In the news

When I first saw it I assumed it must have been a country lane with no pavements but looking at it on street view it's a main road with wide pavements all the way.

Coke head as well its reported .

£50 voucher scheme from the government for bike repairs. Probably not gonna fix your super record but might be handy for some.
Taking registrations for mechanics now before it opens to punters:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fix-your-bike-voucher-scheme-register-as-a-bike-repairer

Wild

https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/restaurants/percy-ingle-bakeries-close-down-coronavirus-a4476421.html

Percy Ingle bakeries to shut across east London and Essex after 66 years

Can't we bail them out or something?

I'm really bummed out about this. Love Percy. (Or Ingles if you're by one of the rebranded shops). I really hope this isn't the end for them.

They have an excellent approach to employment. Approaching Timpson levels of treating people who ordinarily dont get a chance with respect.

How can it not be the end for them? Could the main bakery keep going?

Always remind me of when I first moved to London, walking around and coming across Percy Ingle on Plaistow High St and seeing all these unfamiliar weird cakes in the window. I wasn't very adventurous and just stuck to big sugary slabs of bread pudding. And doughnuts.

Oh no, not Pingle...

Owner was a huge racist. Refused to employ black people until the courts stepped in.

Damn

Owner was a huge racist.

Worth explaining in more detail I think. Percy Ingle, the original founder, was taken to tribunal in 1980 for attempting to exploit a loophole in employment law to not hire people based on their race. It was national news, even discussed in parliament. He lost.

EDIT: Date corrected from 1983 to 1980 and changed court to tribunal.

EDIT2: Apparently he refused to hire people from Pakistan.

From memory it was wasn't people from Pakistan…

More details here if you can read the blurred photos.

https://hackneyhistory.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/equality-at-percy-ingle/

Edit! 1st para - 6th line. "they are prepared to go to not employ black people"

But this is dated 1985 so it may be separate instances of racism from the owner.

From memory it was wasn't people from Pakistan…

Just found the actual wording that led to the tribunal.

"black mammas and pakistanis".

The original case as in 1980 but there were various spin off cases around what was and wasn't enforceable given that there was a loophole (fuck knows what) that was being exploited.

Ah, the loophole that was argued extensively was whether it was illegal to say "I won't employee people of XXX race" if there is no evidence that that employer actually sought to not hire people of that race. I.e arguing its not discrimination if nobody was directly personally discriminated against. Sigh.

They even went as far to argue that Ingle's position was so widely known that it couldn't be discriminatroy becase no black people or pakistanis applied to work there. Just wow.

Wow… 😯

You know, silver linings and all that.

This shithousery probably led to laws being tighened up in this regard. I must say, didn't enjoy my little foray into 198s0 race tribunals there. Bleak.

Apparently they're selling off the bakery site for development, presumably this is why they have to close all the shops.

I'm gutted and the news that Percy was a big racist is the icing on the non-existent cake :(

u bin milkshake ducked.

Apparently they're selling off the bakery site for development, presumably this is why they have to close all the shops.

Apparently its worth upwards of £25m.

EDIT: Or at least would have been pre-pandemic. Not sure anybody knows much industrial/commercial auction values at the moment.

Note the address on all of those leaflets etc.--136 Kingsland High Street was Centerprise, absolutely pivotal to good causes in Hackney. It had funding withdrawn as a consequence of 'austerity' and is one of the saddest losses.

a bit racist

I’d say they were a lot of racist given links provided.

Edit! 1st para - 6th line. "they are prepared to go to not employ black people"

zoom-enhance.gif

interesting that it went from that to

They have an excellent approach to employment.

Percy didn't hand over to his son until 2000, I wonder whether they actually became a decent (non-racist) employer in the preceding 15 years, or whether they were just forced to abide by at least not outright illegally discriminating. You can still get away with a fuck of a lot of hostility.

"Percy was a bit racist"
I wasn't aware that there was a sliding scale to racism.
Is this something recent?
I'm asking this, because it is something I was pulled up on a few years ago.
Not meant as a personal dig.

My comment on being a good employer was based on direct knowledge of their support of young men and women with special educational needs in my area. They've been doing it for a while. My Mum was a special school teacher and I know they supported several of her ex pupils into solid careers. That was at least 20 years ago and up until recent times.

I had no idea of any suggestions of racism.