Manchester ramps up pressure on Minister over Covid fears

Manchester City Council is pressing Culture Minister Caroline Dineage to see for herself the scale of the problems still facing the cultural sector in the city. Their invitation to her follows letters sent in July to the Secretary of State for Culture and Chancellor of the Exchequer asking for additional support for the culture sector in Manchester, to which no direct response was received. Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure, and Skills, said the city's cultrual organisations "need direct intervention and additional support right now to keep them breathing until they’re allowed to open up their doors to audiences again, as well as a proper plan put in place that tells them when they can do this, and under what terms. "