News
Sacha Lord launches tax axe campaign to protest new VAT hike
The new hike is set to take VAT to 20%.
Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, has launched a campaign to fight back against the government’s latest proposed tax hike.
Lord’s ‘Axe The Red Wall Tax‘ website has been launched as part of a protest against a second tax rise for pubs and restaurants “which will put 12,600 businesses at risk”.
The new hike is set to take VAT to 20%.
Hospitality has lost more than £80.8bn over the course of the pandemic, and Lord says the new tax rise will “hurt the poorest 10% three times more than it will hurt the richest 10% and risks derailing hospitality’s ability to contribute to the UK’s recovery”.
Lord stated: “Britain’s pubs, cafes, restaurants, and hotels have already suffered immense damage since March 2020. Sales across hospitality are around half what they were in 2019, and the sector remains in crisis mode.
“Yet for some unfathomable reason, this Government plans to practically double VAT for hospitality businesses, putting at risk the survival of 12,600 businesses, forcing them to raise prices for consumers and six in ten of them to cut jobs. And it’s in Red Wall constituencies that this tax will hit people the hardest.
“This Tory tax rise is a Red Wall Tax on working class northerners, plain and simple. It will hurt the poorest in our society more than anyone else, eating into the disposable incomes of the UK’s poorest ten percent of people three times more harshly than the richest ten percent.
“I’m not sure why it’s left to me to tell a Conservative Government not to raise taxes, but the road we are going down will do nothing but stifle investment, economic growth and recovery.”
He added: “Despite having entered the pandemic as one nation, the Red Wall tax would mean that we emerge more unequal than ever. This is why I’m launching my campaign to Axe the Red Wall Tax.
“If politicians of all stripes are really serious about levelling up, and helping those parts of the country that have had a poor deal for so long, they need a strong and thriving British hospitality sector.
“The Red Wall tax will kill our industry and is the surest route to levelling down, and I’ll certainly be fighting it every step of the way.”
News
Family pay tribute to ‘fun-loving’ son who died in Wythenshawe as man charged with murder
Emily Sergeant
The family of a man who died in Wythenshawe last week have now paid a touching tribute to him.
It comes after at around 11:35pm last Thursday (5 February), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to reports of an incident on Southwick Road in the Northern Moor area of Wythenshawe, and when emergency services attended the scene, they discovered a man in his 20s had been ‘seriously injured’.
Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the man sadly at the scene.
The victim has since been formally identified as Drew McCormick, who was aged 29, and another man was also subsequently arrested.
19-year-old Lewis Morley, of Ryecroft Grove in Manchester, was charged with murder and has been remanded to next appear at Manchester Crown Square Court on Tuesday 10 March 2026.
A police investigation into the incident is now being run by GMP’s Major Incident Team (MIT) and enquiries are ongoing.
In the meantime, Drew’s family have paid tribute: “There are just not enough words to describe Drew and the impact he had on many lives. He was a fun-loving person that brought laughter and joy to the world with his big bright smile and loud laugh.
“Drew had the biggest heart and would do anything for those he loved. He loved his family deeply even more than TikTok.
“He has left a huge hole in our hearts, and our lives will never be the same. We love you Drew and will keep you in our hearts forever.”
Read more:
With investigations ongoing, anyone who has any information or footage in relation to the incident that may assist GMP with its enquiries is urged to report them via the dedicated major incident portal here.
Featured Image – GMP
News
Plans officially submitted for ‘vibrant’ new food hall in Wythenshawe
Emily Sergeant
Are you feeling hungry? Good, because a new food hall is on the horizon.
That’s right – plans to transform Wythenshawe Civic have taken another exciting leap forward this week, as Manchester City Council and placemaker Muse have submitted a planning application to bring a brand-new food hall to the town.
Set to be housed within the three units next to the former Peacocks store – which has now been demolished – the new food hall will become a ‘vibrant’ destination for independent and local food vendors to attract people with ‘delicious and diverse’ offerings.
Developers also hope the new food hall will keep the suburban Manchester town’s centre ‘bustling’ throughout the day and into the evening.
The announcement that the new food hall is in the works comes as part of the already-announced plans for Wythenshawe Civic – with work to soon begin on everything from the public realm, and outside space, to the vacant office space above the existing Iceland-store, which will also be transformed into modern new workspace to support local start-ups and bring new jobs into the town centre.
Developers also recently submitted three separate applications to create 422 new affordable homes for social rent across three locations in the town centre.
“Listening to local people over the last year and more, we know that Wythenshawe residents want more from their town centre – more things to do, opportunities to spend time in Civic and night time attractions that give the area a lift and attract visitors,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.
“This is the drive behind the Culture Hub. A place for local people with an interest in the arts to take part in creative activities, see a show or enjoy the cinema space – right in the heart of their community.
“This is another exciting chapter in the transformation of Wythenshawe Town Centre.”
Read more:
Joel Chandler, who is the Senior Development Manager at Muse, added that developers are ‘moving at pace’ with plans to give the town centre the ‘regeneration it deserves’.
“The food hall will be a hive for a range of local outlets and will provide new spaces for the community to spend time in and give the town’s nighttime economy a major boost.”
Featured Image – Supplied
The Manc -
10th December 2021 
