Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester Sacha Lord launched a legal challenge against the government last year
Sacha Lord has revealed that the government dropped the ‘substantial meal’ rule for pubs and restaurants from their recent lockdown exit roadmap as a result of his court case.
Under the COVID tier system in 2020, ministers introduced a rule for ‘high risk’ regions that pub customers must order food with their drinks – creating confusion as to what constituted a ‘substantial meal’.
When quizzed on the matter, Michael Gove flip-flopped on whether scotch eggs fell into the ‘starter’ or ‘main’ category, whereas Robert Jenrick claimed a Cornish pasty would qualify if it was ordered alongside chips or a salad.
However, the latest plan to reopen the economy states that hospitality venues can resume trading from April 12 without any item-ordering regulations.
In his address to parliament on February 22, Boris Johnson declared that the “scotch egg debate will be over” and there would be no further confusion as to which dishes justified the accompaniment of an alcoholic drink.
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On Monday (March 1), the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester revealed the decision not to reimpose the rule came as a direct result of his court case against the government.
Lord called the result a “landmark victory for hospitality”.
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Today I can announce the Government dropped the substantial meal requirement in their recent roadmap as a result of our court case.
Judges in our case ruled the measure was arguably discriminatory towards certain sections of society.
Lord launched a legal challenge against the government last year, claiming that the sector has been treated unfairly throughout the course of the pandemic.
Previous restrictions have led to the closure of ‘wet’ pubs that could not serve food alongside drinks, with the 10pm curfew also causing issues for late-night venues.
Following examination of the case put forward by Lord and his legal team, judges have ruled “the substantial measure was arguably discriminatory towards certain sections of society.”
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All court costs recovered are set to be distributed evenly between Hospitality Action and the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.
Following the ruling, Lord said that work is ongoing to determine why indoor hospitality is reopening at a later date than shops in 2021.
“We will continue to work on behalf of the night time economy and hospitality sectors to ensure measures imposed are fair to both operators and the public,” he stated.
“Finally, I can confirm my legal team and I are now in discussions regarding the lack of evidence to justify the delay of the reopening of hospitality compared with non-essential retail.”
The substantial meal rule gained notoriety amid debate over whether a scotch egg was a starter or main / Image: Kake / Flickr
The Warehouse Project and Parklife founder has been one of the leading voices for hospitality during the pandemic, appearing on multiple media outlets to campaign for fairer rulings for the sector.
Lord added: “If something’s clearly wrong, we shouldn’t just accept rules made by the government.
“They should be challenged.”
News
New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.
The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.
Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.
The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.
A new £60m fund has been launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester / Credit: TfGM
Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.
The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:
Bolton: £6,552,000
Bury: £4,374,000
Manchester: £8,155,000
Oldham: £5,258,000
Rochdale: £5,243,000
Salford: £5,388,000
Stockport: £6,820,000
Tameside: £4,980,000
Trafford: £4,992,000
Wigan: £8,241,000
The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.
“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.
“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Six GMP officers dismissed following racial discrimination allegations
Emily Sergeant
A number of police officers have been dismissed following an internal investigation, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.
Following the internal investigation into alleged racial discrimination against an officer on the Bury district – which was launched by GMP‘s Professional Standards Directorate in July 2024 – six officers and two former officers were found to have committed gross misconduct, and a ninth officer was found to have committed misconduct.
The investigation came after a report was made that an officer had been subjected to ‘racist behaviour’ by colleagues in December 2023.
The panel heard how PC Y – who has African heritage and has been granted anonymity – made a complaint after her accent was mimicked by a group of officers. She was also compared to a suspect with similar skin colour, and one of the dismissed PCs made a derogatory comment about her hair.
PC Y was supported and kept updated throughout the investigation, GMP assured, as well as providing evidence at the hearing.
The misconduct hearing lasted just over two weeks, with the panel concluding that the officers breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to Equality and Diversity, Authority, Respect, and Courtesy.
The six officers who have been dismissed are PC Demi Green, PC Heena Rani, PC Lucy Granby, PC Matthew Barlow, PC Matthew Hill, and PC Mohammed Abid, while the former officers who were found to have committed gross misconduct are PC Jake Holt, and former Officer A – who has been granted anonymity.
The panel also found that Sergeant Adrian Bick’s actions amounted to misconduct, as there was no breach of the standard of equality and diversity.
As a result, the six serving officers have been sacked without notice, while the two former officers would have been dismissed had they not already left the force, and Sergeant Bick was issued a written warning.
“No officer or member of staff should have to come to work and experience discriminatory behaviour from the people they serve alongside,” declared Deputy Chief Constable, Terry Woods.
“Everyone has the right to feel respected, valued and part of the same team with a shared commitment to serving our communities and keeping people safe.”
The Manc -
1st March 2021 
