History has been made, as all buses in Greater Manchester are now back running under local control this week.
It’s been a long time coming, but in a move that has been described as “heralding in a new era” of public transport and set to “transform” how people get around the region, all bus services in Greater Manchester are under local control and are accountable to the people and businesses within our communities.
This makes Greater Manchester the first area in the UK to do this in 40 years.
History made! 🐝🚌
Hear from some of the people who helped make it happen, as all Greater Manchester’s buses are back under local control.#BeeNetworkpic.twitter.com/PKPGXSGYRV
According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), our region has taken several significant steps to reverse decades-long decline and deliver improved services, better buses, and more affordable fares in recent years.
This includes making changes to around 75 different routes to provide earlier, later, more frequent, and better-connected services, improving punctuality of services to be consistently 80% of above, introducing hundreds of new, greener and more-accessible buses, and reducing the average ticket costs by around 15%.
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TfGM says Greater Manchester “setting the blueprint for others to follow”.
The completion of bus franchising marks the end of the first phase of the Bee Network, while the next step will be to bring eight priority train lines under public control by 2028, as well as deliver the first new stations in more than 20 years and significant upgrades to make more stations accessible.
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Despite all of the challenges – legal and meteorological – we did it!
After 40 years of damaging deregulation, Greater Manchester has this morning successfully retaken control of the whole of its bus network. 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/nlrGHZWQ6O
“This is a historic moment for Greater Manchester,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham.
“We are proud to be the first area in England to complete the re-regulation of buses and to have done it on time and on budget.
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“From today, every community in Greater Manchester will be served by cheaper, cleaner and greener buses, and run in a way which puts people before profit. We are now ready to help other areas looking to follow suit and improve their bus services after decades of decline.
“Whilst this is a nationally significant moment that we can all celebrate, it’s by no means job done.
“We’ll have an unrelenting focus this year on delivering a truly integrated, London-style transport system across bus, tram and train – the next chapter of the Bee Network’s story.”
Featured Image – TfGM
Boroughs
Prestigious Edinburgh TV Festival to move to Manchester for first time in 50 years
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester will become the new host city for the TV Festival from 2027 onwards it was announced today.
For the first time in five decades, following an extensive consultation and competitive bidding process – which was launched in 2025 – the prestigious festival is set to move from its home in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh to our region from 2027 onwards, beating out other major northern cities like Newcastle in the process.
As part of a UK-wide strategic review into the event’s long-term future, the Festival’s board of directors say the review was undertaken in order to ‘examine how the TV Festival could continue to grow’ amid increasing challenges around accessibility, affordability, and sustainability across the television industry.
Greater Manchester‘s ‘successful and comprehensive’ bid included commitments around affordability, infrastructure, industry partnership, and long-term growth potential.
Plans include holding the Festival in locations in the newly developed St. John’s creative and cultural district.
“Greater Manchester presented a vision for the Festival that combined genuine creative ambition and future-facing energy with practical accessibility and affordability for delegates,” commented Campbell Glennie, who is the CEO of the TV Festival and The TV Foundation.
“This means we can radically reduce the costs associated with attending the Festival as well as the cost of passes.
“The city reflects the expanding ambition of the UK television industry, while still offering the scale, connectivity and unique cultural identity needed for an event of this significance – it gives us the strongest platform to grow the Festival’s reach and impact in the years ahead.”
Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council, said being chosen as TV Festival hosts is ‘brilliant news’ for Greater Manchester, adding: “It speaks to the growth, success and strength of our screen sector in the city region and the strong partnerships and talent we have here.”
The final Edinburgh edition of the TV Festival will take place this August, and dates and further details for the TV Festival in 2027 will be shared later this year.
Featured Image – PickPik
Boroughs
Fire service urges Greater Manchester public to ‘act responsibly’ as heatwave continues
Emily Sergeant
People across Greater Manchester and beyond are being urged by the fire service to ‘act responsibly’ as the heatwave continues this week.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has issued an urgent plea residents and visitors to take extra care on moorland and in rural areas as part of the annual ‘Be Moor Aware’ campaign – which is aimed at preventing wildfires and reducing the impact they have.
GMFRS has issued the plea alongside its partners at United Utilities, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), neighbouring fire and rescue services, and local councils.
It comes as Amber Extreme Heat warnings and heat-health alerts have been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) through to Thursday this week – with temperatures widely exceeding 35°C nationwide, and in some areas – particularly on the south coast – potentially even reaching 38°C.
Heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.
The fire service urges the Greater Manchester public to ‘act responsibly’ as the heatwave continues / Credit: Mick Garrett (via Geograph)
It does seem, however, that northern parts of the country – especially the North West – are missing most of the extremely hot conditions, with current forecasts indicating peak temperatures of 33°C.
But this doesn’t stop the wildfire risk, and the fire service is warning that prolonged periods of dryness but the countryside in danger.
GMFRS data shows there have been 83 wildfires across Greater Manchester since 2021, including a significant rise in 2025, when 38 incidents were record, and there has already been six wildfires recorded in 2026.
“Wildfires can spread rapidly, especially during warm and dry weather, putting lives, wildlife and property at risk,” explained GMFRS Wildfire Lead, Adrian Taylor.
“Many of these fires are preventable, and we’re asking everyone to take responsibility when visiting our moorland areas. Small actions, such as not using disposable barbecues and taking litter home, can make a huge difference in preventing devastating fires.”
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2025 
