Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has rallied against the reintroduction of local lockdowns in parts of England with high COVID case rates – claiming they “simply do not work”.
The government has so far refused to rule out reimposing tougher sanctions in English regions where a more infectious variant of coronavirus – first identified in India – is causing cases to climb once again.
Bolton is one of the areas to suffer some of the biggest rises – with transmission rates in the borough more than 14 times the national average.
Speaking to Sky on the weekend, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Given though Bolton has been in some form of a lockdown for a year, it’s not a step we want to take but of course we might have to take it and we will if it’s necessary to protect people.”
But GM Mayor Andy Burnham has fought back against talk of local lockdowns this week – claiming that regional restrictions “turn lives upside down, ruin businesses and put young people’s lives on hold – with little effect on containing the virus.”
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There’s a big queue for the vaccine bus at Essa Academy in #Bolton.
Yesterday, the site broke the UK record for the most vaccinations in one day! pic.twitter.com/O2N1uR51Ks
— Hits Radio News | Manchester (@hitsmcrnews) May 18, 2021
Writing in The Mirror, Burnham suggested that people in lockdown areas would simply travel to other parts of England, causing the virus to circulate further.
He stated: “The trust of the public will be lost if local lockdown restrictions are imposed on them just at the time when the Government is easing them everywhere else.
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“And it will be harder for mayors and local leaders to ask the public to observe local lockdowns when the Government hasn’t even tried other solutions that might have prevented them in the first place.”
Burnham claimed the real solution was “staring us right in the face” – and that people needed full income support during self-isolation, whilst high case areas like Bolton should be given permission to vaccinate all people right down to the age of 16.
The queues for a covid vaccine continue to grow in Bolton where high numbers of the Indian variant have been found. More on @GMB tomorrow pic.twitter.com/e4DfAO9Vc2
Greater Manchester is no stranger to local lockdowns.
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In Autumn last year, several boroughs were living under different sets of ever-changing rules. At one stage, Trafford and Bolton were given the green light to lift social curbs on meeting others indoors – only to have the restrictions reimposed on the same day they were due to be removed.
On September 8, Bolton hospitality was blamed for high case rates and the sector was restricted to takeaway-only – with all venues temporarily required to close from 10pm to 5am.
Now, with case rates rising once again, business owners in the borough are concerned that similar restrictions could return; just days after bars, cafes, pubs, cinemas and culture venues reopened to the public on May 17.
Testing has however been ramped up in Bolton to slow the spread and a new vaccine centre has opened – with more than 6,000 local people queuing up to get a COVID shot over the weekend.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to commit to a course of action yet, but said there was nothing yet in the data to suggest England would need to deviate from its roadmap to exiting lockdown.
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He stated: “We’re looking at all the data as it comes in from places like Bolton, Blackburn, Bedford, Sefton” and added that the situation was “under very careful, close review.”
A much-loved independent Manchester cafe is heading out of the city centre for the first time as they plan to open a brand new premises over in Bolton.
Bolton as a town and wider borough has no shortage of cosy little caffs, but the addition of this latest place for a brew, butty and a bake is sure to be an instant hit just as it was in Ancoats.
To call Cafe Cotton a cult favourite would be grossly understating things at this point: the Blossom St spot tucked into Hallé St Peter’s is not only a beautiful space inside but looks out onto Manchester’s trendy and ever-bustling Cutting Room Square, making it a great place to sit with a coffee.
With that in mind, as they prepare to open their third location further out towards Lancashire, Boltonians have every reason to be very excited.
Cafe Cotton is coming to a town in Bolton. (Credit: The Manc Group)
The indie success story began way back in 2013, if you can believe that, serving sandwiches, sweet treats and more to the Manc masses.
Oh yeah, they also do bloody brilliant coffee that’s considered some of the best in the city.
Opening another venue on the ground floor of Neptune Mill in neighbouring Piccadilly East just this past January, the expansion of the brand has been a relatively steady one despite more than a decade of loyal patrons and new customers becoming each year.
However, good things come to those who wait, as we’re sure the Bolton natives will vouch for when the next Cafe Cotton opens up in Farnworth Green.
The opening date might still be up in the air, but here’s a little glimpse at the kind of goodness they can expect to enjoy:
The new addition is part of the overall Farnworth regeneration project, which is being headed up by investors Capital and Centric, who are famously responsible for numerous new developments in and around Manchester in recent years. Over £20 million has been set aside for the wider plans.
Cotton Cafe’s founder, Chris Griffith, said of the soon-to-open site: “We’ve been on an amazing journey growing Cotton, and we’re incredibly grateful for the loyal following we’ve cultivated. Now, Farnworth Green feels like the perfect next step.
“This isn’t just about opening another café; it’s about investing in a community. The bakery is a big move for us too, allowing us to craft everything from scratch and supply all our locations with freshly made goods.
“We’re also buzzing to team up with Bolton Council to offer apprenticeships, helping young people take their first step into the industry.” The authority itself is actually looking for a project lead as we speak.
Is this the start of a big period of change for Bolton?
If you ask us, a big key to a happy life is all about celebrating the little wins as much as possible and in this case, when we heard that you can now get a Pot Noodle as part of your Tesco meal deal, we nearly did a cartwheel.
Are we exaggerating? Only a little bit, to be fair. Is this still kind of a big deal (pardon the pun) for the millions of Brits whose lunchtime meal regularly consists of a Tesco butty, beverage and perhaps some crisps? We think so.
We only heard the joyous news through word of mouth, but it looks as though the rumours are true after being not-so-quietly confirmed via the official Pot Noodle social media channels last week, revealing that you can indeed get your flavour of choice as part of your meal deal.
That really is the headline here, let’s be honest; the fact that you can now get a Pot Noodle – something many people have for their tea or a more than satisfying late-night snack – as the bonus side along with your main item at Tesco it an absolute result.
With meal deal prices having steadily crept up across the nation over recent years, no matter which supermarket, Tesco Extra, Asda Express, Sainsbury’s Local, convenience store and so on you seem to look in, getting an extra bit of value for money like is a big win for those on a quick dinner dash.
This is just like when we figured out you could get a proper Ginsters sausage roll, Cornish pasty or steak/chicken slice as your snack too. Just as buzzing then as we are now.
The brand also recently revealed what the UK’s most popular meal choices were last year, and some of the selections might surprise you.
Once again, it’s all about enjoying the little things, and put it this way, if we’re overreacting, then so are plenty of others.
Now accepting donations so One Drunk Redneck can get to the #UK and experience a #Tesco meal deal. I only need to raise enough for a one way ticket. I'm not too worried about how I'd get back home.
Oh, I probably should take my spouse. Ok, enough for two, one way tickets.
The only slight downside is that right now, as you might have spotted in the Instagram post above, this offer has only been rolled out at select Tescos.
As for those in Greater Manchester, there are just two local shops: the Tesco Extra in Walkden in Salford, as well as the Extra on Huddersfield Road in Bolton; the next closest after that is Warrington.
Nevertheless, you would expect that if the popularity of this new deal takes off – Tesco’s lunchtime package being one of the most popular in Britain – it’s likely that they will expand their plans up and down the country at large.
Speaking on the launch in an official press release, Pot Noodle’s senior brand Madeleine Boulton said: “We know our fans are always looking to get the most bang for their buck, so our move into the Tesco Meal Deal as a side is our way of giving customers the ultimate ‘snackisfaction’ and for some, the perfect hack that will ensure their meal deal sees them through the day.”
Can’t lie, we do rather fancy a Bombay Bad Boy now.
The Manc -
19th May 2021 
