News

Transport for Greater Manchester issues travel advice ahead of Man City and Co-op Live gig clash

A night filled with guitars and goals, hopefully - but it's going to be a busy one, to say the least.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 25th November 2024

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has issued a travel warning ahead of Tuesday night ahead of a huge night of sport and music over at the Etihad Campus.

As well as tomorrow night’s football action, with Manchester City‘s next Champions League match kicking off at 8pm, a big gig is taking place at Co-op Live just next door.

While Man City are taking on Dutch side Feyenoord in what is now an even more important fixture following Pep Guardiola having now lost five in a row for the first time in his career, over the road one of the hottest bands in the rock world right now.

Set to headline Manchester’s state-of-the-art music venue for the first time, alternative metal group Sleep Token‘s landmark Northern show will be going on simultaneously, with doors to the venue due to open from 7pm. With that in mind, TfGM has urged those attending both to plan ahead.

With both events overlapping and fans of both the band and the Blues descending upon the Etihad Stadium and the arena, respectively, the local transport authority has shared details of how to best plan journeys, be they on the tram, by car or otherwise, as well as how to avoid the crowds before and after.

It’s estimated that around 2,000 Feyenoord fans will do the usual walk up to the Etihad from Shambles Square, which will obviously cause significant disruption in the city centre, not to mention congestion when it comes to roads, buses and the Metrolink.

As per an official update from TfGM, they stated: “Those making their way home or elsewhere should re-route their journeys away from the area, consider leaving earlier to avoid the traffic or work from home on the day if it is an option for them.  

“The transport network will be busiest between 4pm and 5:30pm on Saturday and between 5:30pm and 8pm on Tuesday.  Tram travel will be the best option for most City fans and concertgoers”

Double the amount of services are set to run throughout the day along the Eccles and Ashton-under-Lyne lines and the Altrincham and Piccadilly routes will also be extended operations to serve the added footfall heading towards the Etihad Campus.  

You can expect a tram approximately every six minutes from the city centre but they will obviously be very busy, so they have also suggested people consider the recently redeveloped walking route to the Etihad Campus, which is well-lit, stewarded and takes around 25 minutes from Piccadilly.  

Read more:

Manchester City matchday bus service will also be operating as usual, with 15 different routes operating across Greater Manchester and beyond, covering a total of 64 stops, not to mention other bus companies and the wider Bee Network.

Driving is being warned against due to the increased traffic flow but for those who must, park and ride is recommended, though Ashton Moss and Ashton West Park and Ride are expected to be the busiest, so gig-goers may want to try Hollinwood, Radcliffe or Whitefield.  

So, whether you’re heading to the concert or the game and however you choose to get there, be safe, look after each other and, most of all, have a great time.

You can read the full update for more details HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — G-13114 (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group

News

The bizarre explanation behind Manchester’s new mini ‘green space’ – that’s completely closed off

Danny Jones Danny Jones Fenced off green space Manchester city centre gated lawn

One thing you always hear people who live in central Manchester calling out for is green space, but when a new patch of grass does arrive, you don’t exactly expect it to be completely inaccessible.

Just a quick FYI to those of you passionate about supporting what little nature there is left in our city centre: brace yourselves, as this one is rather annoying…

For anyone who’s walked down Whitworth Street West past the once lively Locks, or even got off at Deansgate–Castlefield tram stop and come down the glass stairs closest to the Albion Bridge, you may have noticed a rogue patch of grass surrounded by black fencing next to the City Road Inn pub.

It could be considered a nice little lawn were it not completely fenced off, but the question is, why has it popped up there? Well, local lad Curtis Rothwell has recently debunked the whole frustrating mess for us in a helpful video.

Yes, as explained by the Pre-Construction Manager who works for local utilities contractor Zenit Infrastructure Solutions Limited, the somewhat laughable but disheartening gated green space on Whitworth Street is essentially a feeble attempt at adhering to permission laws.

As detailed by Rothwell, the plot bought for a sizeable sum last year (only the original developers didn’t have the funding to actually pull off their initial plans) is now set to become student accommodation.

Currently, real estate firm Tri7 – which has now been fully folded into the parent group known as Fusion, as previous part-owners already – still has a hold on the land for now.

However, after being ordered by Manchester City Council to tidy up the area in the meantime, as they await planning permission to be fully approved, they decided to lay these new rolls of turf there.

Ok, so while the notion of the Council ordering a property company to make urban spaces look pretty and the idea of introducing more grassy zones into the city sound good on paper, as you can see, the real-life result doesn’t quite match up.

gates green space whitworth street west manchester
whitworth street lawn
fenced off green space bit of grass in manchester
Credit: The Manc

Not only does this feel like a bare minimum effort to appease the local authorities ahead of erecting yet another skyscraper, but more importantly, it feels like sheer nonchalant neglect and/or plain dismissal of those Manc residents crying out for more grass, nature and a break from the concrete jungle.

The fact that the rare green space is totally blocked by tall, almost authoritarian-feeling fences and sealed off by a big, black gate comes across like a casual two fingers to both the Council and those living in the city centre.

Speaking to The Manc, Curt commented: “It’s positive the council can take charge of how our empty spaces look after demolitions. In this case, maybe the demolition was carried out too early, which happens, but when it does, greenery is the best look they can give to local people.”

You can see the latest update on the planning permission HERE, and for now, if you’re looking for green spaces in Manchester, you’ll find them more frequently beyond the outskirts and heading into the boroughs; this one is strictly off limits. Find a whole bunch of ones that aren’t down below:

10 of the best green spaces around Greater Manchester
Sod the Whitworth Street Lawn, you can always go enjoy all the other green space gems across Greater Manchester.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Curtis Rothwell (via LinkedIn)

News

Angela Rayner’s statement in full as she resigns as Deputy Prime Minister

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Angela Rayner has resigned. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, David Woolfall

Angela Rayner has shared her resignation letter this afternoon as she announced she is resigning from Government, stepping down as both Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The Stockport-born politician has been the subject of an investigation into her tax affairs by PM Sir Keir Starmer’s independent standards adviser.

Angela Rayner admitted that she had underpaid stamp duty on a flat she bought in Hove, East Sussex, earlier this year.

It’s reported that she paid £40,000 less than she should have.

Rayner has now publicly shared her resignation addressed to Sir Keir Starmer, in which she says: “I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase.”

She said in her lengthy statement that the ‘ongoing pressure of the media’ is taking ‘a significant toll’ on her family.

Rayner wrote: “While I rightly expect proper scrutiny on me and my life, my family did not choose to have their private lives interrogated and exposed so publicly.

“I have been clear throughout this process that my priority has, and always will be, protecting my children and the strain I am putting them under through staying in post has become unbearable.”

She also said: “For a teenage mum from a council estate in Stockport to serve as the highest level of government has been the honour of my life.

“The challenges of government are nothing compared to the challenge of putting food on the table and getting a roof over our head when I brought up kids working as a home help. Too many people face the same across our country.”

You can read her full statement below:

Angela Rayner’s resignation letter

Dear Keir,

Thank you for the personal and public support you have shown me in recent days. As you know, on Wednesday I referred myself to your Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, to conduct a thorough investigation into my personal financial circumstances after I became aware that it is likely I inadvertently paid the incorrect rate for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT).

I have always taken my responsibilities as Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as a Member of Parliament with the utmost seriousness. I have long believed that people who serve the British public in government must always observe the highest standards, and while the Independent Adviser has concluded that I acted in good faith and with honesty and integrity throughout, I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase.

I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice given both my position as Housing Secretary and my complex family arrangements. I take full responsibility for this error. I would like to take this opportunity to repeat that it was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount.
I must also consider the significant toll that the ongoing pressure of the media is taking on my family.

While I rightly expect proper scrutiny on me and my life, my family did not choose to have their private lives interrogated and exposed so publicly. I have been clear throughout this process that my priority has, and always will be, protecting my children and the strain I am putting them under through staying in post has become unbearable.

Given the findings, and the impact on my family, I have therefore decided to resign as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

For a teenage mum from a council estate in Stockport to serve as the highest level of government has been the honour of my life. The challenges of government are nothing compared to the challenge of putting food on the table and getting a roof over our head when I brought up kids working as a home help. Too many people face the same across our country.

I’ve always known that politics changes lives because it changed mine. The last Labour government gave me the tools I needed to build a better life for me and my young son, and that’s why l’ve been working relentlessly from day one in government to do the same for the next generation. Every day I had in office, I worked to serve working class communities like the one that I grew up in, which are too often overlooked by those in power. I am proud that in every decision I made, I did it for them. I would never have become Deputy Prime Minister if not for the decisions taken by the last Labour Government, giving me a council house to support me, Sure Start to help raise my kids, and the security of a minimum wage – and I can only hope that the changes I made in government will have the same impact for young girls growing up on council estates like I did.

Through my Employment Rights Bill people across the country will receive the biggest uplift in workers’ rights in a generation. This landmark legislation will be game changing for millions of people stuck in insecure and low-paid work, giving them the dignity and security they don’t just need but also deserve. I am and will remain deeply proud of that legacy. I am so proud to have worked alongside the trade union movement, who have given me everything, to deliver that.

Our Renters’ Rights Bill will finally ban the oppressive rule of no-fault evictions and will reset the balance between renters and landlords through ground breaking protection for renters. Everyone deserves to live in a safe and decent home, and I know this legislation will deliver that for millions of people across the country.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will also be instrumental in getting the homes so many people across this country need built, and I am so proud that at the Spending Review we announced the biggest investment in social and affordable housing in a generation with the overwhelming amount of this going to genuinely social rent homes.

And last week, I introduced the English Devolution Bill to Parliament. The largest single package of devolution from any Westminster government to local people across England. This landmark legislation will permanently change the balance of power, giving true control to those with skin in game. We delivered an Elections Strategy which will mean 16 and 17 year olds getting the vote for the first time, as well as ambitious plans to ensure the most marginalised communities are registered to vote. We took steps to stabilise the broken foundations of local government and deliver the first genuinely fair funding review and the first multi-year settlement for a decade.

My department, through my excellent team of Ministers, has also provided the largest ever investment in homelessness prevention services to local authorities, to get Britain back on track to ending homelessness for good. We’ve worked relentlessly to bring an end to the building safety crisis and developed new measures to get peoples’ homes fixed quicker and hold rogue freeholders to account. We’ve also worked to boost community cohesion, tackle hate crime and reset the relationship with faith communities.

I have been lucky to work alongside the most talented group of Ministers who worked with dedication to deliver for working people. I thank Matthew Pennycook, Jim McMahon, Alex Norris, Wajid Khan and Sharon Taylor. I too am grateful to my brilliant parliamentary team, Harpreet Uppal, Mark Ferguson, and Gen Kitchen.

For me, being in office is the chance to change the lives of the people I grew up alongside. I will do whatever I can to continue doing so.

Thank you for your leadership and for your friendship. I will continue to serve you, our country and the party and movement I love in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Read more: Free books given to all high school and primary school starters in Manchester

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, David Woolfall

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