The Transport Secretary has told MPs he is “very relaxed” about public transport operators imposing their own COVID-related rules – including the use of face masks beyond 19 July.
Speaking during a Transport Committee evidence session yesterday, transport secretary Grant Shapps said that individual companies could implement travel restrictions beyond the government’s final stage of lockdown easing if they wished.
He confirmed that he will not be issuing any “blanket instructions” to operators instructing them to keep COVID-safety measures in place.
The announcement by the transport secretary comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the nation in a live Downing Street news conference on Monday that there will be no more legal requirements on the wearing of face coverings in shops or on public transport beyond the final stage of lockdown easing.
Rules on social distancing measures, mass gathering, and more are also set to change.
The wearing of a face covering will not be a legal requirement on public transport from 19 July / Credit: Flickr | Geograph (David Dixon)
The decision to remove the legal requirement to wear face coverings in public settings beyond 19 July has been met with significant criticism from unions and opposing parties – most prominently, Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, and Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.
Following the Prime Minister’s address on Monday, Mr Burnham took to Twitter to question the decision regarding face masks, stating: “I struggle to see how ministers can drop the requirement to wear masks on public transport without causing real problems for some people who are dependent on it.
“Those more vulnerable to infection or anxious about it will be put in a very unfair position.
“Rethink needed?”
I struggle to see how Ministers can drop the requirement to wear masks on public transport without causing real problems for some people who are dependent on it.
Those more vulnerable to infection or anxious about it will be put in a very unfair position.
Mr Burnham also addressed the decision at length during his own press conference on Tuesday.
He confirmed that he will be working with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) over the coming days to encourage people to do the “respectful thing”.
“I will ask people to put themselves in the shoes of somebody who is going by bus to have chemotherapy [and] I will ask people to put themselves in the shoes of somebody who has a compromised immune system,” Mr Burnham said.
🗣️”I will ask people to put themselves in the shoes of somebody who is going by bus to have chemotherapy. I will ask people to put themselves in the shoes of somebody who has a compromised immune system.”
— Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham (@MayorofGM) July 6, 2021
But Mr Shapps defended the government’s plans to remove the legal requirements on face coverings, requesting that people use “common sense and personal responsibility” as “entirely sensible”.
“We are shifting to this next phase where people use common sense and personal responsibility to decide these things and I think that is actually a sensible way forwards,” he told MPs at the committee hearing.
“If organisations require it to be a condition of carriage then I am very relaxed about that and it is up to them to do.”
Mr Shapps added: “I am not planning to issue any blanket instructions to the train operating companies because they are so different depending on the routes across the country.”
He also suggested that it would be “sensible” to wear a mask on busy trains.
The Transport Secretary will not be issuing any “blanket instructions” to operators / Credit: Network Rail
“Look, if you are travelling – and I travel on all types of transport, on all types of trains – if you are travelling on the underground and it is pretty packed then wearing a face covering may well be helpful and increase confidence,” he continued.
“And standing right next to somebody, I think that is something that I’d want to do and transport operators are free to require it.”
He added: “On the other hand, if you are travelling on a pretty empty carriage at an unpopular time of day to travel for three hours on a mainline or something, then it is pretty pointless in that circumstance to be potentially sat there on your own wearing a mask.”
Featured Image – TfGM
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There’s a World Gravy Wrestling Championship near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
Just on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, there’s a country pub set in a rural village that hosts a world gravy wrestling championship.
Leave it to us northerners to organise a world gravy wrestling championship because let’s face it, there’s nothing more northern than plummeting yourself into bucket loads of gravy.
At The Rose ‘N’ Bowl in the village of Stacksteads, it’s not just their meals they’re drenching in the brown nectar; they drench any willing guest in this beige saucy goodness too as part of the World Gravy Wrestling Championships.
Here’s a little taster from nearly a decade ago.
Participants are expected to wrestle in the gravy for two minutes, with the winner being judged not only on their play-fighting skills but also on their choice of fancy dress, comedy effect and entertainment.
Past wrestlers have rocked up as zebras, racehorse jockeys and famous TV characters like Ali G and Mickey Mouse.
Each wrestler is encouraged to raise money on behalf of a charity of their choice, but if you don’t have one, donations will be sent to East Lancashire Hospice, which has helped people countywide suffering from life-limiting illness for the past 30 years.
The World Gravy Wrestling Championships have been held outside this very pub for over a decade, with the first ever event taking place at a car park in Wigan before it found a permanent home outside The Rose ‘N’ Bowl.
And if swimming in a pool of gravy isn’t for you, don’t fret because there’s a handful of sauce-free activities you can get involved with spread throughout the pub’s car park.
Fret not, past events have included bouncy castles, cheerleading performances, craft beer stalls, cake and tombola stands and even a BB gun shooting range that are all completely gravy-free.
There will even be help from a local fire brigade who will be on hand to wash down wrestlers in between their gravy-filled tournament, so they can wander round all the stalls too.
The 2025 World Gravy Wrestling Championships are coming to The Rose ‘N’ Bowl in Stacksteads on 25 August, with tickets available in person only, but plenty of information about the event HERE.
If you’re after signing up to be one of the wrestlers at this event, applications are still open and you can get stuck in with all the details you need HERE.
And if that wasn’t enough Northern food competitive action, we’ll catch you at the World Black Pudding Hurling Championships, innabit.
Inside this Victorian mansion with 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and more near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
There’s a million-pound Victorian-style mansion that has 10 bedrooms and its own personal swimming pool just outside of Greater Manchester.
Just like the childhood nursery rhyme, “There were three in the bed and the little one said… there’s another seven beds, roll over!” or at least that’s how they remember it in this character property.
Located in Warrington, less than an hour away from Manchester city centre, this property is a semi-detached Victorian property built in 1860, with 10 bedrooms and its own private swimming pool, all spread across four floors.
As soon as you enter the foyer, your eyes are drawn to the sleek silver chandelier before you notice the grand staircase, which feels like a piece of living history.
Inside this Victorian mansion with 10 bedrooms and a swimming pool near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market)
The ground floor hosts two of a whopping 10 bedrooms alongside a teal-toned farmhouse-style kitchen and that extremely impressive swimming pool with its own built-in projector.
In the kitchen, the focal point is the large wrap-around kitchen unit, which is accompanied by a variety of hanging lights and a big central island.
On the way to the swimming pool, there are a handful of lockers identical to those found in a leisure and as you enter the room, your eyes are drawn to the island-inspired feature wall.
Venture upstairs to the first floor and you’re greeted by five spacious bedrooms with one having its own en-suite while the rest share a main bathroom.
Each of these bedrooms follows a completely different design style, with the largest following a muted grey palette with pops of yellow thanks to the artwork and bed accessories.
The grand staircase and one of ten bedrooms inside this Victorian mansion near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market
As you go upstairs again, you’ll find (you guessed it) even more bedrooms, three to be exact, with the standout
The stand-out of this second floor is the navy-walled bedroom with a vintage vanity unit, patterned floor-to-ceiling curtains and a similarly dark-blue rug to match its four walls.
Another flight of stairs and you’ve finally reached the top of this property, and there’s an LED-lined ceiling and a neutral bedroom colour scheme of greys, whites and everything in between.
There are various amenities nearby, including three schools and three train stations… for if you get fed up of strolling around your four-floored ten-bed, swimming pool-owning mansion.
Two contrasting bedrooms found within this Victorian mansion near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market
We know this property may not be in the price range and might not be affordable for a lot of readers, ourselves included, but we can dream, right?
You can check out this Victorian mansion and flick through even more pictures of this property – Snooping never hurt anybody? Official site HERE.
As always, make sure to check out The Manc‘s property page to check all the other stunning structures currently on sale/in progress across Greater Manchester and in the nearby North West.
The Manc -
8th July 2021 
