Pubs, bars and restaurants in Manchester city centreare signing up to the new #CancelTheCurfew campaign in droves– and one venue has even gone as far as banning MPs from the premises.
Cocktail and rum bar MOJO, on Bridge Street, has published a tongue-in-cheek social media post stating that no members of parliament are permitted to enter until they “release the industry”.
The #CancelTheCurfew campaign – which has already amassed dozens of supportive voices from key venues in Manchester including One Eight Six, Cocktail Beer Ramen & Bun, Liars Club and Arcane – is calling on the government to put a stop to the 10pm prohibition so the sector can survive.
Posting on Instagram, MOJO stated: “You won’t serve us, so we won’t serve you!”
It continues: “Today we call on our friends, colleagues, brothers and sisters in bars, pubs and restaurants across the country to join us in putting all the members of parliament on notice.
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“Until they see sense and either release our industry to trade or provide us with viable financial support, we will not serve them.
“#cancelthecurfew”.
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Martin Greenhow, Managing Director at MOJO, has previously said there is “no evidence to support the assumption that hospitality is driving infection.”
He added: “Hospitality has slaved to work responsibly within the constraints laid out for us and now we are being thrown aside with scant concern for the impact these measures will have on our businesses and the wider economy.”
Growing support for the campaign comes as hospitality finds itself shackled once again by industry-specific COVID-19 restrictions – the latest of which were enforced last week in an attempt to flatten the rising curve of cases in the UK.
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Today I called on the Govt to #cancelthecurfew It is destroying our economy & doing nothing to stem the spread of coronavirus. Minister’s response…he’s speaking to businesses🤷 He should try some action instead. Thanks to our own @Stevey_Panto for championing this. pic.twitter.com/JMidZlvUG0
Emma Lewell-Buck, Labour MP for South Shields, referenced the campaign in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, calling the curfew “arbitrary and unevidenced”.
“When on earth will the government abolish this curfew?” she asked.
Bars and restaurants are also arranging a silent protest on Saturday 3 October, with hospitality workers set to stand outside their venues at 10pm.
The campaign’s open letter, addressed to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, states: “A 10pm curfew drives the public from the safe environment of our venues and into areas with no regulations.
“We are not asking for unlimited handouts. We are asking to open our doors. To be allowed to do what we do best whilst keeping our staff and customers safe.”
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Greater Manchester officially launches five-year climate change action plan
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has officially begun its five-year climate change action plan, with the overarching goal of becoming a net-zero city region by 2038.
The comprehensive pledge put together over a number of years itself will see Manchester City Council and the nearby local authorities put into action a number of key measures that will help to reduce not only central carbon figures but, eventually, across the 10 boroughs in turn.
Over the last 15 years, emissions have been reduced by approximately 64%, saving an estimated 44,344 tonnes of carbon through cleaner building energy, street lighting and other electronics, as well as the increasingly green and over-growing Bee Network.
They have also insisted that it isn’t just about cutting down on greenhouse gases; the aim is to make the city region and the surrounding areas more sustainable, affordable and create a better standard of life.
Our five-year plan to tackle climate change launches today. 🌏
It details how we’ll continue to deliver dramatic reductions in the amount of carbon we emit (the biggest contributor to climate change). 🏙️
As per the summary on the Council website, in addition to creating more efficient homes, they’re hoping to provide more access to nature and good-quality green space, “public transport you can rely on”, and “better health and wellbeing for those who live, work, study and visit here.”
With a steadily recovering local and national economy (touch wood), they’re also hoping for an influx of new jobs, too.
Summarising the key bullet points leading up to the end of the decade, these are the next steps currently outlined by the Council:
Lower carbon emissions
Grow the use of renewable energy
Improve low-carbon travel in the city
Improve air quality
Grow the city’s natural environment and boost biodiversity
Improve resilience to flooding and extreme heat
Engage and involve our workforce and our city’s communities
Reduce waste and grow reuse, repair, sharing and recycling
Support a move to a more circular economy
Minimise the negative impact of events held in the city
Develop our knowledge of our indirect emissions and lower them
Create a green financing strategy and explore new funding models for the city
Influence the environmental practices of other organisations
As for emissions, the target is now to drop the present output by another 34%, which will prevent almost 43,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from being pumped into the atmosphere.
Having touched upon the continued expansion of the Bee Network infrastructure, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is also set to install multiple new travel links over the coming years, including both new tram stops and train stations – further
You can read the climate action plan in full HERE.
Manchester’s firework displays are ‘back with a bang’ as they return from 2026
Emily Sergeant
Council-organised firework displays in Manchester’s parks are set to return from next year, it has been confirmed.
You may remember that these once-popular events have not been held since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic initially prevented them from taking place from 2020 onwards, and then following that, they remained paused on a trial basis while the Manchester City Council sought to ‘reprioritise funding’ to support a wider range of free community events across the city.
But now, as it seems, the door was never shut on their potential return.
An ‘improved financial position’ now means that the Council is in a position to bring firework events back, while also still continuing to support other community events.
Papers setting out the Council’s financial position show that fairer funding being introduced by the Government next year will leave the Council better off than previously anticipated, he the reason firework displays have been brought back into the mix.
The Council has admitted that ‘pressures remain’ after so many years of financial cuts, but this new funding creates the opportunity to invest in the things residents have said matter the most to them.
“Manchester prides itself on free community events and we know many people have missed Bonfire night firework spectaculars,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.
“That’s why we are pleased to confirm they’ll be back by popular demand in 2026.
“We know that generations of Mancunians have enjoyed Council-organised displays and that free family events are a great way to bring people together… [and] now that this Government is actually investing in Councils like ours rather than the cuts we had since 2010, we can bring back Bonfire events.”
The Manc -
29th September 2020 
