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Government announces £4.6 billion in new lockdown grants to ‘support businesses and protect jobs’

It continues to form part of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's #PlanForJobs.

The Manc The Manc - 5th January 2021
Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

The UK government has announced this morning that businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000.

It comes as Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak unveils his latest £4.6 billion package to “support businesses and protect jobs” as the country enters into another national lockdown today following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night that these business will be closed until at least February half-term in order to help control the virus.

These new grants – together with existing support already in place and continuing the form part of the #PlanForJobs – aims to “provide [these businesses] with certainty through the Spring period”.

The allocated funds are set to be provided on “a per-property basis” to support businesses through the latest restrictions, and is expected to benefit over 600,000 business properties worth £4 billion in total across all nations of the UK.

The government has confirmed that a further £594 million is also being made available for Local Authorities and the Devolved Administrations to support other businesses that are not eligible for the grants but might still be affected by the restrictions.

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Businesses are asked to apply to their Local Authorities for support.

These new one-off grants also come in addition to the “billions of existing business support”, which include grants worth up to £3,000 for closed businesses, and up to £2,100 per month for impacted businesses once they reopen.

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Announcing the new support package today, Mr Sunak said: “The new strain of the virus presents us all with a huge challenge, and whilst the vaccine is being rolled out, we have needed to tighten restrictions further.

“Throughout the pandemic we’ve taken swift action to protect lives and livelihoods and today we’re announcing a further cash injection to support businesses and jobs until the Spring.

“This will help businesses to get through the months ahead,

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“And crucially it will help sustain jobs, so workers can be ready to return when they are able to reopen.”

You can find more information regarding the new £4.6 billion support package here.

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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.

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Middleton to receive a cinema and Metrolink as part of regeneration plans

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Greater Manchester town Middleton is about to undergo a huge facelift thanks to a new regeneration project, including a new cinema and Metrolink tram station.

Middleton is one of many bustling communities that make up the borough of Rochdale, and with these new plans, the town might receive a fair few new visitors who want to know what it’s all about.

The Greater Manchester town is undergoing a huge transformation with regeneration plans confirming that Middleton will receive a brand new cinema complex along with an extended Metrolink line as part of the Bee Network expansion covering this area.

This is all thanks to Middleton teaming up with the Mayor to launch the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which pushes forward regeneration plans for the town and future ideas.

Middleton regeneration plans
Middleton Shopping Centre right in the heart of the town centre.
Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.
Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.
Credit: Steven Haslington (via Geograph)/@Rept0n1x (via Flickr)

The MDC considers lots of aspects of the town and even aims to create new homes and improve surrounding public spaces.

This comes just weeks after the borough of Rochdale was named the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture for 2025’, being handed the baton by last year’s recipient, Bolton.

Middleton regeneration plans have been floated previously, but complications arose due to a lack of land and available funding, which ultimately brought these foundations to a halt.

Now it seems the green light has been lifted and Middleton is about to get a whole new facelift, which will not only improve the town economically but aesthetically too, along with the wider Rochdale region.

For many Middletonians, the idea of a cinema may have felt like a distant memory, with their last big screen location shutting down just over a decade ago.

This all-new high street regeneration will not only bring an array of shopping favourites back to the town centre but also the long-awaited return of a local cinema. Most importantly, the plans also include a slate of new housing, with an estimated 300 apartments set to be created in one building alone.

The proposed Middleton regeneration plans including a cinema and Metrolink tram station.
Early CGIs of the proposed Middleton regeneration plans.
Grade II-listed Warwick Mill looks set to be turned into flats.
Credit: Publicity Picture (supplied)

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This all falls in line with the ‘Atom Valley scheme‘, which has been commissioned in order to generate over 20,000 job opportunities for people in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.

The scheme also mentions how it aims to bring a combined economic boost of around £1 billion to these previously mentioned areas.

Rochdale Borough Council leader, Neil Emmott, said: “The development of 1.2 million square metres of employment space around the junction 19 area will help to generate 20,000 high-quality jobs and bring a £1 billion economic boost.”

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Publicity Pictures (supplied via Rochdale Borough Council)

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Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.

If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.

Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.

This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.

It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.

Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.

This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.

Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.

Belter.

The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.

If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”

Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Wikimedia Commons/Press shot (supplied)

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