THING OF THE WEEK
ON THE BUS… If Greater Manchester has a cult bus route, or one that has a certain type of infamy, it’s probably the 192, running between Stockport and Manchester city centre. So it shouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Stockport band Blossoms choose the Bee Network’s busiest route for a starring role in their latest video, to promote new single Additional Driver. The song tells the tale of a real-life journey gone wrong, ending with a simple conclusion repeated in the track’s closing lines: “Should’ve got the 192.”
Transport for Greater Manchester’s chief network officer Danny Vaughan said: “For many people across Greater Manchester, the 192 is more than a bus route, it’s part of daily life and part of the story of growing up, working, studying and socialising in our city-region. It’s brilliant to see a hometown band like Blossoms put the route centre stage and introduce it to audiences beyond Greater Manchester.”
Everything must go. Credit: via Sam Allcock
SALE… Furniture retailer and fit-out firm LOFT is having a clear out. The company has announced it plans to close its outlet at Maple Industrial Estate in Manchester at the end of September and that absolutely everything must go.
This is a real sale, not like those DFS ones that never seem to end, with beds, sofas, and other bits and bobs up for grabs at up to 70% off. The point of the sale, according to chief executive Ben Hall, is to give the company a clean slate ahead of its move to a shiny new 45,000 sq ft hub at Trafford Park. “Whether you’re a homeowner after a one-off bargain, or a landlord, agent or developer furnishing multiple units on a budget, there has never been a better time to visit,” he said.
The station has been a source of angst for some supporters. Credit: planning documents
SANDHILLS… Two Lib Dem councillors in Liverpool have apologised for comments made at this week’s planning committee meeting about plans for upgrades at Sandhills station. Cllr Richard Kemp, never one to sit on the fence, and Cllr Pat Maloney compared planned crowd management initiatives at the station to Nazi concentration camps and have now admitted they went too far.
The incident illustrates the strength of feeling in the city about transport arrangements around Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, which many feel are far from adequate despite Merseytravel, the city council, and the club having years to get things ready.
Starting in 2028, Lancashire will be divided into unitary authorities representing the North, West, East, and South. Credit: via Preston City Council
NAME GAME… What’s in a name? Quite a lot if you ask the leaders of Lancaster, Preston, and Ribble Valley councils, which have been lumped together as one of four new organisations in Lancashire. The government told Lancashire’s 15 local councils in July that they would be divided up into a quartet of more manageable authorities under local government reorganisation. Those in the north are not happy at the government’s chosen name for them – North Lancashire – and have written to push for the wordier Lancaster, Preston and Ribble Valley Council.
It seems petty but if you look a little deeper at the government’s Lancashire breakdown, flaws can be found. For example, West Lancashire Council, you would have thought, would be part of the new West Lancashire Council. But somehow it finds itself lumped in with the South Lancashire lot.
Will Andy Burnham resist the urge to dig out his doubters during PMQs? Credit: Kirsty O’Connor, No Downing Street via Open Govt Licence v, bit.ly SLASH atV
PMQs… Andy Burnham will face his first Prime Minister’s Questions next Wednesday and political animals up and down the country are eager to see how he takes to the weekly ritual, which can be hostile affairs. It is unlikely opposition leader Kemi Badenoch will want to give the new man an easy ride. She is forging a reputation as a formidable performer at the dispatch box and had former PM Keir Starmer on the ropes on more than one occasion. Badenoch’s aggressive approach is likely to test Burnham’s pledge to put an end to political point-scoring and take a more collegiate approach to the big issues of the day. Under pressure, will he be able to resist a dig at his doubters?
