Boroughs

Plans unveiled to deliver 50,000 council and ‘genuinely affordable’ homes in Greater Manchester

The foundations are being laid.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 14th August 2026

Plans to deliver 50,000 council and ‘genuinely affordable’ homes in Greater Manchester have been unveiled.

By removing ‘blockers’ to development and transforming disused public land into new housing schemes, Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig has set out her plan to tackle the housing crisis and deliver ‘a new generation’ of homes – with 50,000 new ‘genuinely affordable’ homes to be available across the city region by 2039.

It’s expected that 10,000 of these homes will either be built, on site, or in the pipeline with planning permission ready to go by May 2028.

To meet the scale of this ambition and deliver the homes the region needs, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) says it will need to ‘pull every lever at [its] disposal’, from remediating brownfield land, to bringing forward dormant sites in public ownership.

That’s why the Mayor will be asking Greater Manchester‘s public bodies to carry out a public land review and identify sites that could be brought forward to deliver homes.

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GMCA has already used its Brownfield Housing Fund to support several schemes that are delivering thousands of affordable homes – including social rent homes – as part of the £2 billion Good Growth Fund.

If you’re unfamiliar, the Good Growth Fund is investing in a pipeline of projects to deliver new homes, regenerate town centres, create jobs, and build infrastructure to connect people and places.

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“When I was Manchester City Council Leader, I built more council and social homes than Manchester had built in 25 years,” Bev Craig declared. “But we need to go further and faster in every bit of Greater Manchester.

“We will be leading by example when it comes to freeing up disused and dormant public land for development and I’m calling on other Government bodies to join us.

“I know first-hand the security that a Council house brings, and that’s why I am absolutely committed to delivering the Council and social homes that people here in Greater Manchester need, so everyone can have the foundation of a good life in our city region.”

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Currently, land supply for 78,585 new homes of all tenures up to 2030 has been identified.

Greater Manchester is in line to receive an initial £1.8 billion from the Government’s Social and Affordable Homes Programme, and the Mayor will meet with Government in the coming weeks to set out joint plans to achieve these ambitions.

Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

Boroughs

All Greater Manchester boroughs to have 24/7 night buses from next month as new services launch

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Night bus

Extra night buses, new routes, and more frequent bus services are being rolled out across the Bee Network at the end of this month.

You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy, and now plans to introduce these from September onwards have been confirmed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), along with a series of other measures.

Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford will all get a 24-hour bus service by next month, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.

It’s expected that once the new services have launched, it will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.

Some of the other changes set to be introduced from next month include a selection of brand-new bus services, and more frequent buses during the day and at the weekends.

All Greater Manchester boroughs will have 24-7 night buses from next month / Credit: TfGM

There will also be better connections overall to key employment and leisure destinations like Manchester Airport, Trafford Centre, MediaCity, Middlebrook Retail Park in Bolton, Kingsway Business Park, and Logistics North.

“The Bee Network belongs to the people of Greater Manchester and it needs to work for every community,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.

“As we build it, we’re listening and responding to what residents want with the biggest set of improvements we’ve ever made in one go.

“We’re bringing night buses to every borough, launching new routes and ensuring buses run more often in the mornings, evenings and weekends. In doing so, we’re making it easier than ever for people to get around the city region by bus, but we’re also supporting our businesses, whose staff and customers need a reliable and safe way to reach them.

“Almost three quarters of a million people live within walking distance of a bus route we’re improving over the next few months, and we’ll continue improving connections for even more communities based on the feedback we get.”

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Further improvements will delivered from January 2027, and a full breakdown by borough can be found on the Bee Network website here.

Featured Image – Aleksandr Popov (via Unsplash)

Boroughs

Everything you need to know about watching the solar eclipse in Greater Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

People all across the UK will be able to see an almost total solar eclipse in the sky this evening.

For the first time this century, with the last one being all the way back in 1999, people in the UK and Ireland – including here in Greater Manchester – will get to see 90-96% of the sun covered by the moon today (12 August 2026), and if that wasn’t exciting enough as it is, this will be the last chance to do so until 2081.

NASA and Royal Museums Greenwich has confirmed that tomorrow’s solar eclipse will be the most coverage seen from the UK and Ireland since the 1999 event.

But what can astronomy fans in Greater Manchester expect from today’s eclipse? When will it be happening? How much coverage is our region going to see? And where are some of the best places to watch?

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is a solar eclipse?

First up, let’s get the basics out the way – what is a solar eclipse? A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the Earth, blocking the sun’s light either partly or fully.

Although the UK will only see a partial solar eclipse this time, some other countries – such as parts of Iceland, Spain, Portugal, and Greenland – will be lucky enough to witness the spectacle of a total eclipse for a duration of up to two minutes and 18 seconds.

When will it be happening?

The eclipse is set to start at 6:13pm in Greater Manchester, and will run right through to 8:03pm – with the peak happening at 7:10pm.

How much coverage can Greater Manchester expect?

Of course, we always have to preface anything we say about astronomical events like this by saying ‘it depends on the weather’, as we do like in the North West after all, and even though it is the height of summer, that won’t stop the skies from being overcast.

Luckily though, the Met Office is predicting some of the best weather conditions for an event like this in a long time, so it really is worth watching.

Spectators in Manchester will see 91.9% coverage, according to expert sources.

Where are some of the best places to watch the solar eclipse in Greater Manchester?

As a general rule, any open and elevated position with a view to the West will be the best place to catch a glimpse of this rare spectacle.

But across Greater Manchester, we have plenty of those, so some of the most recommended places to see the solar eclipse include Werneth Low, Rivington Pike, or even Salford Quays. There are also a number of dedicated viewing events happening in places like Heaton Park, Platt Fields Park, and Barton Aerodrome to make the most of.

How can I watch the eclipse safely?

If there’s one thing experts are stressing, it’s the need to take correct precautions if you are planning to watch tomorrow.

The most important thing is to wear eclipse glasses and avoid looking directly at the sun.

It’s true that during an eclipse, the sun does appears dimmer therefore making it easier to look at directly, however solar radiation can still reach and damage the retina, often without causing any pain, so you may not realise harm is occurring until it’s too late.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises that there are two safe approaches – specialist eclipse viewers, or indirect viewing methods.

Eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers must be genuine, sold by a reputable retailer, and have specially designed filters that meet the international safety standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E). They must also have no scratches, tearing, or damage to the lens.

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Old pairs may not be reusable, and sunglasses should never be used.

Indirect view methods include viewing the sun’s image projected through a colander or the gaps between tree leaves on to white paper, or using a pinhole pierced in one sheet of card and projected on to another.

Featured Image – Mathew Schwartz (via Unsplash)

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