The 10pm pub curfew will be ‘reviewed in November’, says Sacha Lord
Whilst there has been no official road map released considering when Greater Manchester might exit Tier 3, Lord has said the government will perform a review of the 10pm pub curfew next month.
The government will conduct a review of the 10pm curfew imposed on pubs and bars next month, according to Greater Manchester’s Night Time Economy Adviser.
Current laws dictate that all venues in the hospitality sector must shut their doors no later than 10pm – remaining open only for takeaway service.
But Sacha Lord – an avid supporter of the #CancelTheCurfew movement – along with fellow industry members, has been campaigning for the government to reconsider the ruling since it came into effect on September 24.
Lord has even launched legal action against the government for closing down large portions of the local sector in line with Tier 3 regulations, and the Parklife founder filed a pre-action letter last week, claiming there was no scientific justification to limit the operating hours of pubs and bars.
Whilst there has been no official road map released discussing when Greater Manchester might exit Tier 3, Lord has said the government will perform a review of the 10pm pub curfew as early as November.
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In November, the Government are reviewing the UK 10pm curfew.
It doesn't work for the public or operators.
Overloaded transport, crowded takeaways, supermarkets etc.
It's doing far more harm than good.
Operators are running safe and secure COVID19 venues.
Writing on Twitter, Lord stated: “In November, the Government are reviewing the UK 10pm curfew.
“It doesn’t work for the public or operators. Overloaded transport, crowded takeaways, supermarkets etc.
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“It’s doing far more harm than good.
“Operators are running safe and secure COVID19 venues.
“Cancel the Curfew.”
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After launching his judicial review this month, Lord received a response from the government which he called insufficient”, and pledged to take further legal action.
“Our pubs should not be shut without scientific evidence,” he stated.
“Legal proceedings will now commence. The fight goes on.”
UPDATE: We’ve had a formal response from Government and we consider it insufficient. Ours pubs should not be shut without scientific evidence. Legal proceedings will now commence. The fight goes on. pic.twitter.com/sSI1hXxOVd
Lord also signed to the OneGM campaign this week – a group aiming to provide help which “goes beyond” the government’s support.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and fellow local leaders dedicated a fortnight to battling against the region’s move to Tier 3 without adequate financial backing.
At the end of a drawn-out affair, Greater Manchester was bundled into the ‘very high’ risk category without the desired £95 million package, and OneGM will serve to fill the void – offering supplemental local support to prevent more companies capsizing during the second wave.
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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 -
28th October 2020 
