnership by all ten boroughs over the last five years, could be scuppered at the eleventh hour.Councillor John Blundell, Rochdale town hall's regeneration chief, says that cannot be allowed to happen as boroughs in the north of the region

A full list of all the projects is at the end of this article.Funded by the Mayor’s Challenge Fund, all of Greater Manchester’s 10 districts will benefit from a total of 35 projects, with the first Bee Network signage to be installed by next summer. Chris Boardman, Greater Manchester's cycling and walking tsar, told the Manchester Evening News: "I'm just so excited to see it happening at such a scale.

The government's introduction of tougher coronavirus measures in the north of England ‘could do more harm than Margaret Thatcher’, according to Andy Burnham.Greater Manchester’s mayor has warned that the north-south divide will ‘massively increase’ in the winter if millions of people in the region are still under the restrictions without further support.Mr Burnham said places like Bolton, where the hospitality industry has been shut down despite infection rates being higher elsewhere, had been ‘forgotten about’ by national politicians.The approach in Bolton has also left the Conservative council’s leader David Greenhalgh ‘incredibly frustrated and angry’ with the government.Mr Burnham told a press conference on Wednesday that people were

Bolton should come into line with everywhere else.  “Pubs should be allowed to open.

A Prestwich man has declared his intention to stand for Mayor of Greater Manchester – claiming his bid is ‘a move away from party politics’.Businessman Michael Elston, 39, intends to stand as a independent candidate in next May’s election, opposing current incumbent Andy Burnham.The election, which was due to take place in May, was deferred until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.Mr Elston grew up in Prestwich and was a keen Bury FC fan.

here"The government has said the 10pm curfew is based on Belgium, but they also have police to disperse people on the streets."My personal feeling is that the curfew is probably doing more harm than good as it’s creating a major incentive for people to carry on drinking and partying at home. And that is where we are told the virus spreads - gatherings in the home."He added: "If it is doing more harm and damaging businesses, then the government shouldn’t just plough on with it.

hugely damaging to residents' health, especially if they live with dementia.Now, care home bosses and charities are calling for a solution to enable safe visitation.Earlier this month, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham spoke of testing for residents and visitors and vowed 'to have a look' at the issue.But on Thursday, a spokesman from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said: "Under the current central Government measures, local areas with increased restrictions are advised to not allow visits from family and friends to care homes, apart from under exceptional circumstances.

Extra lockdown restrictions without extra financial support mean the North of England is being "levelled down" during the fight against the coronavirus, Andy Burnham has claimed.