Greater Manchester has been allocated over £1 billion in funding to deliver its “transformational” transport network.
It’s been a long time coming, but Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has revealed that the government has officially confirmed a package of revenue funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) for the city-region.
The funding will ultimately pave the way for the highly-anticipated, London-style transport system – the Bee Network.
Although the CRSTS funding allocation of £1.07 billion was initially announced ahead of last year’s autumn Budget, it’s been confirmed this week that it will be supported by £170 million in local contributions, which means there’ll be £1.2 billion worth of investment in local roads, bus, train and tram services over the next five years – with new quality bus corridors, cycling and walking routes and improved transport infrastructure and connectivity for towns and high streets in the region, GMCA says.
The funding will also help boost the city-region’s plans to improve air quality.
Greater Manchester will receive £1.07bn from City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements to help deliver Bee Network: a transformational London style transport system for GM.
— Greater Manchester Combined Authority (@greatermcr) April 4, 2022
It’s set to support a move to a fully-electrified bus fleet, with 50 new zero emission buses expected to serve Bolton and Wigan when the first phase of bus franchising is introduced on 17 September 2023.
Cheaper fares will also be rolled out alongside bus franchising, with adult and children single journey fares capped at £2 and £1 respectively.
Breaking down the funding allocation from this week’s groundbreaking announcement, it was confirmed that Greater Manchester will receive £94.8 million from the government’s Bus Back Better strategy, and the Metrolink will also receive £20.5 million recovery funding to support the continued operation of services for the next six months.
Greater Manchester has been allocated over £1 billion in funding to deliver its “transformational” transport network / Credit: TfGM
A funding allocation for the city-region’s bus operators, however, is yet to be confirmed.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has called for “more certainty over recovery funding”, with around £70 million said to be needed to keep tram and bus services operating at the current level throughout this financial year – especially as a “stable and reliable” public transport network is central to the delivery of the Bee Network.
“This funding will allow us to bring forward an improved bus service, with new buses, lower fares and more frequent services,” Mayor Andy Burnham said of the funding announcement.
“However, as welcome as [the] announcement is, the revenue funding is about half of what we bid for, and we still don’t know how much recovery funding bus operators will get to keep services running.
The funding will ultimately pave the way for the highly-anticipated, London-style transport system – the Bee Network / Credit: TfGM
“We have been working closely with government on a funding model that will enable us to stabilise, rebuild and ultimately transform public transport, but can only deliver the Bee Network if we have a sound foundation to build upon and without a longer-term recovery settlement, the threat of cuts to services still looms large.
“This is the final piece of the puzzle that will really enable us to get on and deliver the Bee Network and this is the case I will make to government as we continue to work together to unlock Greater Manchester’s full potential.”
Smoke billows across Manchester city centre as historic mill goes up in flames
Daisy Jackson
Smoke is billowing across the Manchester skyline this evening after a huge fire has struck the historic Hotspur Press building.
The former mill just off Whitworth Street West has gone up in flames, with smoke seen for miles.
People have been sharing pictures and videos of the blaze from all over the city centre.
The Hotspur Press stands just below the train lines between Manchester Oxford Road and Deansgate train station, meaning that the fire has caused significant travel disruption.
BREAKING 🚨 Huge fire in Manchester city centre right now – historic Hotspur Press is ablaze with major disruption to trains out of Oxford Road #manchester#mcrpic.twitter.com/SnA52oiqxm
Trains out of Manchester Oxford Road are currently all showing as delayed.
The building was set to be redeveloped into a student accommodation tower block, with a recent planning application requesting to change the original consented brick cladding to an aluminium façade. A large emergency services response is on the scene.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) told The Manc: “Firefighters are currently tackling a large fire at the derelict Hotspur Press building on Cambridge Street in Manchester.“An evacuation of the neighbouring apartment buildings is taking place.
“The public are advised to stay away from the area while crews continue to tackle the fire.”
A further update from the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service at around 7pm said: “Crews are working hard to tackle the fire at the Hotspur Press building. 20 fire engines from stations across Greater Manchester are at the scene, where three floors of the building are alight. Multiple jets and the air unit are in use to prevent the spread of the fire.
“All floors of the two apartment blocks at 1 Cambridge Street have been evacuated.”
National Rail has said: “There is a fire next to the track at Manchester Oxford Road, closing all lines at this station. As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 25 minutes or revised. This issue is expected to continue to impact services until 20:00.”
However, you can expect a significant knock-on impact for the foreseeable.
Plumes can be seen for miles, with residents in Salford, Hyde, Bolton, and further afield reporting sightings, including some even in Cheshire – fair to say it’s one of, if not the largest, fire in Manchester city centre for some time.
Witnesses have said that crowds are now being cleared from the area due to a risk of asbestos.
A witness at the scene told The Manc that a police officer wearing a mask was urging bystanders to exit the vicinity immediately, stating that “smoke is asbestos-contaminated because of the roof.”
If nearby, please keep away and urge others to stay safe.
Nearby apartments and buildings are being evacuated, and trains have been hit with heavy disruption due to Oxford Road station being in such close proximity.#GreaterManchesterpic.twitter.com/0mkxEJAj98
Government launches ‘urgent’ review into NHS maternity and neonatal care services
Emily Sergeant
A rapid national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services has been ordered by the Government.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting says this Government inherited a situation from the previous government where issues in maternity and neonatal care had been ‘ongoing for some time’, and now he wants to ‘provide truth and accountability’ to address systemic problems that date back more than 15 years.
Although a series of independent reviews into local trusts in the past had found some similar ‘failings’, including the failure to listen to women, concerns over safety, and issues with leadership and culture, this new national investigation will be going further than ever before.
The investigation will urgently look at the worst-performing maternity and neonatal services in the country, and bring together the findings of past reviews into one clear national set of actions.
The aim is to ensure every woman and baby receives high-quality and compassionate care, with the investigation consisting of two parts.
📢 National maternity and neonatal investigation to be launched
Too many families have suffered preventable harm.
The investigation will urgently look at services with specific issues and the entire maternity system, making sure each family receives safe and compassionate care. pic.twitter.com/J8XkwGM9dN
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 23, 2025
The first part will urgently investigate up to 10 of the ‘most concerning’ maternity and neonatal units across the country to give affected families the answers they deserve as quickly as possible.
The second will then undertake a system-wide look at maternity and neonatal care to bring together lessons from past inquiries to create one clear national set of actions to improve care across every NHS maternity service.
Alongside the launch of the national investigation today, the Government has also announced that it will be establishing a ‘National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce’ that’s set to be chaired by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and made up of a panel of esteemed experts and bereaved families.
The taskforce will mainly address several issues facing maternity care in England.
One area of focus will be addressing the devastating inequalities that women from Black, Asian and deprived backgrounds face, while another area will be a look at a lack of compassionate care and concerns over safety.
The Government has launched an ‘urgent’ review into NHS maternity and neonatal care services / Credit: Jimmy Conover (via Unsplash)
“I know nobody wants better for women and babies than the thousands of NHS midwives, obstetricians, maternity and neonatal staff,” commented Health Secretary Wes Streeting, as the urgent review was launched today. “And that the vast majority of births are safe and without incident, but it’s clear something is going wrong.
“That’s why I’ve ordered a rapid national investigation to make sure families get the truth and the accountability they deserve, and ensure no parent or baby is ever let down again.
“I want staff to come with us on this, to improve things for everyone.
“We‘re also taking immediate steps to hold failing services to account and give staff the tools they need to deliver the kind, safe, respectful care every family deserves.
“Maternity care should be the litmus test by which this Government is judged on patient safety, and I will do everything in my power to ensure no family has to suffer like this again.”
Emily Sergeant -
5th April 2022 
