It's very easy to concentrate on the national news cycle. Big flashy stories and scandals that drip from the teleprompters of Sky and the BBC. But underneath cocaine habits and duck islands, local government ticks over with a slither of the amount of coverage. With the perception it's just about bin collection and bus time tables, councils and local government have substantial power still on how we support our ecosystem and where money is invested.
This week we are joined on the Pod by investigative journalist Andrea Sandor (@wordstoseeby). Andreas coverage includes the stripping of cycling provision across the city, the gentrification of the Northern Quarter and Manchester's pollution crisis. We discuss why local journalism is more important than ever, how philosophy is keeping people from cycling and how the Manchester Meteor is building a truly independent media.
IPPR study on the furlough scheme
https://www.ippr.org/files/2020-05/1589291707_who-wins-and-who-pays-may20.pdf
Deansgate pedestrianisation
https://aboutmanchester.co.uk/deansgate-set-for-partial-pedestrianisation-from-this-weekend/