Just One Hour With Stu (and Kevin)

Or: I Could Go On Speaking

Thirteen years after the last autism lecture I was involved in, it was great to be back talking about autism spectrum conditions. My last time was a support slot in a lecture with the late great Donna Williams at Middlesbrough Learning and Training Centre. Little did I know this was her final UK tour. She was tired of the travelling, the airport terminals and the passport checks.

I Went to Preston ‘Spoons at 9am and It Was Quiet As Hell

The eeriness of enjoying an egg muffin early doors at The Twelve Tellers

Over the last month, many of Reach Media’s local newspapers has given readers many Variations on an Early Morning Spoons Session articles. If you go to their Manchester Evening News website, we learned about The Water House at 9am. If you logged on to The Sheffield Star website, there’s every chance we’ll be told of how quiet that one in Hillsborough is on a school day.

Stagecoach Manchester Strike Action Called Off

Revised pay deal for bus workers confirmed

A new pay deal for the employees of Greater Manchester’s largest bus operator has staved off the threat of strike action. Yesterday (19 October), Stagecoach Manchester has confirmed that agreement has been reached on a pay deal for bus workers in Manchester. Local trade union representatives have worked constructively with Stagecoach Manchester on a pay offer that has now been agreed by employees.

Jobseekers’ Discount Scheme Pays Off for Stagecoach

Jobseekers’ bus journeys double on Stagecoach routes as UK vacancies near million mark

• Trips under Stagecoach’s National Jobseekers’ discounted travel initiative up 115% since May;
• Bus travel to find work rises as latest ONS data reveals more than 950,000 UK job vacancies;
• More than 120 people a day applying to work with Britain’s biggest bus and coach operator;
• Job applications up 8.5% on pre-COVID levels as 300 operations and engineering roles on offer;
• Government figures show bus journeys outside London now close to 70% of pre-COVID levels.

The Bus Bus Bus could take us to our Jobs Jobs Jobs as Britons get back to bus. Passenger numbers are beginning to reach pre-COVID levels outside London. For the country’s jobseekers, demand for buses have doubled as individuals look to secure roles among a record number of vacancies in the UK.

Stagecoach Greater Manchester Begins Near Restoration of Weekday and Saturday Timetables

Timetables to run at 70% of pre-COVID-19 levels next month – then to 80% of pre-COVID-19 levels by mid June

Across England, the Stagecoach Group has today confirmed it will be increasing bus service levels from the 01 June. Its aim is to get the country moving as lockdown restrictions start to ease.

Emergency bus timetables have been in place since March to help key workers travel to and from work and for other essential journeys. This has seen services running to Sunday frequencies with peak hour journeys. In some cases, at a lower level than the usual Sunday service offerings.

In Defence of the Present Sunday Trading Hours

Why six hours on the Sabbath Day is enough

intu Trafford Centre, a present-day place of worship for many shoppers. Image by Mijaeus (Creative Commons License – Some Rights Reserved)

Since November 1994, against the will of Keep Sunday Special, Sunday trading as we know today began in England and Wales. In Northern Ireland it is only five hours instead of six. Today, a vote to extend Sunday Trading hours was defeated 317 to 286 in the House of Commons. 27 Conservative MPs voted against George Osborne’s plan, which was backed by Sajid Javid MP. The plans were opposed by Labour Party and Scottish National Party MPs.

Britain’s Average Commute: 98 Minutes

Cost of commuting tops passengers’ complaints

“Manchester Piccadilly railway station from the footbridge” by Richard Kelly from Manchester, England – Flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons.

In a survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of transport app developers Moovit, the average Briton spends 98 minutes a day travelling to and from work (or 49 minutes each way). Of great concern to those surveyed was the price of public transport fares and antisocial behaviour.

Cuts Scene Investigation: Your Right to Free Assembly

Dissecting the Trade Union Bill 2015 – 16

Trade Unions: what have they done for us? Over the last century, quite a lot. Without which, everybody would be working weekends. Discrimination in the workplace would be endemic. Paid holidays would be non-existent. People with disabilities would be deprived of suitable adjustments. Health and Safety, that would be non-existent.

Oldham’s First Hackspace Opens

New serviced studio’s grand opening

Oldham Council leader Councillor Jim McMahon OBE seen cutting the chain.

This Saturday afternoon, Oldham’s first hackspace was officially opened by Councillor Jim McMahon OBE. The open day was attended by a number of creatives and programmers from Oldham and surrounding area.

Zero Hour Contracts and Autism Spectrum Conditions: Far From Easy Bedfellows

Like loading a ZX Spectrum game in a Commodore 64 Datasette? Probably.

As the sub header implies, the above notion is impossible. Though both 8 bit computers used the same type of compact cassette, both have different processors and interfaces for loading tapes.