There has been a spate of sudden temporary restaurant closures in Manchester this week as Covid-19 once again wreaks havoc on hospitality.
Some of the city’s most well-known venues have decided to shut their doors earlier than planned.
Many businesses are struggling to operate after staff members have tested positive for coronavirus, while others are battling with the drop in trade caused by the spread of the Omicron variant.
It’s left many our city’s bars and restaurants operating at a loss at what should be their busiest time of year.
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Credit: Facebook, The Sparrows
And now many have decided to call it a day until the new year.
Posting that the ‘Big C has cancelled Xmas’, renowned Green Quarter restaurant The Sparrows wrote: “Sadly due to members of staff testing positive for Covid -19 we are making a decision to close The Sparrows until 1st of January 2022.
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“We are very sorry to cause any inconvenience to anyone’s festive plans, but customers’ safety and our team’s wellbeing are the priority.
“For the Love for Spätzle we will be looking forward to seeing you all in a New Year! Please stay safe! Take care of yourselves and the ones around you this Christmas.”
Credit: Instagram @iscawines
Independent wine bar Isca, in Levenshulme, has also had to switch up its offering in a bid to keep its team Covid-free for Christmas.
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They wrote: “As the madness returns and grows around us we have decided to close Isca for sitting in until next year.
“We are doing all we can to keep everyone safe, and want our team to be able to enjoy Christmas without catching Covid.”
They later added: “It really saddens us to not be able serve you some delicious wines + food at Isca in the run up to Christmas but we think it’s for the best in our small space.”
The Stockport Road bar remains open as a takeaway and as a shop, selling wine, gifts and cheeses.
Credit: Dust Dogs MCR
Back in the city centre, Northern Soul’s new hot dog venture Dust Dogs has had to shut temporarily just weeks after it launched.
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They said it was down to ‘current Covid news, staffing issues and a short Christmas week’, promising to be back 2022 ‘bigger, better and proper’.
A separate post highlighed the struggles facing hospitality right now.
They wrote: “F*** I WE WISH WE COULD BE OPEN !!
“We should be absolutely flying in the new place but the reality is, hospitality has been hit for 60% of lost trade.
“It turns out we made the right decision, too many factors at play to push the last week.”
Kala, part of Gary Usher’s Elite Bistros empire, won’t be reopening until after Christmas either, saying that it has ‘too many staff isolating’.
Student favourite The Font is facing a similar situation after a positive Covid case in its team, saying that the decision to close early ‘wasn’t taken lightly but is the best one as the physical & mental wellbeing of our team & customers is priority’.
Enormous Swan Street venue Ramona has closed its kitchens and reverted to a drinks-only venue as it winds down for the Christmas break.
They said: “Due to everything that’s going on at the moment and to keep all our team and guests as safe as we can, we will be offering bar / drinks service only until midnight on 23rd December.
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“Pizza From Detroit will return as soon as we can and we’ll let you know on here first of all. Sorry to everyone who was coming to eat with us.
Featured image: Instagram, @kala_bistro_manchester
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Tributes paid to ‘trailblazing’ Manchester councillor Pat Karney who’s died at age 78
Emily Sergeant
Heartfelt tributes are being paid following the death of ‘trailblazing’ Manchester councillor, Pat Karney, at the age of 78.
It’s said that he had been receiving treatment for cancer at The Christie.
A longstanding Labour Party politician, Pat had represented Harpurhey as a councillor since 1979, as well as being a Lead Member for the City Centre during that time. He was most-notably responsible for setting up the now-iconic Manchester Day festival, as well as being a supporter and one of the key figures in the organising of Manchester’s annual Christmas Markets.
Pat was affectionately known to many across Greater Manchester as ‘Mr Manchester’ or ‘Mr Christmas’, thanks to his deep love of the city and the festive season.
Also throughout his career, Pat was one of the pivotal figures in the regeneration of the city centre after it was devastated by the 1996 IRA bombing.
He was also said to be ‘proud’ of the role he played in standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, especially in the 1980s when Manchester City Council fought against the discriminatory Clause 28 (of the Local Government Act 1988) introduced by the Thatcher Government.
Manchester City Council Leader Garry Bridges, Council Chief Executive Tom Stannard, and Greater Manchester’s former Night Time Economy Adviser Sacha Lord are some of the well-known names leading the tributes to Pat.
RIP Councillor Pat Karney.
In 2006, when I came up with the idea of The Warehouse Project, it was laughed off.
Pat believed in it and helped it happen.
A visionary. A pioneer. A true Mancunian.#RIPPatKarney
Cllr Bridges called Pat a ‘giant of Manchester politics’, while Lord described him as ‘a visionary, a pioneer, and a true Mancunian’.
One of the most prominent tributes has been paid by Greater Manchester Mayor, and former Council Leader, Bev Craig – who said Pat will ‘always be in our hearts’.
Her tribute reads in full: “Across Manchester and across politics, many will mourn the loss of Pat Karney, a force of nature who served our city for half a century. My thoughts are with his family, who he treasured and adored, at this difficult time. He will always be in our hearts.
“Affectionately known by many as Mr Manchester, Pat was one of the city’s most recognisable figures. Through Manchester’s renaissance, Pat championed making our city what it is today from the regeneration of the city centre, improving the health of Manchester people, to the creation of Manchester Day – he was incredibly proud of Manchester and recognised the need to bring people together.
“A local north Manchester boy, he championed Manchester while ferociously fighting for the people of Harpuhey and Collyhurst. He delivered on the ground from new council housing and a GP surgery to championing a new North Manchester Hospital.
“Pat was one of a kind, passionate, determined, sharp and quick witted, but he was also thoughtful, kind and supportive. He will be remembered too for his sense of fun.
“A private man, he was in many ways a trailblazer in politics, someone who sacrificed a lot to be himself he championed the gay village and LGBT equality, he paved the way for generations who came after him.
“Working together for over 15 years we became good friends and like many I will miss him- but also make sure his achievements are celebrated in a way that he would be proud of.”
Featured Image – Cllr Pat Karney / Manchester City Council
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Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Daisy Jackson -
22nd December 2021 
