Ministers mulling whether to roll out Tier 4 restrictions to other parts of England from Boxing Day
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick said that ministers were debating whether tiers were 'sufficient robust'
Ministers will discuss the prospect of moving more areas of England into Tier 4 restrictions later today, Robert Jenrick has revealed.
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government spoke to BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morning, explaining that the government’s committee would meet to determine whether the current system was doing enough to combat the spread of COVID-19.
“[We’re] going to review this and make a judgment,” said Jenrick.
“We don’t have an immediate plan to take action, but the number of cases is rising and the variant is spreading to other parts of the country.
“We will see whether it’s necessary to do more and see if the tier system is sufficiently robust for the new circumstances.”
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Jenrick clarified there was currently “absolutely no plan” to change restrictions before Christmas.
However, some reports have suggested that Tier 4 measures could come into effect in other parts of England as soon as Boxing Day.
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Cases have spiked in the south over the past few weeks – with scientists believing that a new, more transmissible coronavirus variant (first spotted in Kent) may be the cause.
Greater London and large sections of the south east are already in Tier 4 measures (which essentially amount to a lockdown) due to climbing case numbers. But many more regions may join them in a matter of days.
Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester Sacha Lord has already urged the government to provide a warning so that local economies can prepare.
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Lord stated: “It’s being widely reported that more areas, including some Tier 2 areas, could go into Tier 4 soon.
“If this is the case, I urge the Government to give people and businesses notice, so that hospitality in those areas can act accordingly with bookings, staff and stock.”
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Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
“A full flight schedule is expected to operate [today] but the airport may be busier due to rescheduled flights,” it added.
Passengers were then thanked for their ‘patience and understanding’ over the past 24 hours.
Featured Image – Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)
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Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
The Manc -
23rd December 2020 
