The Mancunian Way: Beeman to the rescue?

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Hello,

A giant bee was projected into the night sky over Castlefield last night – much like the bat signal. I wasn’t sure if it meant Andy Burnham would be arriving to fight crime in a Beemobile everytime Chief Constable Stephen Watson needed him. But in fact it’s thought the dazzling display was to celebrate the launch of the new Bee Network.

Probably for the best, those rubber Batsuits can be very unforgiving. But the idea did prompt this daft joke from my colleague Andrew Stuart.

“How do you get hold of Beeman? You give him a buzz.”

A giant bee was projected into the sky over Manchester city centre on Monday night. Pic: @Manc_Wanderer (Image: @Manc_Wanderer)

Right, better crack on with the news. We’re talking about Avanti, disposable income and that police data breach in today’s newsletter. Let’s begin.

‘The Manchester to London route is one of the most important in the UK’

Avanti West Coast has been awarded a new long-term contract^[2] to run services between Manchester and London.

The government says the rail operator – which replaced Virgin Trains in December 2019 – has made significant improvements in the level of service since a slew of problems last year.

Trains were cancelled, passengers were unable to book tickets in advance and a high number of services were cut between Piccadilly and London Euston. It led to Avanti being issued with a short-term contract by the Department for Transport last October while the government monitored its performance.

The operator – which runs services on the West Coast Mainline – was issued another six-month deal in March^[3] and now a fresh deal has been announced by the government this morning as the Department for Transport says Avanti has reduced the proportion of trains cancelled to ‘as low as 1.1 per cent over the past year’.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper says Avanti are ‘back on track’. The new contract has a ‘core’ three-year term until October 18, 2026, but could run until October 17, 2032, subject to ongoing DfT approval.

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, says he does not disagree with the government’s decision to extend Avanti’s contract. But he says there needs to be investment in the fleet to ensure a better service and improve patronage.

“Ultimately we would like to see more new trains on that line,” he told the Mancunian Way. “There are some new Hitachi trains coming to Liverpool, which we’re delighted about but we’d like to see them in Manchester too. The current fleet of Pendolinos are not the most cost effective. They are built to go faster than they can on that line.

“That Manchester to London route is one of the most important in the UK. We need to get that improvement through and I think one way would be to buy and lease some better trains.

“Pendalinos break a lot and cost a lot to maintain. They cost a lot to lease and Avanti spends a lot of money doing that. These are expensive trains.

“In the North of England we need better rolling stock and better trains to London.”

Avanti West Coast managing director Andy Mellors says refurbishment of the Pendolinos and the introduction of a new Hitachi fleet will ‘increase capacity’ and further improve sustainability.

The Department for Transport says Avanti has reduced the proportion of trains cancelled to ‘as low as 1.1 per cent over the past year’.

When asked if the improvements was due to the fact the timetable has been reduced, Mr Murison said that’s likely. But he believes it’s a good starting point.

“In the long term we need to build back to the levels we used to have,” he said. “In the meantime I would say the key thing is to run an effective service. It’s better to run less trains and run them reliably than to keep cancelling services.”

Avanti West Coast managing director Andy Mellors says the company has delivered ‘significant and sustained’ improvements with cancellations below two percent of scheduled services. “The National Rail Contract for the West Coast Partnership announced today provides stability for customers and colleagues as we continue to rebuild trust as well as confidence,” he added.

Back in February, Mr Murison said Avanti West Coast should apologise for the ‘economic disaster’^[4] the operator’s service had caused to Northern cities.

He now says TransPennine Express is having a far greater impact on passengers and businesses in the North. TPE was nationalised in May after months of poor performance. At the time it ranked highest of all train operators in terms of cancellations with an average of 37 services cancelled each day.

‘No wonder everyone is skint’

The news that Mancunians have the lowest disposable income in the UK^[5] is depressing but not necessarily surprising for those of us living here. Long gone are the days when we could boast about a better quality of life to our London counterparts.

With the average rent now a staggering £1,600 a month^[6], food prices, energy bills and mortgage repayments hitting record highs, a lack of a London-weighting pay scale has left a lot of Mancunians struggling to keep up.

And it turns out very few people have been surprised by the results of a survey that says Mancs typically spend nearly 80 per cent of their income after tax on things like food, rent, bills and travel costs – compared to just 66 per cent for those living in London according to the Money Supermarket research.

As Sophie Halle-Richards reports^[7], it’s not exactly news to those living here. “I spent four days in Manchester last month, food portions in restaurants smaller than normal, a coke is tiny, and £12 for an average bottle of wine. Forget London, Manchester is having the a**e kicked out of it, no wonder everyone is skint,” one person commented on Facebook.

Another person commented: “Unsurprising, I live on the edge of Salford and my rent alone has gone from 30 per cent to just over 50 per cent of my earnings. Meanwhile, I’ve seen jobs in my sector going on LinkedIn paying as much as £5k less for my skills and experience. Costs are going up, bills are going up, wages and salaries are going down by comparison.”

The study found people living in the capital are now spending less of their monthly income on the cost of living compared to those in Manchester. Mancunians spent £1,784.90 a month or £59.50 a day – £11 more than the UK average.

Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell says she is contacted each day by people who are struggling – from those on low incomes who can’t afford to heat their homes and feed their families, to people struggling with rapidly rising rents and service charges.

She says the Conservative government’s ‘kamikaze budget’ last year drove up prices and inflation, while cuts to local government funding made it harder for local councils to build affordable homes.

“I recently launched a survey^[8] for renters and leaseholders in Manchester. The responses so far have shown the shocking scale of the increase in costs faced by many in the city and the impact this is having on them. I will contact the Secretary of State with the full results of the survey,” she said.

Wythenshawe MP Mike Kane says demand for food bank services in the suburb rose by 151 per cent between January 2022 and 2023.

He says energy bills, childcare costs and food inflation are all having a huge impact. “Poorer people are spending a much higher proportion of their monthly salary on food,” he says. “People here are scared to death. We have people who are thinking of moving abroad. When you suddenly have to pay an extra £800 a month, it’s just not sustainable.”

Trams operating until 1am

Metrolink trams will run until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays when the Bee Network launches next week.

The change will affect services on all lines with the final services reaching their last stop just after 1am. Between 12am and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, there will be trams every 24 minutes.

This will come into effect from Friday September 29.

What the NHS strikes mean for patients

Hospital consultants began their strike this morning with junior doctors set to join them in the picket lines from tomorrow.

It’s the first time in NHS history, hospital consultants and junior doctors are walking out on the same day. The action is expected to bring some parts of the health service to a standstill. You can read about what it means for patients and why the action is going ahead here.^[9]

Today, the British Medical Association slammed government plans^[10] to make doctors and nurses work on strike days as ‘another kick in the teeth’ to the profession.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay announced the government is considering introducing minimum service level (MSL) regulations that would require some doctors and nurses to work during strikes in order to ‘protect patient safety’. The consultation will consider introducing MSLs to cover urgent, emergency and time-critical hospital-based health services, which could cover hospital staff including nurses and doctors.

A very serious event

More than 20,000 details – including names and photos of police officers – are ‘potentially at risk’ following a data breach affecting Greater Manchester Police. The breach at a Stockport-based company contracted by the force is now under investigation.

Last week, an internal email to GMP staff revealed the name of the contractor where the breach happened as Digital ID. The data breach has affected other organisations across the UK too, including the Metropolitan Police in London.

Joseph Timan reports that^[11] a senior GMP officer said ‘several’ police forces and ‘many’ government departments are also involved during a public meeting on Monday. Chief resource officer Lee Rawlinson told the Greater Manchester police, fire and crime panel that the data breach is being treated as a ‘very serious event’.

Eton of the North to prioritise disadvantaged children

L-R: Simon Henderson, Arooj Shah, Oldham chief executive Harry Catherall (Image: LDRS)

Children living in ‘postcodes of deprivation’ and who would be the first in their families to go to university will be among those prioritised to learn at Oldham’s new Eton-backed sixth form.

The government has approved the expansion of the elite boarding school to open a co-educational sixth form college for 480 students in the centre of Oldham, in conjunction with state school trust Star Academies. It will be one of three Eton sponsored sixth forms opening in the north of the country, along with Dudley and Middlesbrough.

Eton head Simon Henderson told local democracy reporter Charlotte Green^[12] that bosses are aiming to open the new sixth form in Oldham in the ‘next two to three years’.

“One of the reasons why we wanted to open Oldham is a significant number of young people – over a third – have five or more good passes at GCSE but actually fewer than ten per cent go on to convert those into the kind of A level grades you’d need to access the top universities,” he said.

“So we’re trying to help that pathway. It will be a sixth form that follows an academic curriculum, A levels particularly in the traditional facilitating subjects (such as maths, sciences, English and history) and it’s specifically aimed at getting young people in the top universities.”

Mr Henderson said Oldham’s Eton will prioritise children from low income families, looked after children, those who would be the first in their family to go to university, and those from postcodes who have not previously had access to the opportunity.

Sometimes chaotic, always enthusiastic

The Edinburgh Castle on Blossom Street in Ancoats was visited recently by Jay Rayner (Image: Manchester Evening News)

Jay Rayner certainly does seem to like it here in Manchester. He has previously given a rave review to much-loved Hong Kong style cafe Sakura^[13], on St Stephen Street, in Salford. And he enjoyed lunch at Erst^[14] with our What’s On editor Jenna Campbell.

Now The Guardian critic has written a glowing review of The Edinburgh Castle, on Blossom Street in Ancoats.

The pub, which dates back to 1811, offers a small menu of traditional British dishes and as Jay says, everything on the menu is locally sourced.

And while he comments that ‘the service is sometimes chaotic’, he recognises that ‘like a primary school ballet class, [it is] always enthusiastic’ and the food is top tier.

“There’s a deftness, solidity and wit to the cooking, utilising ingredients of quality,” he writes.

You can read the full review here.^[15]

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Weather etc

Wednesday: Yellow weather warning of rain. 17C.

Road closures: A57 Eccles New Road eastbound, Weaste, closed due to Metrolink works from A5185 Stott Lane to James Corbett Road. The road was closed westbound but these works have been completed, and now the road has been closed eastbound as work continues. Until Sept 25.

A667 Stoneclough Road, Kearsley, in both directions closed due to roadworks between Brook Street and Quarry Road. Until Oct 1.

A5145 Kingsway, Stretford, eastbound closed due to long-term roadworks between A5181 Barton Road and A56 Chester Road. Until August 31.

A62 Manchester Road, Chadderton, out of town closed due to water main work between M60 J22 (Failsworth) and B6189 Drury Lane. Until September 25.

A6052 King Street Southbound, Delph, closed due to water main work from Delph Lane to B6197 Grains Road. Until September 19.

Manchester headlines

• Jobs: Northern will open up 53 train conductor opportunities across Greater Manchester. The rail operator is recruiting for its bases across the region^[17] over the next 12 months. It’s urging those at a ‘career crossroads’ to apply as no rail industry experience is required. The roles will be based at either Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Victoria with a salary of £29,000 once fully qualified.

• Levelling Up: A multi-million pound revamp of Ashton-under-Lyne’s market square with a huge new ‘feature canopy’ has been given the green light. Members of Tameside’s planning committee have granted permission for plans for the square, next to Ashton Market Hall and the Town Hall, to be transformed with £10.8m of Levelling Up funding. More here.^[18]

• Strike: Metrolink contracted staff will strike on four days over the next few weeks in a row over pay and a ‘merry-go-round of changing employers’. They will walk out on September 29 and October 6, 13, and 20. The workers involved are contracted from Bidvest Noonan. Details here.^[19]

• Simply Red: Iconic soul and pop band Simply Red will mark their 40th anniversary^[20] with a special UK & Ireland arena tour. The 12-date tour will include stops in Dublin, London and Manchester’s Co-op Live on Saturday September 27.

Worth a read

Colin Bessell pauses mid-sentence while the roar of a plane flying just a few hundred feet overhead passes. The 83-year-old has lived on Ringway Road in Wythenshawe, just yards from the end of Runway One at Manchester Airport, since the 1960s.

But he says he still hasn’t got used to the noise. “It’s just incessant,” he said. “In the summer you have the windows open so there’s no point in noise insulation. If you’re sat in the garden it just never stops. You can’t talk to each other.”

And there’s no respite because the noise doesn’t even stop at night. Manchester is the third busiest airport in the country, behind Gatwick and Heathrow. But whereas Heathrow has strict limits on the number of overnight flights, in Manchester things are a bit different, as Damon Wilkinson reports.^[21]

He’s been speaking to locals on Ringway Road about what it’s like to live in the shadow of the airport and those jumbo jets. The very interesting feature can be read here.^[22]

A plane coming into land at night at Manchester Airport (Image: Manchester Evening News)

That’s all for today

Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email [email protected]^[23].

If you have enjoyed this newsletter today, why not tell a friend how to sign up^[24]?

References

1. ^{^} right here (mancunianway.co.uk)
2. ^{^} has been awarded a new long-term contract (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^{^} was issued another six-month deal in March (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
4. ^{^} said Avanti West Coast should apologise for the ‘economic disaster’ (www.placenorthwest.co.uk)
5. ^{^} the lowest disposable income in the UK (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
6. ^{^} staggering £1,600 a month (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
7. ^{^} As Sophie Halle-Richards reports (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
8. ^{^} survey (www.lucypowell.org.uk)
9. ^{^} why the action is going ahead here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
10. ^{^} slammed government plans (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
11. ^{^} Joseph Timan reports that (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
12. ^{^} told local democracy reporter Charlotte Green (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
13. ^{^} Hong Kong style cafe Sakura (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
14. ^{^} lunch at Erst (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
15. ^{^} You can read the full review here. (www.theguardian.com)
16. ^{^} clicking on this link (data.reachplc.com)
17. ^{^} recruiting for its bases across the region (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
18. ^{^} More here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
19. ^{^} Details here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
20. ^{^} will mark their 40th anniversary (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
21. ^{^} as Damon Wilkinson reports. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
22. ^{^} The very interesting feature can be read here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
23. ^{^} [email protected] (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
24. ^{^} sign up (mancunianway.co.uk)