Council responds after food truck arson victim has trading application rejected
Lekan Kamson Odesanya - who lost his food truck in a targeted arson attack - has been left 'living on handouts' after his trading applications were rejected.
Manchester City Council has pledged it will still do “everything in its power” to support the food truck owner left without a trading license since his business was burned to the ground.
Lekan Kamson Odesanya – also known as David Kamson – lost his Moston Suya food van last year after it was set alight in a targeted ‘racist attack’.
His story led to the community pooling together their money and raising thousands to buy him a new vehicle – but the chef has been unable to use it as his trading applications have been rejected.
A lack of income has apparently left Mr Odesanya living on ‘handouts’ and on the verge of eviction, with another GoFundMe page launched to help him ‘pay his bills’.
A new petition has called on the council to reconsider Mr Odesanya’s application to serve his food in a local car park.
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Responding to The Manc’s request for comment, Manchester Council published a timeline of correspondence with the Moston Suya owner; dating from October 30 until March 9.
A council spokesperson revealed that Mr Odesanya’s initial application was rejected due to missing data, and that his preferred trading site was not suitable at the time of his second application as the area was being considered for potential NHS Covid testing.
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After enquiring about a move to private land in Prestwich, the Moston Suya owner then made an application to trade on Bute Street instead – which was apparently under consideration before he asked for a refund of his application fee.
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar called the arson attack against Moston Suya “a completely despicable act”, and said that the council had “worked with Mr Odesanya” ever since his successful fundraiser to get a new food van.
The Councillor stated: “We have had two licence applications from Mr. Odesanya, the first of which was incomplete and had to be rejected, and the second in relation to the private car park he did not have permission to trade in.
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“He also enquired about a potential new location in Prestwich, but was referred to Bury Council as Manchester City Council has no jurisdiction in this area.”
Councillor Akbar added: “We have also tried to connect the applicant with a charity who supports start ups, as well as trying to explore another location where Mr. Odesanya could trade.
“During this process Mr. Odesanya withdrew his application and his fees were refunded. If he were to come to us again we would do everything in our power to support another application to trade.”
More than £3,600 has been donated by the public so far to support the chef; with the fundraising page explaining that money will also go towards any future ‘legal fees and human rights appeals.’
The campaign has also urged Greater Manchester police to re-open the investigation into the crimes committed against Mr Odesanya as the culprits have not been ‘brought to justice’.
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Manchester rent is now ‘41% more expensive than five years ago, according to a recent study
Danny Jones
Yes, that’s right, as per some of the latest data on leased housing in central Manchester, it’s now approximately 41% more expensive to rent here than it was half a decade ago.
If you’ve lived in and around the city centre for long enough, chances are that you’ve already been feeling that difference, especially of late.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis roughly began in 2021, following the economy and the world essentially opening back up after multiple lockdowns, so it’s little surprise that new research has shown affordability when it comes to renting has been on a slump ever since, too.
As well as the price of seemingly most things in everyday life going up post-pandemic, the average rental rate for even just a one-bedroom flat/apartment has jumped up significantly between 2020 and 2025.
Even some ‘available’ housing in town is being hampered by claddin (Credit: Valienne via WikiCommons)
That’s according to the numbers crunched by credit card experts, Zable, anyway.
Not only did their recent report cite the rent prices going up even before the cost of living crisis – essentially following the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak – but if their figures, the rate of inflation and the unwaveringly high demand for housing are anything to go by, this trajectory is likely to continue in 2026.
As of February this year, around one in three UK households is now a single-person occupancy, which already comes with its challenges (the Manchester City Council tax discount being a thin lifeline for countless), not to mention energy bills and the cost of groceries continuing on an upwards trend.
Put in the simplest and most reductive terms, it’s now almost £300 dearer for most people to live on their own than it was back in 2020, and besides Liverpool clocking in as second on the list of increasingly expensive cities to live (a 42.12% increase), Manchester came in third.
You can see the full table down below:
Rank
City
% increase – 2020-2025
Difference from 2020 to 2025 in £
Average rental cost for a 1 bed 2025
1
Newport
47.39%
£2,611
£8,121
2
Liverpool
42.12%
£2,290
£7,727
3
Manchester
41.00%
£3,364
£11,569
4
Edinburgh
40.28%
£4,620
£16,090
5
Leicester
39.93%
£2,391
£8,379
6
Wolverhampton
39.22%
£2,049
£7,273
7
Nottingham
39.07%
£2,400
£8,543
8
Glasgow
38.02%
£2,679
£9,725
9
Colchester
37.63%
£2,617
£9,572
10
Cardiff
37.06%
£2,828
Average rental cost for a 1-bed 2025
Another fear is that with lots of people finding it hard to manage living in other major cities like London, even those moving to Manchester are also having an impact on how available affordable housing is here.
That’s why schemes such as the new ‘social rent’ development over in Wythenshawe are so important to the current generations of renters, with the possibility of owning your own property in the future becoming increasingly difficult for so many.
It’s also worth noting that Manchester ranked fourth among the British locations where the cost of living is said to have increased the most over the past five years, with the average difference in annual spend growing by an estimated 22.84%.
1,500 miles of roadworks lifted to help ease congestion for drivers this bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
1,500 miles of roadworks have now been lifted across the UK.
With half term well underway already, and now millions of drivers set to hit the road over the next five days as Easter bank holiday weekend arrives, giving Brits two extra days off, National Highways has now confirmed that, as of today (Thursday 2 April), around 1,500 miles of roadworks have been lifted nationwide.
Roads are expected to be ‘especially’ busy tomorrow in particular (Good Friday), National Highways predicts, as this is the day people are most likely to head on a spring getaway.
So, in a bid to help ease congestion for drivers up and down the motorways, roadworks have been removed up until Bank Holiday Monday (6 April).
“By keeping 98% of routes clear, we’re supporting the wider economy where it matters most to tourism, freight, and local businesses,” National Highways said in a statement.
1,500 miles of roadworks have been lifted to help ease congestion for drivers this bank holiday weekend / Credit: pxfuel
The decision to lift the roadworks comes as a new national survey revealed a total of 71,254 breakdowns were recorded in spring (March–May) last year, compared with 56,702 in 2022.
It also showed that more than one in two (53%) UK drivers have broken down on a motorway or major A-road in their lifetime, highlighting how common the experience is for both drivers and passengers, and why it’s important to take relevant safety precautions from all sides.
29% of drivers think their breakdown could have been prevented with simple vehicle safety checks, but 17% admit to rarely or never conducting these.
National Highways echoes the statement that most of these incidents could be avoided through ‘quick and basic’ checks, and is urging drivers heading away this bank holiday weekend to familiarise themselves with how to do these before hitting the roads, so they can reach their destinations safely, saving costs and reducing delays for all road users in the process.
“Millions of people will be hitting the roads over Easter, and we want everyone to have a safe and smooth journey,” commented Colin Stevenson, who is the Road Safety Information Lead at National Highways.
“A few simple checks can help to prevent many of the breakdowns we see each year and help drivers avoid unexpected delays, cost and stress.
The Manc -
23rd March 2021 
