A major council in Cheshire has become the first local authority in the North West to ban pets being handed out as prizes.
As animal welfare organisation The RSPCA continues to call on both the UK and Welsh governments to ban pets being given away as prizes under any circumstance, and for national legislation in both countries to be a requirement as part of its ongoing #NoFunAtTheFair campaign, Cheshire West and Chester has announced that it will become the first in the North West to do so.
The North West local authority joins 30 others in England and 12 in Wales in implementing the ban – which has been backed by more than 8,000 supporters nationwide.
The ban by Cheshire West and Chester, as well as the other participating councils and local authorities, currently only relates to land owned by them, which does therefore mean that pets could still be handed out on private land.
But the move is still being referred to as an “important step for animal welfare”.
“We are delighted to see Cheshire West and Chester take this important step for animal welfare in their community,” said Lee Gingell from the RSPCA.
“It really does prove there is a strength of feeling about this issue and it is great to see local authorities doing their bit to raise awareness and prevent this practice from happening on their land.”
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Councillor Karen Shore, Deputy Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, says that the local authority is “pleased” to have implemented the ban, and explained that the move has been taken following several complaints it had received about events organised by third parties on council land.
“Some of our councillors also received comments from residents asking for a ban on this practice,” she added.
As many will know, the most common pet to be given out as a prize is a goldfish.
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Council in Cheshire becomes first in North West to ban pets as prizes / Credit: Andy Watkins (via Unsplash)
But the RSPCA says they “shouldn’t be acquired via a spur-of-the-moment game”, despite what great companions they make – with Lee Gingell adding: “Goldfish are easily stressed and very often fish that are won as prizes suffer miserably from shock, oxygen starvation or die from changes in water temperature, and many may die before their new owners can get them home.
“They can make great companions – but can actually be challenging to look after and new owners must do their research before they acquire the fish, not afterwards.”
Five Manchester bars have just been named in the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars
Daisy Jackson
Five bars in Manchester have just received one of the industry’s highest accolades – a place in the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars.
In a glittering ceremony down in London today, the best in the cocktail industry were crowned, and our city has a lot to be proud of.
Manchester now has five cocktail bars in the Top 50, with two new entries this year.
And while Schofield’s has been toppled from the top spot this year, this award-winning bar on Quay Street is still heading home with a podium finish, now ranked the third-best bar in the entire UK.
One of the new faces on the prestigious list is Stray, a beautiful cocktail bar tucked into a corner of Mackie Mayor.
Famed for its tomato vine margaritas, as well as the pain-staking effort the team goes to to infuse their own spirits and make their own cordials, Stray has deservedly debuted at number 25. And we have a feeling they’re just getting started.
Red Light is another new name on the list, after taking home the coveted ‘One To Watch’ award in 2024.
Red LightStrayBlinker
The gorgeous LGBTQ+ cocktail bar on Little David Street at Kampus has placed 40th.
Blinker has held on to a place in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list, dropping down to 22nd – still a phenomenal achievement for the Spring Gardens boozer.
Blinker has a dedicated martini menu, and also serves them alongside retro Breville toasties.
And finally, Speak In Code on Jackson’s Row jumped up into 11th place.
There were also amazing results for our sister cities in Sheffield and Leeds, with The Pearl at Parkhill at 44 and Public at 39 for the former, and Tabula Rasa at 27 and Below Stairs at 11 for the latter.
A huge congratulations to all these very worthy winners.
Salford named one of the most expensive UK cities to rent in
Emily Sergeant
One of Greater Manchester’s major cities has been named among the most expensive UK cities to rent a property in.
It was just last week that the Greater Manchester town of Swinton was named a ‘property hotspot’ for 2025 by Rightmove, after house prices there increased by nearly 10% on average last year, and now, the city of Salford itself is also being put under the property spotlight.
That’s because the leading property listing platform has highlighted the city as being one of the most expensive for renters in the whole of the UK.
With 2025 set to be a year of relocation for many, Rightmove has looked at rental costs across more than 50 cities in Great Britain in a bid to find the cheapest – and by contrast, the most expensive – places to rent right now.
Salford has been named one of the most expensive UK cities to rent in / Credit: Benjamin Elliott | Pexels
When it comes to the most expensive UK city to rent in, we doubt it’ll come as a shock to you that the English capital of London takes the top spot.
Some of the other expected cities featuring in the top 10 list, according to Rightmove’s research, include Oxford, Brighton, Cambridge, and the Scottish capital on Edinburgh, but a more surprising entry for Greater Manchester residents is the fact that Salford takes up the eighth spot – with an average monthly rental price of £1,739.
Top 10 most expensive UK cities to rent in
London (£2,695)
St. Albans (£2,330)
Oxford (£2,041)
Winchester (£1,985)
Brighton (£1,880)
Cambridge (£1,870)
Chelmsford (£1,857)
Salford (£1,739)
Milton Keynes (£1,641)
Edinburgh (£1,620)
What's happening in the rental market? 🏡
👉 The average advertised rent of properties coming to market outside of London has fallen for the first time since pre-pandemic 2019, dropping by 0.2% to £1,341 per calendar month.
On the other end of the spectrum, the cheapest UK city to rent a property in is Hull, with the average monthly rental price there being £799, while some of the other North West cities featuring in the top 10 include Preston, Lancaster, and Carlisle.
When taking a look nationally, the average advertised rent per calendar month stands at £1,526, as of January 2025 – which is up 4.3% compared with this time year last year.
But Rightmove says that price changes, as well as average rental prices, vary significantly depending on the location.
Take Salford for example, which is one of the most expensive cities for renting, the monthly cost of renting has jumped by 30.5% in the last year, whereas in Dundee, prices have dropped by 3.7% during the same period.
Emily Sergeant -
17th March 2023 
