UK News

Travel ban for Manchester, Salford and Bolton to Scotland to be lifted at midnight

"These restrictions are being removed due to changes in the epidemiological position for those areas."

The Manc The Manc - 29th June 2021

The Scottish government has confirmed the travel ban currently placed on Manchester, Salford and Bolton will be lifted at midnight tonight.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the ban on non-essential travel from the three Greater Manchester areas earlier this month due to concerns about rising COVID-19 case numbers.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham had publicly criticised the move, claiming he had not been consulted about the decision.

A war of words between the local leaders escalated – with Burnham saying people in Manchester hadn’t been “treated with the respect we deserve”.

“They’ve done to us exactly what they always complain that the UK government does to Scotland,” Burnham stated during an interview on 20 June.

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“Why should a couple from Salford who are double-jabbed who are about to go on a walking holiday in Scotland not be able to go? It’s completely disproportionate in my view [and] we could have come up with a different arrangement if the First Minister had been in touch with us.”

The Mayor added: “The Scottish government can’t just impose things on parts of the north of England with no discussion with us – that is simply wrong. 

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“They need to live by the same standards they’ve always called for from others.”

But now, a parliamentary answer from Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has confirmed that restrictions will end from 30 June.

He said: “We will be removing the travel restrictions which are currently in place in relation to travel between Scotland and Manchester, Bolton and Salford [and] these restrictions are being removed due to changes in the epidemiological position for those areas.

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“Amendments to regulations will be made today and will take effect on 30 June 2021.”

Burnham welcomed the removal of restrictions saying he was “grateful” to the Scottish government for “listening”.

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons

UK News

Northern Rail confess that they still use fax machines to contact train crews

Danny Jones Danny Jones Northern Rail still uses fax machines

In a quite staggering moment for the public transport sector, Northern Rail has confessed that it still uses fax machines to communicate with train crews across the network.

Nope, not an April Fool’s but, rather fittingly, it is Halloween and this is pretty scary stuff to hear in 2024.

Yes, as unbelievable as it might sound, part of the reason that Northern trains have been so poorly run in recent years, leading Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham to call an emergency meeting this past Wednesday, is because they still rely on faxes to communicate between train crews.

The alarming revelation was made public after the transcript from Burnham’s and the Northern mayors’ meeting with the Rail North Committee was shared online, in which one official said that many problems arise “because the tools we use to get information and messages to our crew rely on faxes, amazingly.”

A simply flabbergasting statement of admission from the rail network which had come under even more fire than ever of late following swathes of trains being cancelled across the region.

Burnham had already called out the company for delivering an “embarrassing” and “part-time service” but things have only got worse since he called the meeting itself.

On Thursday night, yet more trains were cancelled – some even mid-journey between the likes of Manchester and Sheffield, with passengers finding out before conductors in some instances (members of The Hoot and The Sheff team can vouch for that) – causing even more bedlam at the station boards.

Another local based in Gatley, Stockport who spoke to us following last night’s “laughable” service told us how they had to make alternative arrangements to get home after their next 10 trains were cancelled.

Naturally, the Bee Network pioneer wasted no time in calling for Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Department for Transport to intervene as, at present, the state of trains in the North as a whole is simply untenable.

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It very much feels like an ‘if you don’t laugh you’ll cry situation’ but commuters have been stuck with these simply unnaceptbale conditions for far too long.

Other details from the meeting included that not only do Northern employees still train crew members to communicate over their rotas or to book time off via fax machines, but that despite assuring they want to get rid of them they state it can’t be simply replaced due to current reliance and union rules.

It’s claimed that the rail firm has so far been unable to successfully update the network-wide communication system because of the legacy agreements that remain between Northern train drivers and their union ASLEF (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen).

Elsewhere, with the Labour Party having announced a number of cuts, tax increases and other financial changes as part of their first budget in 14 years, Burnham has at least managed to secure Greater Manchester’s locally-controlled £2 bus fare while most of the country are set to lose it.

Greater Manchester to survive key public transport cut as government prepares to scrap bus fare cap
Northern Rail might be stuck with fax machines but the Bee Network is thriving.

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

Featured Images — El Pollock (via Geograph)/Jon David Houghton/Tumi-1983/(via WikiCommons)

UK News

Scissor Sisters confirm reunion after more than a decade ahead of massive Manchester gig

Danny Jones Danny Jones Scissor Sisters are back UK reunion shows Manchester tickets

Still a firm cult favourite from the 2000s, Scissor Sisters are officially back and are bringing a special reunion tour to Manchester and the UK and Ireland at large.

The American outfit were one of the biggest and most well-known pop groups on this side of the Atlantic during their heyday, notching three BRIT Awards and two number-one albums.

Starting out in New York, like many bands in an oversaturated music market, they ended up proving to be much more popular here in Britain than they ever did in the US, not to mention becoming real icons among the LGBTQ+ community.

And now, over a decade later, the Scissor Sisters are set to repay the likes of Manchester, Leeds, London and more with a series of comeback shows, including one at Co-op Live arena – a gig which the venue has already teased earlier this week.

Confirming the reunion on social media on Thursday, 10 October, the band said: “Exciting news, for the first time in over a decade, we will come together again, live next May across the UK and Ireland.

“And for the first time ever, our debut album Scissor Sisters will be performed in full in celebration of its 20th anniversary – alongside all the other Scissor hits from along the way… See you very soon. Jake, Babydaddy, Del.”

Long-time fans were quick to notice that there was no mention of fellow founding member Ana Matronic nor former drummer Randy Real; the band themselves told BBC that the current lineup following their indefinite hiatus is by no means a way of replacing anyone but does give them a chance “to get some people on stage and ask some friends to do fun things.”

Frontman Shears’ 2023 Cabaret co-star, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, was also teased with a possible appearance on the Scissor Sisters reunion tour. Either way, they’ve promised a “little bit of chaos, anarchy” and an “‘anything can happen’ energy again.”

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It’s been 12 whole years since we last saw them out on the road, so it’s only fitting that they give us a dozen UK/IE dates, starting at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena before bringing the comeback party down the home stretch in Dublin.

Scissor Sisters are set to stun the Manchester crowd with their Co-op Live debut on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, with special guest support from Alison Goldfrapp of the iconic electronic music duo, and we truly really can’t wait to roll back the years with them.

Pre-sale goes live on Wednesday, 6 November at 10am which you can access via their website and general admission tickets will be available from the same time the following Friday, 8 November.

You can get ready to grab yours HERE.

We can’t wait to hear all the favourites – ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’, ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin”, ‘Take Your Mama’ and more – but, until then, the announcements coming out of Manchester’s biggest new music venue just don’t stop…

Pet Shop Boys named amongst latest wave of unreal acts set to play MTV EMAs at Co-op Live

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

Featured Images — Press Image (supplied)

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