Neighbourhoods Directorate
Manchester City Council
PO Box 532 Town Hall
Manchester
M60 2LA
Tel : 0161 219 2539
8th August 2024
Dear Partner,
Partnership Working in Response to Disorder
We have all seen the distressing scenes of serious disorder in towns and cities across the country over the last week. I would like to firstly thank you for your ongoing work within Manchester’s communities to support the response.
Partnership working is a real strength across Manchester and Manchester City Council has been working closely with Greater Manchester Police and other agencies to support Operation Rotation, with the aim of providing an effective response to the disorder. I am writing as the Council’s lead on the response throughout this week and on the recovery aspects within Manchester’s communities.
I know there is a lot of anxiety and concern about the recent serious disorder and troubling events happening locally and nationally. I’m also aware that Manchester communities – especially minority communities - will be feeling understandably anxious and uneasy.
Everyone has the right to feel safe in their community and we will continue to work with colleagues at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to monitor local concerns – and public services are working hard to make sure that Manchester remains a welcoming and safe place for everyone. Manchester’s diversity is our strength, and it is more important than ever that we stand up to discrimination in all its forms.
Some of the uncertainty and worry that people are feeling about current tensions is being fuelled by the widespread sharing of inaccurate information posted on social media platforms. These messages have been posted to cause fear, hate and disorder in our communities and we are urging residents to be mindful of the information they share. We are asking everyone to only get updates from trusted and reliable sources.
As key partner organisations that are serving our communities, we all have a vital role to play in helping provide reassurance and keeping members of the community informed in the face of rumour, speculation, misinformation and disinformation.
While there is no current intelligence to suggest further planned activity, GMP continue to monitor the situation carefully. They remain fully prepared to deal with any disorder should it occur, and our collective advice to residents is to try to go about their everyday life and for businesses to open as they would normally.
If the police have credible intelligence to act on, the Council will be informed and we will offer advice on what to do next. As public facing organisations delivering for our communities, it is vital that we do not let misleading information guide our decision making. While hate crimes should be reported to the police, please share any rumours and speculation with us via the email - [email protected]. We will help to establish the facts and provide guidance where necessary.
Organisations and communities in Manchester have truly pulled together in these difficult times, and we are proud to stand together as a city where our rich diversity is celebrated.
Please get in touch if I can be of further assistance.
Yours sincerely,
Neil Fairlamb
Strategic Director – Neighbourhoods
Manchester City Council