Andy Burnham has slammed the proposed closure of train station ticket offices as “wholly inadequate” for Greater Manchester.
Around three out of five train stations in England currently have a staffed ticket office – but in case you hadn’t heard, the government-run Rail Delivery Group (RDG) announced earlier this week that it’s looking to change that moving forward, and unveiled plans to “bring station staff closer to customers” by moving them out of ticket offices and onto platforms and concourses instead.
Bringing staff out from ticket offices would apparently allow the rail industry to “respond to that generational shift in customer behaviour” just like other similar industries and organisations have, the RDG said.
Ticket office facilities will remain open at the stations and interchanges considered by the RDG to be the “busiest”, but aside from this, the rest would be closed.
If the proposed changes are accepted, the RDG says closures would be “phased in gradually”.
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The industry body has now launched a 21-day public consultation on the proposed closures, and is asking passengers for their thoughts on the proposals.
Ticket offices could be closed at ‘nearly every’ train station in England / Credit: RDG
Since the proposed closures were announced, several concerns were raised.
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One notable criticism on the plans came from Transport for the North (TfN), with a spokesperson issuing a statement and acknowledging that while the organisation “understands the way people buy tickets is changing” and that there “needs to be reform”, this should, however, be done in a “holistic” way that considers the needs of all station users and local communities.
“We are concerned that the focus on ticket office staffing in isolation of wider investment could lead to disadvantaging certain passengers and communities,” the TfN spokesperson explained.
Another vocal critic was Mayor Andy Burnham, who took to Twitter shortly after the RDG’s announcement to slam the proposed plans and insist that the Greater Manchester Combined Authority(GMCA) would be “fighting this hard” with Greater Manchester‘s best interests at heart.
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Reeling from the news that FIFTY ticket offices are set to close at rail stations across GM.
Feels like the Government is determined to put the North’s railways into not-so-managed decline.
We will be fighting this hard and will say more about it tomorrow.
Mr Burnham tweeted earlier this week: “Reeling from the news that FIFTY ticket offices are set to close at rail stations across Greater Manchester. Feels like the Government is determined to put the North’s railways into not-so-managed decline.
“We will be fighting this hard and will say more about it tomorrow.”
As promised, the Mayor of Greater Manchester has now taken the fight one step further and has penned a letter to Transport Secretary Mark Harper to express his discontent and brand the proposals as “wholly inadequate”.
He has also called for an “immediate suspension” to rail operator Northern‘s process, otherwise he will “have no other option” but to consider legal action.
🗣️ "Passengers and staff have been taken aback by the scale of the proposed changes. To announce them without prior warning and head straight into a 21-day consultation period feels wholly inadequate to an issue of this seriousness."
— Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham (@MayorofGM) July 6, 2023
In the letter to Mark Harper, Mr Burnham says that passengers and staff in Greater Manchester have been “taken aback by the scale of the proposed changes”, and that it feels as though they are being “railroaded through” without proper consultation on the impact they would have on passengers – particularly disabled people and older people.
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The Mayor argues that the proposals would “further damage the confidence of passengers in our railways at precisely the time when we are all seeking to attract more people to use public transport and rebuild vital revenue.”
He is calling on Northern to suspend the public consultation with immediate effect until they “publish an Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) to help inform consultation responses”, and has argued that current plans cannot “adequately be assessed without one”.
On top of that, he also said 21 days is a “clearly insufficient” amount of time for people to judge “such a far-reaching set of proposals”.
Featured Image – Flickr
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NHS becomes first in the world to roll out ‘revolutionary’ blood test to help treat cancer patients
Emily Sergeant
The NHS has become the first in the world to roll out ‘revolutionary’ blood tests to help treat cancer patients.
Tens of thousands of patients with lung and breast cancer in England are set to benefit from the new ‘liquid biopsy’ test that can speed up access to targeted therapy by up to two weeks earlier, all while helping some patients avoid further tests and treatments – including chemotherapy.
The test is to be used before traditional tissue biopsies to help diagnose certain types of cancer.
A ‘liquid biopsy’ works by detecting tiny fragments of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) and looks for specific genetic variations of cancer, allowing patients to access targeted therapies which are tailored to the genetic profile of their cancer.
The blood test is being rolled out nationwide following a successful pilot, and NHS England expects that around 15,000 patients with suspected lung cancer could now benefit from the test each year.
Thousands of patients with cancer will benefit from a new blood test which can speed up access to targeted therapy.
Pilot data in lung cancer showed that in some cases, patients received the results of ctDNA testing needed to make treatment decisions 16 days earlier with liquid biopsies compared with the standard cancer tissue biopsy approach.
An independent health economic assessment of the pilot estimated the test could save the NHS up to £11 million per year in lung cancer care.
Because of this, the NHS says it’s now looking at using the test in a range of other cancers too – including pancreatic and gallbladder cancer.
“Liquid biopsies are leading us into a new era of personalised cancer care,” commented Professor Peter Johnson, who is the NHS’s national clinical director for cancer, “and it’s fantastic that we are now able to expand the use of this revolutionary test on the NHS to help tailor treatment for thousands of patients across the country.
The NHS has become the first in the world to roll out a ‘revolutionary’ blood test to help treat cancer patients / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | Pexels
“Cutting-edge genomic testing is helping us deliver more targeted and kinder care for patients, enabling some to avoid more intensive treatments such as further chemotherapy, which can have a huge impact.
“We are already seeing the difference this test can make in lung and breast cancer, and we hope to roll it out for patients with other forms of cancer in the near future.
“As research progresses, it’s exciting that this approach has the potential to help us ‘scan’ the body in a single blood test to see where and how cancer may be developing and target it with speed and precision to help save more lives.”
More than 1,600 patients with suspected lung cancer and around 600 advanced breast cancer patients have had liquid biopsy tests done since April, but the test is now available for all eligible lung and breast cancer patients in NHS hospitals across England.
Featured Image – Karolina Grabowska (via Pexels)
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Tribute paid to former Race Across the World star Sam Gardiner who died in a crash in Gatley
Emily Sergeant
The family of a former Race Across the World star who died following a collision last week have paid a touching tribute to him.
Sam Gardiner rose to public attention when he competed with his mother, Jo, in the second series of the BBC’s Race Across The World, but sadly, the 24-year-old lost his life during a collision in Gatley at the beginning of last week.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that Sam was the driver of a white VW Golf R estate that was involved in a single-vehicle collision on Monday 26 May.
The collision occurred on the A34 in Gatley, and Sam has since passed away from his injuries.
Sam Gardiner and his mum Jo, who competed on BBC’s Race Across the World / Credit: GMP
At the time of his tragic death, Sam was working as landscape gardener and had been based on an isolated estate on the west coast of Scotland, but was home in Manchester for a family gathering.
Sam was described by his parents as a ‘loyal, funny, and fiercely protective’ young man in the tribute paid to him.
Their tribute reads in full: “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Sam in a terrible accident. Sam left us far too soon, and whilst words will never fully capture the light, joy and energy he brought into our lives, we hold on to the memories that made him so special.
“Sam was adored by his family. As a son, brother and nephew, he was loyal, funny and fiercely protective.
#APPEAL | Serious Collision Investigation Unit appeal for information following a serious road traffic collision on A34 in Gatley on Monday 26 May at 9.50pm.
Call us on 0161 856 4741 quoting 3306 26/05/25 with any information.
— Stockport Police (GMP) (@GMPStockport) May 27, 2025
“He did Race Across The World in 2019, which opened his eyes to the wonder of adventure and travel. He was willing to go wherever the trail might lead and he touched everyone he met on the road. He found great happiness working as a landscape gardener on the west coast of Scotland.
“Sam brought warmth, laughter and a smattering of chaos wherever he went.
“He leaves behind a huge hole in our hearts. We will miss him endlessly, but we’ll also remember him with smiles, tall tales, and a depth of love that will never fade”.
At this time, Sam’s family have asked for privacy whilst they begin to come to terms with the terrible loss, and are being supported by specialist GMP officers.
Emily Sergeant -
7th July 2023 
