“Their attitude now is: ‘you’ll get what we give you.'”
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham arrived at Bridgewater Hall on Tuesday afternoon to share some bad news.
There would be no deal for the North-West region – with local leaders unable to come to an agreement despite 11 days of negotiations.
Greater Manchester would be placed into Tier 3 by force instead – and have extra measures imposed at the stroke of midnight on Thursday evening.
But there was no hint of a defeatist attitude in Burnham’s address.
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The Mayor opened the press conference with typical, politician-like professionalism, but as the conference wore on, his tone became bullish, and eventually angry.
Flanked by members of his local councils, Burnham passionately defended his region and claimed the fight would go on.
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“It cannot be right to close businesses without proper support so they can look after themselves and their families through a very challenging winter that lies ahead of us,” he told reporters.
[This] was not about what we wanted. It was about what we needed.
“The government should realise that, if they are asking people to close down places of work, they have to fully support them.
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“The ‘whatever it takes’ attitude from earlier this year has gone. Now it is ‘you’ll get what we give you’.”
From 00.01 Friday, in every Greater Manchester borough, pubs and bars that do not serve substantial meals will need to close.
Betting shops, casinos, bingo halls, adult gaming centres and soft play areas must also shut.
There is also a total ban on household mixing with people discouraged from travelling in/out of the area.
You haven’t got this quite right Chris.
We asked for £90m – which is the cost of an 80% furlough & self-employed scheme.
We were offered £60m – 66% of our ask, the same that pub staff in Heywood & Middleton are deemed to be worth.
To cope with the incoming “hardship” of Tier 3, local leaders requested £90m – a demand which was eventually lowered to £65m (which Burnham called the “bare minimum”).
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The government offered Greater Manchester £60m and refused to go any higher.
Hours later, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he would impose Tier 3 measures on Greater Manchester with £28m of initial support.
The £60m deal – which Health Secretary Matt Hancock insists is “fair” – remains on the table.
Negotiations will continue.
But in the meantime, Greater Manchester has reacted. And so has the rest of the country.
Down south, a mock London Underground board was created with the message “London stands with Manchester”, whilst Labour Leader Kier Starmer called the government’s treatment of the North West a “disgrace”, claiming his party would force Parliament to vote for a fair deal for communities facing restrictions.
Liverpool mayor Steve Rotherham – whose region is already under Tier 3 restrictions – emphasised there was “solidarity” in the north, criticising the government for “making us fight for millions.”
Within Manchester itself, the mood was one of frustration and disappointment.
Sacha Lord described himself as “speechless” at the government’s actions, claiming it was a “total disregard for the relentless work Andy Burnham and our Leaders have done to keep people in our City region from poverty.”
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy also expressed her irritation, claiming it “feels like this Government is actively working against us to inflict harm on its citizens”.
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Angry. Disappointed. Speechless.
A total disregard for the relentless work @AndyBurnhamGM and our Leaders have done to keep people in our City region from poverty.
I will make my feelings on this shambolic Government decision clear tomorrow.
Burnham has repeatedly claimed that getting a good deal has been about “more than Greater Manchester.”
The Liverpool ECHO’s political correspondent Liam Thorp described the Mayor as “standing up for local government that has been battered and criminally underfunded for the past 10 years.”
And the flood of support that’s come in for Greater Manchester suggests that Burnham’s actions have indeed struck a chord.
Yesterday’s midday deadline was provided by the government in an attempt to end the tier saga. But the reaction this morning demonstrates that this is far from over.
When talks do finally conclude, whenever that will be, this episode won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
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Breakaway competition R360 issues statement after rubgy unions warn players of sanctions
Danny Jones
Prospective breakaway competition R360 have issued a response to the joint statement from multiple countries’ rugby unions, which has warned players of sanctions should they choose to join the new league.
While the vast majority seemingly remain opposed to the new concept, backing from certain key figures has resulted in the likes of the UK and Irish rugby unions, along with other key nations, sharing their unified stance against the potential rival.
Put in the simplest terms, the R360 model is rugby’s equivalent of what the proposed European ‘Super League’ was for football just a few years ago, with similar questions being raised around how it could jeopardise existing contests, player wellbeing and more.
Now, though, the new format – which has been largely backed and developed by former World Cup winner with England, Mike Tindall – delivered its own reply on Wednesday, 8 October.
Shared publicly to the press, the alternative tournament wrote: “It’s not always easy to embrace new opportunities, but as we’ve seen throughout history, it’s essential for any sport to grow. So many players love what R360 can do for them and the game, and we can’t wait to kick off next year.
“Player welfare is one of the key reasons for creating our global series, which will greatly reduce player load and capture the attention of a new generation of fans globally. We want to work collaboratively as part of the global rugby calendar.
“The series is designed with bespoke schedules for men’s and women’s teams and R360 will release all players for international matches, as written into their contracts. Our philosophy is clear – if players want to play for their country, they should have that opportunity. Why would the unions stand in their way?
“We look forward to submitting to the World Rugby Council for sanctioning next summer as planned.”
At present, R360 is due to hold its inagural season this time next year, with eight new male teams and four women’s sides expected to get underway from October 2026 onwards.
In addition to more lucrative contracts like those promised in the IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket, LIV Golf and the aforementioned albeit failed Super League, R360 is also set to offer a reduced playing schedule but one that would still tempt athletes away from their current teams to new franchises.
The national rugby unions of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy have released the following statement on the proposed R360 competition ⬇️#IrishRugby
Although they have assured player care is an utmost priority, their health and fitness is one of my concerns put forward by the total eight rubgy unions who have urged current pros to stay away from the breakaway competition.
In case you haven’t seen the statement release by England, Ireland and Scotland, as well as France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, it begins by “urging extreme caution for players and support staff considering joining the proposed R360 competition.”
Assuring that they welcome “investment and innovation in rugby”, they feel this particular idea won’t improve the sport but could instead “fragment or weaken it.”
Having assessed the proposals supposed value/addition to the “rugby’s global ecosystem”, it seems the fear is that the outcome will be a “net negative to the game”, with little to no detail as to how it can run alongside existing fixtures, assure proper management of player welfare and more.
As for Wales, despite opting not to put their name to the open letter itself, they have stated publicly: “The Welsh Rugby Union supports this statement, and we’re considering changes we may need to make to qualification rules in Wales as part of ongoing analysis following our recent consultation process.”
The statement continues: “The R360 model, as outlined publicly, rather appears designed to generate profits and return them to a very small elite, potentially hollowing out the investment that national unions and existing leagues make in community rugby, player development, and participation pathways.”
It seems there is deep concern for how it could affect grassroots and the international rugby too, not just league and union, and have failed to full explain or help key organisations “better understand their business and operating model.”
Most notably, they sign off by adding: “Each of the national unions will therefore be advising men’s and women’s players that participation in R360 would make them ineligible for international selection.”
What do you make of the whole debate – do you like the current schedule/format as it is, or do you think there’s room for a new chapter in the rugby world?
Passengers warned of ‘disruption’ ahead of more Bee Network bus strikes this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Bus services across Greater Manchester will be disrupted later this weekend as drivers from two companies stage strike action.
In what is the latest chapter in a long-running dispute, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says it has had confirmation that staff from two operators, Stagecoach and Metroline, will go ahead with further planned strikes this weekend.
If this is the first you’re hearing of the upcoming industrial action, 2,000 workers who were employed by Stagecoach, Metroline Manchester, and First Bus Rochdale – each of which are firms among those that make up the bus part of the Bee Network – walked out in a number of co-ordinated strikes earlier this month amid an ongoing pay dispute.
Unite the Union said each of the firms are ‘highly profitable’ and it’s therefore ‘disappointing’ that workers are being denied a fair wage.
In this case, Unite has confirmed that drivers at First have called off further action after voting to accept a revised pay offer.
Passengers are being warned of ‘disruption’ ahead of more Bee Network bus strikes this weekend / Credit: TfGM
However, both Stagecoach and Metroline staff have opted to proceed with strike action onFriday 10 October, Saturday 11 October, and Monday 13 October.
This means that around 190 services, including some dedicated school buses, will not run on strike days, and TfGM is therefore advising everyone to ‘check before they travel’ and allow extra time to make their journey.
Bus services in Tameside, Trafford, and Stockport are not expected to run, and some services in South Manchester, parts of the city centre, and Rochdale will also be impacted.
Many bus services will continue to run ‘as usual’, however, and this includes services such as the Free Bus in Manchester city centre, as well as the majority of buses in Bolton, Bury, Salford, and Wigan.
The strikes are the latest in an ongoing dispute over pay / Credit: TfGM
“While we are pleased that planned industrial action by First staff has been called off, we encourage Stagecoach, Metroline, and Unite to continue discussions to avert further strike action,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is the Chief Network Officer at TfGM.
“We’ll continue to keep passengers informed and support them to make journeys wherever possible. We encourage everyone to check the latest status of their service before they travel, leave plenty of time for their journey and to get in touch if they have any questions.”
Unite has indicated that further industrial action will also happen on Saturday 18, Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October.