Andy Burnham says government let Avanti West Coast ‘off the hook’ with accountability

Andy Burnham says the government has let Avanti West Coast "off the hook" by not holding management accountable for disruption and fare hikes.

"People haven't been told the true story about why these failures are happening ... the company said this was all down to the workers ... I think that was to shift blame from managers," the mayor of Greater Manchester said.

Burnham added the government "went along with it because it presented an opportunity for union bashing."It was announced on Friday (2 September) that managing director Phil Whittingham will stand down from 15 September.

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