BREAKING: Greater Manchester leaders say they are ‘fighting back’ for a fair deal
Mayor Andy Burnham, Deputy Mayor Bev Hughes, and Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese hosted a press conference on Thursday (15 October) afternoon, claiming they are "unanimously opposed" to Tier 3 and the "hardships" the measures will cause.
Greater Manchester’s leaders have spoken out as the tier saga continues – claiming they are “fighting back” for a “fair deal” for the region.
Mayor Andy Burnham, Deputy Mayor Bev Hughes, and Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese hosted a press conference on Thursday (15 October) afternoon, claiming they are “unanimously opposed” to Tier 3 and the “hardships” the measures will cause.
Burnham stated: “We are being asked to gamble our residents’ jobs, homes and businesses – and a large chunk of our economy – on a strategy that their own experts tell them might not work.
“We would never sign up for that.”
Deputy Mayor Hughes followed up: “I’d like to ask the government – what is the rationale for feeling that the people of Greater Manchester can manage if they’re laid off on 60% of their income, when the previous lockdown gave people 80%?”
The conference followed a meeting held between ministers and Manchester MPs who – for the second time in the space of a week – were arguing against the implementation of stricter measures in Greater Manchester.
Whether Greater Manchester will actually enter Tier 3 at some stage remains unclear, and Burnham has called that a “decision for the government.”
However, local leaders remain opposed to entering the ‘very high’ risk category under current circumstances.
ADVERTISEMENT
Under Tier 3 rules, pubs and bars that do not serve ‘substantial’ meals must close, whilst different households cannot mix in any setting.
The government also advises against travelling in/out Tier 3 areas.
Fitness centres, gyms, bookmakers and casinos can also close under these rules.
Mayor Burnham has repeatedly claimed the financial package to support closed businesses is insufficient, and would therefore “not accept” any additional measures being imposed on Manchester.
Last weekend, local MPs and hospitality leaders urged the government to avoid placing the ten boroughs into the ‘very high’ risk category, even considering legal action.
ADVERTISEMENT
When the finalised tier system was announced in the House of Commons on Monday, it appeared their request had been granted – with the PM listing Greater Manchester in Tier 2.
But subsequent recommendations from health experts prompted the government to reconsider their decision the very next day – with an emergency Gold Command meeting held to determine whether Greater Manchester should be reclassified.
It was predicted that regions could experience movement between tiers over time, especially as case rates moved up and down.
But immediate indecisiveness over categorisation has created extreme friction between the government and some local authorities.
Elsewhere in the UK, London has been moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2 – resulting in a ban on households mixing indoors across the capital.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had been hinting that harsher measures could be on the way, with a second wave leading to case rate rises all over the UK.
Northern Ireland announced a four-week ‘circuit breaker’ earlier this week. The new rules will come into effect on Friday, with pubs and restaurants forced to shut (except for takeaway). NI schools will also close for two weeks, whilst places of worship, shops and gyms can stay open.
News
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road to close for annual safety checks this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road is set to close this weekend while annual safety checks are carried out, it has been confirmed.
As Manchester City Council looks to maintain and improve what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is set to close overnight this weekend for its annual inspection.
Carried out every year, the Council explains that these closures ensure that ‘vital’ safety inspections can be conducted to allow the major road to continue operating as normal.
The overnight closure will take place from 7-8 June.
From 5am on Saturday (7 June), Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions along its entire length, including all slip roads, between the Chester Road roundabout and Fairfield Street, and this will last until 7pm on Sunday (8 June), after which the road will be open to traffic again as normal.
In the meantime while the closures are underway, the Council assures that a signed diversion route will be in place via the north and eastern ring road sections – Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street – and a local diversion route will be signed via Bridgewater Street, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street, and Fairfield Street.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way is closing for annual safety checks this weekend / Credit: Pixabay
During this period there will also be a lane closure east/westbound at the Deansgate Interchange between 6:30-9:30am, and the inbound lane of Princess Road (heading towards Manchester) between 6:30am and 11:15am.
As is to be expected with these kinds of tasks, Councillors say they are preparing for a ‘level of disruption’ but are intending to keep it to a minimum.
“The annual inspection of the Mancunian Way is a vital job which ensures that the tens of thousands of daily users of this road can go about their journey in safety,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport.
“We do expect a level of disruption throughout this process so wherever possible we’d advise people to travel via public transport, or plan an alternate route ahead to avoid the work locations.
“Safety will always be our number one priority and I’d like to say thank you in advance for the patience of road users during this period of works.”
Find out more information on this weekend’s Mancunian Way closures here.
Featured Image – Geograph
News
95% of Mancs apparently want the city to be ‘cashless’, new study reveals
Emily Sergeant
An eye-opening new study has found that only 5% of Mancs still use cash as their preferred method of payment nowadays.
It comes as no surprise that cash is less of a ‘king’ nowadays than it used to be, but now a new report by global financial technology company SumUp has suggests that only 5% of people in Manchester prefer to pay with cash, while 59% choose debit and credit cards, so that leaves one question… is Manchester on its way to becoming a cashless city?
To discover how payment preferences are evolving, SumUp conducted a nationwide survey to gather insights from UK consumers about their payment habits.
The company was particularly intrigued to not only discover payment methods people prefer, but what their concerns around certain payment methods, alongside how they feel about businesses that don’t accept digital payments.
95% of Mancs apparently want the city to be ‘cashless’ / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash) | Pexels
Firstly, before we go any further, it’s important to note that almost two thirds (63%) of Manchester residents said they have changed the way they make payments over the past year.
Unsurprisingly, debit and credit cards remain the top choice for the majority of Mancs, with over half (59%) saying it was their preferred method of payment, followed by mobile payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay at 24% – which is likely thanks to their ease of use and the ability to have multiple cards on one device.
While a third (31%) of Mancs said that they ‘don’t mind’ cash and still opt to carry it for situations where digital payments aren’t an option, a growing number of people in the city are feel that digital payments are more favourable, with 25% thinking that businesses should adapt to modern payment methods and whilst 28% finding it ‘inconvenient’ when a business doesn’t accept digital payments.
A further 11% of people even say that cash-only businesses wouldn’t be an option they’d consider, and would actually avoid them wherever possible.
Only 5% use cash as their preferred method of payment / Credit: Rawpixel
When it comes to concerns around digital payment methods, where do Mancs stand then? Well, the survey found that a third (33%) of people are worried about their reliance on technology, especially being unable to pay if their phone dies, for example, while an additional 32% of people are concerned about security risks such as hacking, fraud, or stolen card details.
Among other things, 26% of survey respondents also said they worry about the privacy aspect of digital banking and the tracking your data.
“While debit and credit cards continue to dominate as the preferred payment method, it’s clear that cash is slowly declining in use, particularly among younger generations,” Corin Camenisch, who is the Marketing & Growth Lead at SumUp, commented on the report.
“Looking ahead, we can anticipate a rise in innovative payment methods like digital wallets, especially as younger consumers increasingly embrace the convenience and flexibility they offer.”
The Manc -
15th October 2020 
