The UK government has allocated councils in Greater Manchester over £6.2 million extra to tackle potholes across the region.
After research carried out by Manchester-based personal injury specialists at JMW Solicitors back in 2020, combined with data provided by fixmystreet.com, uncovered that, as of January 2021, there were a total 7,114 reported open pothole cases in the region, it’s now been revealed that local councils will receive extra funding from the governmentto tackle rising numbers.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced an extra £200 million will be allocated to tackling the “curse of potholes” in his first Budget for 2023 yesterday.
Mr Hunt says the extra funding follows “a wet then cold winter”.
Councils across England will get additional funding to help tackle potholes.
This funding will help to lower vehicle maintenance costs for workers, families & business and will safeguard the country's road network for the future. pic.twitter.com/xqb8QuPxt3
He told MPs in the House of Commons yesterday: “I received particularly strong representations from my honourable friend from North Devon, South West Devon and Newton Abbott, as well as Councillor Peter Martin from my own constituency about the curse of potholes.
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“The spending review allocated £500 million every year to the potholes fund, but today, I’ve decided to increase that fund by a further £200 million.”
He added that the further £200 million will be to “help local communities tackle this problem”.
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The total of £6,210,400 extra funding allocated for Greater Manchester is to be distributed across all 10 boroughs, but it hasn’t been confirmed at this point whether this will be evenly distributed or based on the number of potholes in each region.
As well as Greater Manchester, fellow North West regions have also been awarded various sums of money from the fund.
Lancashire is to get £5,122,000, an extra £2,319,600 will go to Cheshire East and £1,765,200 to Cheshire West and Chester, while Blackburn with Darwen will receive £428,000, and Liverpool City Region will be given £3,754,400.
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Government to give Greater Manchester an extra £6.2 million to fill potholes across region / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | Flickr
It is believed, however, that some regions will receive Private Finance initiatives (PFIs) rather than the government funding, according to ITV News – which is a way for the public sector to finance significant public works projects through the private sector to essentially take the burden off the government.
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
24-hour bus services are now running across all Greater Manchester boroughs
Emily Sergeant
24-hour bus services are now running across all boroughs in Greater Manchester.
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 it’s official, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched those 24-hour buses this month, along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford now join the rest of Greater Manchester in having 24-hour bus services, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that these new services 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.
The routes which will run around the clock from Thursday until Sunday are:
50 (Salford – Manchester)
216 (Tameside – Manchester)
263 (Trafford – Manchester)
192 (Stockport – Manchester)
83 (Oldham – Manchester)
All Greater Manchester boroughs now have 24-hour bus services / Credit: TfGM
They launch alongside the most significant service changes to the Bee Network since the completion of bus franchising last year – including other new bus routes, and more frequent services across Greater Manchester.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy everything Greater Manchester offers, without the worry of how to get there and get home,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“By growing the Bee Network, we’re making it easier than ever for people to use the bus, day and night.
“Our night buses are already providing a lifeline to some of the hundreds of thousands of people who are growing our night-time economy and working in essential public services.”
“Whether people are heading home from a night at the theatre or starting the early shift at a hospital, they can now get on board the night bus as a safe and affordable way to travel.”
Further improvements will delivered from January 2027, and a full breakdown by borough can be found on the Bee Network website here.
Emily Sergeant -
16th March 2023 
