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Hello,
Firefighters from Greater Manchester are among those joining the international rescue efforts in Turkey following two devastating earthquakes. Three British nationals are missing after the disaster hit the southern region of the country and northern Syria, killing thousands of people.
Four staff from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service flew to Turkey this morning as part of the UK International Search and Rescue Team. They have previously been deployed to respond to floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2014, the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011 and the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010.
In today’s newsletter we’ll be discussing the Clean Air Zone, the Cabinet reshuffle and what locals think about the Manc accent being voted the UK’s ‘sexiest’.
But first, a story that has garnered much reaction on the social media pages of the Manchester Evening News today.
Moral grounds
Obsessions lap dancing club has been a fixture on Deansgate for years - but at least one local isn’t happy about its continued presence.
They say the club brings Manchester into 'disrepute' and makes the city look seedy.
The venue’s sex establishment licence has been renewed by Manchester Council - but one resident objected, as Joseph Timan reports.
They say the club - which is on Whitworth Street West near Deansgate train station - should not be 'on the doorstep of one of our big intercity stations'.
The email objection also claims the venue exterior is poorly maintained 'hinting at the seedy activity that occurs within'. "I feel strongly that such a business should not be permitted such visibility, and that another location should be found for it," they wrote.
But Heath Thomas, representing Obsessions at a licensing hearing yesterday, said the character of the area has not changed since it first opened. He said the objection is on 'moral grounds' - which is not a reason to refuse the licence. And he insisted the property is maintained, is not an 'eyesore' and that police recently inspected the premises and confirmed it is meeting all of the conditions of its licence. No other objections were received.
Another lap dancing club - Victoria's on Dantzic Street - also had its licence renewed yesterday with no objections received.
It’s not the first time concerns have been raised about lap dancing clubs in the city. In February 2019, the Women's Equality Party called for a complete ban on sexual entertainment venues in Manchester during a hearing to renew the licence of Long Legs, in Chinatown.
Then in April of that year, two private investigators handed a report to Manchester Council claiming they had found evidence of ‘rule breaking’ at Obsessions and Victoria's.
The former police officers posed as customers and spent up to £80 a time on lap dances before recording every detail of their encounters with the women and compiling an explicit report into what they saw.
It’s not known who commissioned them to carry out the investigation, but a group called 'Not Buying It' presented the report and video footage to Manchester Council. The campaigning group alleged there was 'sexual contact' with punters - behaviour they said would breach licensing rules.
A lawyer representing both venues said at the time they had not 'knowingly contravened' the terms of their licences. And a council investigation into the two clubs found ‘no touching’ rules were broken when dancers sat on customers' laps. Both clubs improved their CCTV systems and removed curtains from private booths.
More evidence needed
It’s been a year since the controversial Clean Air Zone planned for Greater Manchester was paused following a public backlash.
Plans to introduce daily charges for commercial vehicles which do not meet emissions standards were due to come into force last May. But the government agreed to postpone the deadline for Greater Manchester to bring the level of pollution down below legal limits.
Local leaders now say financial penalties are no longer needed to comply with air quality standards by the new deadline of 2026. But the government says it needs more evidence to prove the revised proposal will work 'in the shortest possible time'.
They are now convinced the region should scrap CAZ charges, although the new plan to help fund vehicle upgrades instead of penalising owners of older taxis, vans, buses and lorries is still under consideration.
The Clean Air Zone was due to launch last May, but the scheme has been under review since February. In June, the environment secretary suggested that Clean Air Zone charges are introduced in Manchester city centre only.
Greater Manchester submitted its case for an 'investment-led, non-charging' Clean Air Plan in July 2022. Last month, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham met environment minister Rebecca Pow to discuss the proposal.
Life costs more if you're disabled
In Westminster, Rishi Sunak has reshuffled his Cabinet to create four new Government departments aimed at boosting economic growth and addressing the energy crisis.
“The Government needs to reflect the priorities of the British people and be designed to deliver for them,” the Prime Minister tweeted. “These changes will focus teams on the issues that will build a better future for our children & grandchildren.”
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which will be tasked with securing the UK’s long-term energy supply, will be headed up by Grant Shapps, who had been business secretary. Downing Street said linking energy and net zero more explicitly made sense.
Tom Marsland, policy manager at disability equality charity Scope said he would like the new energy department to focus on disabled people. "Life costs more if you are disabled, and this winter there are disabled people who are freezing in their homes, and parents who are going hungry to feed their children," he said.
“The first item in Grant Shapps’ in tray should be to ban the forced installation of prepayment meters outright. The next step must be to instruct energy companies to review everyone on their Priority Service Register who has had a meter forcibly installed.
“But, the root cause is eye-watering energy costs, and to address this the government needs to introduce a discounted or social energy tariff for disabled people.”
'Bobbins'
Developers want to demolish the building where Frank Sidebottom ran a recording studio and replace it with luxury homes.
Frank - who famously donned a paper mache head - was the creation of Chris Sievey who had fronted the band The Freshies in the late 1970s and early 80s.
PIC (Park Road) Ltd now want to place five luxury homes at the site of Riddings Community Centre, on Park Road in Timperley. But the town’s Liberal Democrat councillors want to ‘call in’ the proposals - meaning a government planning inspector may scrutinise the plan at a public inquiry, as Nick Jackson reports.
At a recent council meeting Coun Jane Brophy said Riddings had been home to community groups ‘for decades’ and would be ‘completely inappropriate’ for the centre to be redeveloped without any community space included.
“Timperley residents are furious because the council just hasn’t shown any interest in its local history and the need for places in our communities where people can come together,” she said.
Allow ten weeks
Holidaymakers have been warned to allow 10 weeks for new passports if they are planning to travel abroad this summer.
The Home Office has advised that the 10-week deadline introduced during the pandemic would remain in place due to an ‘elevated’ and ‘volatile’ demand for travel documents, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman reportedly told MPs: “We expect elevated demand for passports throughout the year – and demand can be volatile – so customers should continue to allow 10 weeks. I urge people to apply in good time and not at the last minute.”
'Definitely not sexy. Not a sniff. No.'
“We definitely put you above Liverpool and above London,” Oliveen Deery told Chris Slater, when he asked them what they thought of his accent.
The Manchester accent was last month voted the sexiest in the UK and among the most trustworthy. And so Chris - who has the thickest ‘Manc’ accent of any M.E.N reporter - was sent out to gage opinion on the matter.
Speaking to shoppers in the city centre he found opinions were split. Rebecca Briggs, 65, who was born in Crumpsall but now lives in West Gorton said: "I was never really taught to speak ordinary, down-to-earth Manc. But it's fun to hear accents. The Manc accent makes me laugh, makes me smile. I don't know about the sexiest."
Farhana Hussain, 50, said: "I've never really heard it described as sexy but they do pick it up and they do like it. I think Mancunians are great. When it comes to trustworthiness and even friendliness, I definitely vote it as number one for that."
But Mhiikalia Cawaley was baffled by the results saying: “It's so common. No, there's nothing sexy about it. For me I used to live in London as well and the cockney accent beats the Manchester accent by far, in sexiness. I find the Manchester accent funny than anything. But not sexy. Definitely not sexy. Not a sniff. No."
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Weather etc
- Wednesday: Partly cloudy changing to sunny intervals in the afternoon. 7C.
- Road closures: One lane closed due to carriageway repairs on M56 in both directions between J7 A556 Chester Road ( Bowdon ) and J5 (Manchester Airport) until February 18.
- A5067 Chorlton Road inbound closed due to water main work between Jackson Crescent and A57(M) Mancunian Way Chester Road Roundabout until February 10.
- Trivia question: Which famous female political activist was born in Moss Side in 1858?
Manchester headlines
On display: An outfit worn by Cheddar Gorgeous on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK will be exhibited at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel throughout February. The bodysuit pays homage to the ‘Pink Triangle’ symbol used by activist group ACT UP during the AIDs crisis and received acclaim both on and off the screen for raising HIV awareness and educating viewers on the realities of HIV today. Manchester-based performer Cheddar won the weekly runway challenge with the black outfit, which features a number of upward-pointing triangles. The shapes were reclaimed from the downward pointing triangles used by Nazis to identify gay men within concentration camps during the Holocaust. The outfit also features ACT Up's slogan ‘Silence = death’, which is still used today to raise awareness of HIV.
Boom: Manchester's office space is booming after the amount created across the city in 2022 rose above the average for the last 15 years. However, the number of new homes constructed suffered its first decline in seven years. According to the latest Manchester Crane Survey - compiled by professional services giant Deloitte - the city's cultural sector led a boom in construction across the city last year. Around 381,000 sq ft of new leisure and retail space was started to be built last year, alongside a record delivery of over 1,500 new hotel rooms. Education construction also remained strong with 263,000 sq ft delivered in 2022. However, the survey also shows that the 2,724 new homes that were completed was the first decline since 2015.
Tributes: Oldham Coliseum staff have paid tribute to general manager Lesley Chenery, who died at the weekend aged 58. Lesley was head of production at the theatre for several years, and returned this January as general manager to guide the company in the aftermath of losing its Arts Council National Portfolio Funding. Last week, the historic theatre announced it would be cancelling all upcoming shows after losing its funding bid back in November. A social media statement from the theatre described Lesley as ‘the backbone of the Coliseum’ adding: “her presence at the theatre over the past weeks has brought immeasurable relief to us all.”
Tech hub: Manchester technology firms raised more than £500m in 2022 to outperform the likes of Rome, Lisbon and Brussels. The city maintained its crown as the fastest-growing tech hub in the North and one of the biggest outside London and the South East after a record total of £532m - a 50 per cent increase on 2021's figure, according to data released by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Worth a read
It’s famed in Manchester for its Polish pierogi, Russian pelimeni and Italian gnocchi and ravioli. And now The Sparrows has also caught the attention of Michelin Inspectors.
The tiny restaurant, which sits under the arches at Red Bank, has been added to the January edition of the Michelin Inspectors' Favourite New Restaurants. It’s now one of 17 Greater Manchester restaurants featured in the prestigious food guide.
Launched by Polish-born Kasia Hitchcock and her partner Franco Concli, from Italy, the eatery takes its name from one of it's house specialities, Spätzle, which translates as 'sparrow', a type of European dumpling.
Tourism writer Liv Clarke visited The Sparrows to try treats from its menu including the ‘big juicy steamed dumplings’ and the ‘tender’ slow-cooked goulash in a ‘velvety’ sauce.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: Emmeline Pankhurst
