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Every Greater Manchester borough to get 24-7 night bus services as part of Bee Network improvements

It's one of several new improvements.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 19th March 2026

Every borough of Greater Manchester is set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy.

Widespread improvements are coming to bus services across the whole region are coming later this year, as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has today (Thursday 18 March) announced 36 service changes in total – many of which are said to be the ‘most significant’ and ‘wide-ranging’ upgrades the Bee Network has seen since bus franchising was completed early last year.

The announcement comes after the Mayor gave a major update yesterday on plans to deliver a ‘decade of good growth’ in Greater Manchester, backed by at least £500 million of investment from the National Wealth Fund, taking the GM Good Growth Fund to almost £2 billion.

The Bee Network insists this raft of new changes have ‘only been made possible’ by bringing buses back under local control.

As mentioned, the most major improvement is set to be the introduction 24-hour night buses throughout Greater Manchester – with five new night buses launched to bring a 24-hour service to parts of the region that haven’t previously had them, like Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford.

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Every Greater Manchester borough is set to get 24-7 night bus services / Credit: TfGM

It’s hoped around 625,400 people in jobs that operate late into the night, as well as those enjoying everything the region’s nightlife has to offer, can get home safely.

Some of the other changes announced include a selection of brand-new bus services, more frequent buses during the day and at the weekends, and overall better connections to key employment and leisure destinations like Manchester Airport, Trafford Centre, MediaCity, Middlebrook Retail Park, Kingsway Business Park, and Logistics North.

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“These changes will benefit people right across Greater Manchester,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham.

“They have come about as a direct result of your feedback and support for the Bee Network and have been made possible by the decision we took to bring our buses back under local control. 

“By expanding Bee Network night buses to every borough, and providing more frequent services to key employment locations, we are creating more ways for people to access jobs and opportunities across the region.

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“This is just the start. As we continue to lead the way on economic growth, so will we continue to lead the way on transforming the Bee Network, setting us up for another decade of good growth so that everyone in Greater Manchester can live a good life.”

Featured Image – TfGM

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‘Deeply worrying’ figures reveal one in seven NHS staff were physically attacked last year

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The NHS is ‘deeply worried’ after figures revealed one in seven staff were attacked by a patient or member of the public last year.

According to the latest NHS staff survey, 14.47% – which works out to almost one in seven staff members – were physically attacked by a patient or the public in the last year, which sadly works out to be the highest rate for three years.

On top of this, the shocking statistics also saw a record percentage of staff say they were subjected to ‘unwanted’ sexual behaviour, rising steeply to almost one in three ambulance staff (31%).

It also found that nearly one in 10 staff (9.26%) said they were subjected to discrimination from patients and the public, which is the highest on record.

Presumably because of figures like this, the survey revealed that the number of staff who would recommend their workplace to others fell slightly to 58.05% in 2025, which is down from 60.79% last year in 2024.

“These figures paint a deeply worrying picture of the abuse our hardworking NHS staff face,” commented Danny Mortimer, who is the Director General (People) for NHS England.

“Staff safety and wellbeing is paramount, and we want everyone experiencing any kind of unwanted incident to feel confident enough to report it. But while that behaviour is completely unacceptable, we must look at what more we can do to support the people who keep our services running.

‘Deeply worrying’ figures reveal that one in seven NHS staff were physically attacked last year / Credit: rawpixel

“We know about the everyday pressures staff face and we haven’t moved fast enough to fix them.

“Staff have worked so hard to improve NHS performance and deliver care over winter as shown in the latest performance figures. These survey results show it is now for the NHS to deliver improvements for staff because there is so much more to do to make the NHS a better place to work.”

However, despite all of this, an overwhelming 87.78% of respondents did say they felt their job ‘made a difference’ to patients.

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As mentioned, all of these statistics have been revealed as part of the latest NHS staff survey, where more than 766,000 workers in England responded – providing what is said to be ‘vital data’ for employers and stakeholders about the staff experience.

Featured Image – Pxhere

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Bolton’s bid for the Ryder Cup has received a big boost

Danny Jones Danny Jones New Bolton link road could help secure Ryder Cup bid for 2035

Bolton’s much-anticipated bid for the Ryder Cup has received an added boost of positivity and optimism, which could prove key in bringing the competition to the town.

It also starts with an improvement to local infrastructure, which it appears that the borough will benefit from, regardless of whether or not they win the bid.

Talk of Bolton throwing their hat in the ring to hopefully host the Ryder Cup first began rumbling around during the pandemic, before ramping up even further in 2023, and is now gathering a little more speed.

And a lot of it could come down to upgraded travel links in the form of an even longer-rumoured new road connecting the M61-M6 junctions, which would need to be completed in time for the tournament – along with a fresh big golf course, too.

While the plans to transform the land around Hulton Park have been in the pipeline for some time, the case for creating easier routes between Bolton, Wigan and the surrounding area was pitched as far back as the post-WWII period.

As for the Ryder Cup itself, it hasn’t been hosted in England for decades; the last time an associated event was held was in 2002 at Warwickshire, and it goes without saying that it would be a huge win not just for Greater Manchester but the North in general.

In fact, the wider masterplan that makes up part of the bid doesn’t just include the new £70 million link road, but also feeds into GM’s overall Good Growth Fund, which looks set to almost double thanks to more investment in the National Wealth Fund.

Put simply, the sum of around £2bn set aside for grants and funding across the country – including Bolton’s 2035 Ryder Cup bid – could see huge revenues brought in.

Regarding Bolton, were they to clinch from competitors like the London Golf Club in Sevenoaks, over in Kent and Luton Hoo Hotel and Spa in Bedfordshire, it’s estimated that it could generate more than £1.2bn for the local economy.

Besides a new premium golfing venue, the M61-M6 link road and the recently announced Metrolink expansion into Bolton, the regional funding allocation already factors in various bits of future property development, including more housing and subsequent job creation.

Put simply, it could be transformational for Bolton and beyond. However, it still requires them to win the bid on the basis of the GMCA, Bolton Council, developers, and other partners delivering everything promised, not to mention on time for the biennial Ryder Cup slot up for grabs.

Despite initial rejection and still plenty of pushback, Peel Land are promising three things for the land: “Restoration. Sustainability. World-class golf.”

Mayor Andy Burnham has insisted it is an opportunity not only to improve life, leisure and business in the old Lancashire stronghold, but “as well as the new jobs and tourist spend the Ryder Cup would deliver, there’s also a chance to deliver a lasting legacy.”

What do you make of the grand vision thus far, and for Boltonians, is this something you’re fully behind? Speaking of big sporting events, another one is coming up in Manchester city centre this weekend.

Manchester Basketball set to make history at first-ever Super League Cup finals in the city

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Featured Images — Publicity pictures/CGIs (via Peel Land)

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