Rob Williams

United Kingdom

Features and Perspectives Editor at Manchester Evening News

Features and Perspectives editor @MENNewsdesk. Ex @Independent

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Articles

Every street reminds her of a child she once knew

1 month ago | manchestereveningnews.co.uk | Rob Williams

Welcome to this week's 'Unmissable', our digest of the stories we think you might have missed. Every street reminds Ella of a child she once knew, and a situation where behind the locked front door, life's toughest problems play out. She no longer sees roads and rows of houses when she walks around - she sees people and children and crises.Welcome to Unmissable, our digest of the stories we think you might have missed.
A 'sink estate', daily horrors and the truth behind Adolescence

1 month ago | manchestereveningnews.co.uk | Rob Williams

Welcome to this week's 'Unmissable', our digest of the stories we think you might have missedHello,Andy Roche is the last man standing.
7am on a chilly morning, surrounded by police officers

2 months ago | manchestereveningnews.co.uk | Rob Williams

Welcome to this week's 'Unmissable', our digest of the stories we think you might have missedIt was 7am on a chilly Thursday morning and a Manchester Evening News reporter was standing alongside more than a dozen police officers outside a derelict looking unit near Strangeways prison. The M.E.N. was there to witness a raid on a premises which police suspected was being used to store counterfeit goods after our tip-off.
Is the Grand National cruel to horses?

2 months ago | manchestereveningnews.co.uk | Rob Williams

Not everyone enjoys the Grand National spectacle and the event has been dogged by arguments about its safety. Thousands have gathered at Aintree this weekend for the world-renowned Grand National festival. More than 150,000 people are due on the racecourse for the three-day racing festival, which culminates on Saturday when the world-famous Grand National steeplechase is run. Crowds enjoyed the sunshine for the opening day on Thursday, which is expected to have an attendance of about 23,000.
Life and death decisions, a gobs**** and our very own Berlin Wall

2 months ago | manchestereveningnews.co.uk | Rob Williams

Welcome to this week's 'Unmissable', our digest of the stories we think you might have missedTo badly misquote a famous beer advert - Manchester Evening News journalism goes places that other publications cannot reach. Welcome to this week's 'Unmissable', our digest of the stories we think you might have missed. The frenetic nature of the news agenda combined with the algorithmic whims of the tech giants means we think readers are sometimes missing some of our best stories.
Have bus services improved since the Bee Network arrived?

2 months ago | manchestereveningnews.co.uk | Rob Williams |Ethan Davies

An M.E.N. report this week identified that the Bee Network has improved punctuality - but people are not feeling the benefit. Our weekend poll asks what you think. The Bee Network is now up and running with the big yellow buses becoming a familiar sight across Greater Manchester. All buses outside London were deregulated in 1986, and they only returned to public control after Greater Manchester struck a deal with the government to allow the mayor to re-franchise them decades later.
Have you used the buses more since the Bee Network came in?

2 months ago | manchestereveningnews.co.uk | Rob Williams

Let us know whether you're using the buses more since the introduction of the Bee Network. Sunday is the Bee Network ‘change day’, marking a major milestone for the Manchester transport system. A new way to pay for buses and trams will be introduced, creating a new ‘tap and go’ integrated system similar to the London transport network. It’s the latest key moment in the updating of the Greater Manchester network. So far the Bee Network has been judged a success.
Are the planned cuts to benefit payments unfair?

2 months ago | manchestereveningnews.co.uk | Rob Williams

Several billion pounds in spending cuts are expected to be announced in the Spring statement on the 26th of March. The benefits system is “broken” and is “not working for anyone”, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves said this week. Meanwhile backbench Labour MPs have made it known to ministers they are concerned proposals to reform the welfare system will harm vulnerable people claiming benefits. Cabinet ministers are reportedly divided over the plans and have urged the Chancellor to rethink them.
Do you want to see more of Manchester city centre pedestrianised?

Mar 8, 2025 | manchestereveningnews.co.uk | Rob Williams

Everyone has an opinion on the atrocious city centre traffic - but should we be getting cars out even more quickly? Over the last few months the topic of city centre traffic and the much-discussed 'war on cars' has been a regular feature of the MEN's coverage. Though an issue for quite a while it seemed to reach its nadir in the run up to Christmas.
Escaped Alone / What If If Only at Royal Exchange Theatre - Haunted by the future

Feb 13, 2025 | manchestereveningnews.co.uk | Rob Williams

When the huge Los Angeles wildfires broke out, bringing devastation and death to over 23,000 acres of America’s west coast, people started taking selfies in front of the inferno. There were ‘get ready with me while I evacuate’ videos. Influencers danced as the world around them burned. An excellent new production at the Royal Exchange of two of Caryl Churchill's short plays hints at a sort of cognitive dissonance not dissimilar to disaster selfies.