Sports fans will not return to stadiums in October, Michael Gove confirms
Appearing on BBC Breakfast, the Minister for the Cabinet Officer responded to questions about the government's live sports spectators scheme - which originally planned for supporters to be gradually reintroduced to grounds in greater numbers across Britain from next month.
Sports fans will not return to stadiums on October 1 as originally planned, Michael Gove has revealed this morning.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast, the Minister for the Cabinet Officer responded to questions about the government’s live sports spectators scheme – which originally planned for supporters to be gradually reintroduced to grounds in greater numbers across Britain from next month.
However, according to Gove, the plan has now been placed “on pause.”
“It was the case that we were looking at a staged programme of more people returning; it wasn’t going to be the case that we were going to have stadiums thronged with fans,” Gove reiterated during the liver interview.
“We are looking for the moment at how we can pause that programme.”
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Several fixtures across team sports in England, including football and rugby, had previously been earmarked as occasions where small numbers of fans could attend.
1,000 Blackpool supporters visited Bloomfield Road for The Seasiders’ League One fixture with Swindon Town on Saturday; with the hosts emerging 2-0 winners.
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The idea was to slowly increase capacity moving ahead, but this is now being halted indefinitely.
Britain is suffering the start of a second coronavirus wave, and it appears unlikely that supporters will return to seats in big numbers before Christmas.
However, Gove admitted that the government still have plans to get larger crowds back inside sporting arenas in the future.
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“What we do want to do – as and when circumstances allow – is get more people back,” said Gove.
“The virus is less likely to spread outdoors than indoors.
“But again, it’s in the nature of major sporting events that there’s a lot of mingling.
“People look back now at the beginning of the pandemic and look at some of the major sporting events and ask: ‘Why were they allowed to go ahead?’.
“One of the things we must do now, whatever the wisdom of decisions made then, is to look at sporting events with caution.”
Gove also admitted that sport is set for a “challenging time”.
The UK recently moved to Level 4 on the alert system – meaning the virus “is in general circulation; transmission is high or rising exponentially”.
Pubs and restaurants nationwide are set to be hit with curfews later this week, whilst tighter restrictions have been placed on over 11 million people across the country.
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Trafford Centre announces opening hours for 2025/26 festive season – including Boxing Day
Emily Sergeant
Trafford Centre has published its full list of opening hours for this current festive season.
We all know that the Christmas period is one of the busiest times of the year for the retail industry, with people flocking to the shops in their millions to snap up festive gifts for their loved ones, and it only gets busier from Boxing Day onwards too when all the sales launch, offering shoppers some unmissable deals and bargains.
And nowhere in Greater Manchester gets busier during the festive season than the Trafford Centre. After all, with more than 200 stores all under one room, it’s not hard to see why.
This year, shoppers can make the most of extended opening hours at the Trafford Centre right through to New Year’s Day – with late night shopping until 11pm on selected dates in December leading up to the big day.
Alongside being a one-stop-shop for gifts, there’s also dozens of festive events and new Christmas lights to enjoy at the Trafford Centre too, so visitors can tick everything off their list and have a great day out while they’re at it.
The shopping centre will be open from 9am – 5pm on Christmas Eve, so you can whip round and grab any last-minute presents, before it’s closed fully on Christmas Day, and then opens again bright and early at 8am on Boxing Day.
Trafford Centre Christmas Opening Hours 2025/26
18 and 19 December: 10am – 11pm
20 December: 10am – 10pm
21 December: 12pm – 6pm
22 and 23 December: 10am – 11pm
Christmas: 9am – 5pm
Christmas Day: Closed
26 December: 8am – 8pm (some stores may be closed, please check with individual brands)
27 December: 10am – 9pm
28 December: 12pm – 6pm
29 and 30 December: 10pm – 10pm
New Year’s Eve: 9am – 5pm
New Year’s Day: 12pm – 6pm
It’s also worth noting, however, that not every store inside the Trafford Centre will be open on Boxing Day, so you’ll need to check with individual brands ahead of time.
For the restaurants, stores, and leisure venues that are open, you can check their specific trading hours on the Trafford Centre website here.
When it comes to festive event, The Grotto is open until Christmas Eve for pre-bookings only, and the Christmas fairground and ice rink, Big Wheel, and Gandeys Snowstorm Firebird show are all open until 4 January (closed Christmas Day).
Featured Image – Trafford Centre (Supplied)
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Greater Manchester’s ‘clean taxi’ plans backed by government funding
Danny Jones
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA) ‘clean taxi’ initiative has been officially backed by the UK government, with an extra boost coming from a leading electric vehicle brand.
Millions of pounds are set to be pumped into the scheme over the coming years as the North West at large strives to become greener.
The Mayor himself, Andy Burnham, has made environmentally conscious travel a core part of his plans for the city region ever since he took up the post back in 2017; now he and his team are helping link up with connections in the capital to secure further investment.
With the new £8 million Hackney Support Fund being put into action as we speak, a further £2m is now set to go towards Manchester city centre and its surrounding boroughs via LEVC.
LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) have done away with classic petrol and diesel engines in their particular corner of the automotive industry, setting a more eco-friendly example for metropolitan cities up and down Great Britain.
As a result, Manchester City Council and the GMCA as a whole are looking to take a leaf out of their book as part of their wider carbon reduction targets, with local authorities having recently reaffirmed their five-year ‘climate change action plan’.
For context, the Hackney Support Fund in question is a series of government-backed grants aimed at helping taxi drivers replace older black cabs with more modern, zero-emission capable vehicles.
Not only that, but LEVC will also be offering licensed carriage drivers extended warranties on new and used TX cabs – like their new ‘eCity powetrain’ pictured above – as well as taxi scrappage allowance on other models.
Like any part of the country, our region itself has its own clean air goals, and with the continued expansion of the Bee Network continuing to advance that progress, we’re heading in the right direction.
It goes without saying that adding a fully-fledged fleet of cleaner, more energy-efficient EV taxis into that mix could help benefit these greener pursuits.
Managing Director at LEVC, Chris Allen, noted that the company has “helped the capital achieve legal air quality targets for the first time” and strongly believes that they can do the same up North.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Our taxi trade is a vital part of Greater Manchester’s transport network and supports the local economy.
“That’s why we’re working hard to secure funding and practical support to help drivers upgrade to cleaner, greener vehicles – improving air quality for everyone, while protecting livelihoods. By backing our taxi trade, we’re building a fairer, healthier city-region for all.”
The Manc -
22nd September 2020 
