There’s been a fierce debate raging this week as to whether children should be banned from pubs – but it turns out if we all had our way, we’d be introducing some pretty strict rules to boozers all over the place.
Mancs have said they’d also like to get rid of the presence of mobile phones, animals, TVs, fancy crisps, vapes, and just generally all other people while they’re nursing a pint.
This all kicked off from one Tweet posted over the Easter weekend, when journalist Ava Santina said: “I’m sorry but kids at pubs running around uncontrolled by parents are really annoying and always makes me question why I’m spending money to suffer it.”
Thousands started weighing in with their opinions, including outspoken local chef Gary Usher.
A tweet from Gary’s new country pub The White Horse in Chester said: “It’s the uncontrollable rude adults that cause problems when out not happy kids. Please bring your kids & dogs to The White Horse pub where we have kids menus & crayons & also dog biscuits & water for your four legged family members.
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“Some of my best memories as a kid are running around pubs my mum & dad would take us to. Beer gardens help obviously but just being in pubs when you’re younger with family & friends is the good stuff. Learning how to play pool or having a PINT OF COKE! We were all kids remember.”
When we asked The Manc audience what they wanted banning from pubs, kids came up as a pretty popular answer.
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Hundreds suggested that children had ‘no place in pubs’, and hated ‘kids running around whilst the parents get drunk’.
Another thing that popped up plenty was mobile phones and social media.
One person wrote: “Social media..people used to go to the pub to socialise now people sit with a drink in hand on their phone on fb telling people who aren’t even there how much of a fantastic night they are having. Put the phones away enjoy the night out with the people who are out with u and then let it all creep up on you the day after what went on the night before then have a laugh about it.”
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Another person said that mobile phones are the ‘biggest conversation killers of all time’.
A common gripe seems to be the distance that pub loos tend to be from the bar.
One person said: “Upstairs toilets….. Why’s it always the womens that are upstairs?! Heels, alcohol and stairs DO NOT MIX WELL!!!”
Someone else posted: “Stairs to toilets just put them bar level risky when you’ve had a few J20s.”
And another wrote: “The 5 mile trek to the loo in spoons.”
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More common complaints were the increasingly expensive cost of a pint, people who vape or smoke in the doorways, and anyone who kicks off inside the pub after too many drinks.
Someone who definitely works in the hospitality industry said: “People who put empty crisp packets in their empty glass.”
And really specifically, one person wrote: “Anyone playing Mr Brightside on the jukebox.”
Featured image: Unsplash
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Manchester has been named one of the most ‘affordable’ cities in the UK – this is why
Emily Sergeant
A list of the top 10 most affordable cities in the UK has been revealed, and Manchester has made the cut for one very specific reason.
On a bit of a budget? Aren’t we all.
The cost of living crisis has been raging on for quite a few years now, and unfortunately, despite how much we all wish for it to, it doesn’t appear to be slowing down – with prices for everyday items, especially typical fridge and cupboard stables, shooting up by the day, even though supermarkets are showing efforts to prevent it.
And it’s the noticeable price increases in groceries that led delivery insurance provider, Street Cover, to uncover which UK cities don’t strain your food shopping budgets too much just yet.
As it was found that food and non-alcoholic drinks inflation reached 1.3% this past summer, a new study has revealed that Sheffield is officially the most affordable city in the UK, with several other northern locations on the list.
Manchester has been named one of the most ‘affordable’ cities in the UK / Credit: MCC | Aldi
The study compared the 2026 Grocery Index for the largest UK cities with the UK average, as well as available 2025 Grocery Indices, to track the changes in food affordability.
The cities are ranked by the index difference from the national average – which is 67.3 – but the report also uses direct monetary values for a grocery basket to provide some additional context too.
Manchester took sixth place on the list, with an average grocery basket price of £23.08, while some of the other northern cities in the top 10, besides Sheffield at number one, include Liverpool, Leeds, and Newcastle.
Top 10 Most Affordable UK Cities For Groceries
Sheffield
Milton Keynes
Liverpool
Reading
Newcastle
Manchester
Leeds
Bristol
Cardiff
Southampton
As the only other North West city in the top 10, Liverpool may have come in third place overall, but the study found that the grocery bill here is the smallest in terms of actual monetary numbers – with it setting shoppers back £22.08 for a regular supermarket basket, which is a whole £1 cheaper than in Manchester.
“Data shows households in the North East of England have the lowest average food spend in the country, around 11% below the UK average, while Yorkshire sits 6.6% below,” Al Taylor, who is the Head of Street Cover, commented on the study’s findings.
“Sheffield’s position at the top reflects lower property costs for retailers, less competition from premium chains, and a supermarket landscape dominated by value-led options.
“The practical implication for household budgets is significant – the difference between budget and premium shopping can easily be £1,000 or more per year for a family, which can be spent on other things or saved for future plans.”
Featured Image – Aldi
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Mancs wanted to take part in a new series of the ‘hardest quiz show on TV’
Emily Sergeant
Call yourself a clever clogs? The BBC is currently looking for contestants to take part in what is widely considered the hardest quiz show on TV.
That’s right – Only Connect is back for another series on BBC Two.
Presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell and first broadcast all the way back in 2008, Only Connect takes TV quizzing to the next level, as it sees two teams compete against each other by finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues.
In this quiz show – which viewers have dubbed one of the most challenging there is – knowledge only takes you so far, as the ability to think laterally is also deemed ‘vitally important’.
A casting call for the upcoming 2027 series has been shared on the BBC website, with people from Greater Manchester encouraged to apply.
Mancs wanted to take part in a new series of the ‘hardest quiz show on TV’ / Credit: BBC
The casting call reads: “The popular BBC Two quiz show presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell returns for a new series in 2027.
“Only Connect is seeking teams of three players OR single applicants or teams of two looking for like-minded teammates to pool their combined wits to solve fiendish conundrums and vexing puzzles.
“This is the quiz series where, as in life itself, knowledge will only take you so far: patience and lateral thinking are also vital. It’s all about making connections between things which may appear, at first glance, not to be connected at all.”
Reckon you’ve got what it takes then? Applications are now open, and all applicants must be aged 18 or over and a resident in the UK or Channel Islands.
Daisy Jackson -
14th April 2023 
