Andy Burnham says the 'appalling' attack on the Rochdale war memorial is being investigated 'as a matter of urgency' as police continue to guard the monument which was yesterday sprayed with graffiti.
21.10.2023 - 06:23 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
It's now a familiar sight on Greater Manchester's streets - taxis with 'out of town' plates. A recent investigation found that more than a third of private hire drivers - who work for companies like Uber - are actually licensed by Wolves Council, who operate 80 miles away.
A Freedom of Information request found that 8,952 private hire drivers licensed in Wolverhampton reside in Greater Manchester, making up up 35 per cent of the private hire cabs operating across the city-region.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has weighed in on the issue, criticising these ‘out of town’ drivers for using a legal loophole to get away with having ‘lower standards’ of practice. Current legislation means that private hire drivers can operate anywhere in the UK outside of London, even if they are not licensed in that particular area.
READ MORE: Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 - ALL the locations, opening times and everything we know so far
READ MORE: The two Greater Manchester chippies that could be the best in the country
It's a practice that infuriates some black cab drivers, who feel they are having to compete with drivers who have shopped around to get a licence under a less stringent regime. Wolverhampton council deny that their licensing process is quicker and easier and cheaper.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service went down to the taxi rank around Manchester Piccadilly station to hear what the drivers themselves had to say - and found a number of drivers who argued that Wolverhampton was simply offering drivers a better service than they could get locally.
Waiting for a fare, Uber driver Muhammed Kahn, an Uber driver licensed by Wolverhampton, said: “Everything is online (with Wolves Council). They have good service and
Andy Burnham says the 'appalling' attack on the Rochdale war memorial is being investigated 'as a matter of urgency' as police continue to guard the monument which was yesterday sprayed with graffiti.
He could not have made things easier for Greater Manchester Police. A victim of a cruel burglary turned detective to get all the evidence the force needed.
Almost 190 anti-Semitic hate incidents on Jewish people in Greater Manchester have been reported since the Hamas attack on Israel, according to a charity.
Andy Burnham has denied being disloyal to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over his call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Police discovered quantities of suspected cannabis, suspected cocaine and other drug paraphernalia after storming a property in Denton. During the raid yesterday (November 2) officers also found a ‘large’ amount of counterfeit money.
The man accused of setting up the shooting that killed Ashley Dale in Liverpool has told the jury at his trial "I had no authority to send anyone to anyone’s house and I didn’t."
The M60 needs ‘major investment’, Andy Burnham has said. Boltonian Darren told BBC Radio Manchester's 'In the Hotseat' the motorway is 'more of a car park than a road'.
It’s going to be a hard winter for Greater Manchester’s homeless. It always is.
As much as £20bn could be available to fund a "modern railway for the 21st century" between Liverpool and Manchester using the money saved from scrapping the Northern leg of HS2, mayor Andy Burnham has suggested.
The scrapping of HS2 has left Greater Manchester with an ‘opportunity’, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has told council bosses.
Greater Manchester's civic leaders have called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.
Knife crime has fallen by 16 per cent in Greater Manchester despite rising across England and Wales - but mayor Andy Burnham says there is more work to do be done to tackle it. The city-region still has one of the highest levels of knife crime in the country.
Avanti West Coast is to cut the number of services it operates in December because of staff shortages, reducing weekend train frequency on one of Britain’s main intercity lines before Christmas.
One of the most powerful public officials in Greater Manchester has announced he will be retiring. Eamonn Boylan will step down as chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) in May.
Beyond The Music‘ conference on Friday (October 13), Burnham said there needs to be a campaign to show how “critical” the situation has become for artists and venues alike.Back in 2021, the UK music industry spoke out on how they had essentially been handed a “No Deal Brexit” when the government failed to negotiate visa-free travel and Europe-wide work permits for musicians and crew.As a result, artists attempting to hit the road again after COVID found themselves on the predicted “rocky road” for the first summer of European touring after Britain left the EU – finding that the complications of Brexit were “strangling the next generation of UK talent in the cradle”.The government were then warned that musicians and crew “could find themselves unemployed en masse”, after a hearing at the House Of The Lords revealed the damage already being caused by Brexit on those wishing to tour Europe.Speaking alongside fellow northern mayors, Tracy Brabin of West Yorkshire and Steve Rotherham of the Liverpool City Region, Burnham said they all now need to work together to create a system that allows for musicians to travel freely throughout Europe.“I think as mayors we need to build this campaign really strongly from the bottom up to say this industry is critical to us, not marginal, critical, and we need an arrangement that allows for [the] free exchange of musicians touring here from Europe and for British musicians going [into Europe],” said Burnham.“For us, it’s absolutely critical to our visitor economy, but also just to the way our city regions are seen and known around Europe. It’s just a nonsense, isn’t it? You’re having to learn about ETIAS [visas to work in Europe] and all of this.
The BBC has reached 'an agreement' with Andrew Flintoff after he was involved in a crash while filming Top Gear, the corporation has said. The former England cricket captain, 45, appeared with facial injuries in public for the first time in September, nine months after he was taken to hospital after he was hurt while filming the BBC motoring show at its test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome last December.
Manchester Evening News readers have been having their say on the issue of 'out-of-town' taxi drivers after Andy Burnham said the widespread practice was 'undermining public safety'. According to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 8,952 private hire drivers licensed by Wolverhampton Council are on the roads in Greater Manchester.
Andy Burnham has released a statement on the crisis in Gaza and 'condemned without reservation the appalling attacks in Israel by Hamas'. The Mayor also said he was 'determined' that all communities in Greater Manchester would be kept safe, while also reiterating the right of the public to take part in peaceful protest.
Andy Burnham has pleaded with people not to use taxis licensed by a council 80 miles away.
Liam Gallagher will be this week’s surprise voice for Manchester’s tram announcements.The former Oasis member and Manchester music legend is set to take over the tram announcements in celebration of the Bee Network, Greater Manchester’s integrated public transport system, and Beyond the Music festival. Gallagher will be announcing the stops as they go via some pre-recorded snippets.Beyond the Music Festival is a new fest and change-making conference that is set to take place in Manchester from October 11-14.