Manchester’s iconic Central Library and Town Hall are set to close to the public this summer while major investment work takes place.
The community hubs in the heart of the city centre welcome hundreds of people through their doors each week, but this August, the Central Library and Town Hall Extension will be closed temporarily for several weeks with no access for staff or the public, as the replacement and upgrade of ICT networks and Wi-Fi systems are due to take place.
The ICT project will update the Local Area Network (LAN) and the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), ensuring that the Central Library and the Town Hall Extension have a flexible ICT network providing ‘seamless connectivity’.
📌Central Library will be closed for 3 weeks from 2 –24 August, as we get to work on an exciting upgrade to the building’s Wi-Fi.
Once complete you’ll have a faster, more reliable Wi-Fi connection for work, studying, socialising and more. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/pmHqRvEwL9
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 10, 2025
During these upgrades, there will be no ICT network access available, which means no connectivity for laptops, PCs, printers, and other digital infrastructure.
Central Library and the Town Hall Extension are to be closed for three weeks from 2 – 24 August.
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In the meantime, Manchester‘s 21 other local libraries – all of which have already had successful LAN and Wi-Fi network updates – will be open as usual providing PCs, book lending, and study space for the public to make use of.
On top of this, staff hours will be increased in nine key libraries in the Manchester region.
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Staff will be at Central Library entrances throughout the closure to support visitors and signpost to alternative libraries, places to sightsee, meet or enjoy a coffee in the city.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 10, 2025
Staff will also be on hand at Central Library entrances to advise people of the closure and signpost them to alternative libraries.
“Although there is never a good time to shut Manchester Central Library, we cannot move forward in updating the network without this necessary closure,” commented Councillor John Hacking, who is the Executive Member for Skills, Employment, and Leisure at Manchester City Council.
“I can assure people that we will be working at pace to bring a better and faster Wi-Fi provision for our customers when we reopen.”
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Family pay tribute to father-of-two killed in Rochdale plane crash
Daisy Jackson
The family of a man killed in a light aircraft crash in Rochdale have paid tribute to a ‘deeply loving father and devoted husband’.
36-year-old Arian Abbasi was one of two men killed when an aircraft crashed into farmland in Littleborough in Rochdale last week, after travelling from Birmingham.
Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly after 11am on Tuesday 3 February, but sadly pronounced both men dead at the scene.
It’s believed there was no one else on board the aircraft, and there were no reported injuries on the ground.
Now, Arian’s family have issued a moving tribute to him. He was a pilot from Harrow in Greater London.
They described him as being a ‘deeply loving’ family man, whose passion was flying.
He was about to embark on a new chapter with a commercial airline in just a few weeks’ time.
His family said: “He lived his life for his family and friends, giving them his constant love, strength, and support.
“Flying was his passion, and he was on the brink of beginning an exciting new chapter with a commercial airline on 23 February; a dream he had worked toward with immense pride and determination.”
GMP investigations are now focused on finding part of the parachute system which contains propellant and hasn’t yet been located.
Finding the device has been ‘very difficult’ due to the nature of the terrain and the wide area over which it may have travelled.
It measures approximately 10 cm in diameter and 30 cm long and has a red anodised finish. It weighs less than 2 kg. It may have a silver metal collar attached at one end.
GMP said: “Please do not handle the device if you see it. If discovered, contact the police immediately via 101 or our Live Chat at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1056 of 03/02/26.”
Homeless children in Greater Manchester will now get free bus travel to and from school
Emily Sergeant
Children who are currently living in temporary housing in Greater Manchester are set to get extra support with school travel.
In a move that was announced by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) at the end of last week, and following years of campaigning, homeless children living in temporary accommodation are now set to get free school travel on all Bee Network buses.
TfGM says it understands that some children end up a long way from their school when placed into temporary accommodation, and this leaves parents or carers with the difficult choice of either having to move them to a closer school, which ultimately disrupts their education, or having to pay unexpected travel costs.
While the Greater Manchester Strategy – which is the plan for the city region’s next decade – commits to reducing the number of families and children in temporary accommodation, and measures are also being taken to make sure residents have the support they need to ‘access, improve, and retain’ a decent, affordable home, this doesn’t tackle the immediate issue.
Homeless children in Greater Manchester will now get free school bus travel / Credit: TfGM
So, to help those families when they ‘need it most’, free bus travel to and from school is set to be provided, as subject to approval of this year’s Combined Authority budget.
The move comes after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham asked TfGM last year to look at options to help with the cost of travel.
“Using our locally-controlled Bee Network buses to support families when they need it most is the right thing to do,” Andy Burnham commented.
Of course, the long-term solution is no kids in TA and we’re working with our councils to achieve this in the next few years.
We can do it because GM will soon hit the point where we are building more council and social homes every year than we’re losing through right-to-buy. 👍🏻
“A move into temporary accommodation is often a massive upheaval for families and can be a worrying time. With this measure, the cost of travel to school will be one less thing for families to worry about.
“It will mean parents and carers don’t have to choose between an extra demand on their household budget and keeping their children with friends and teachers they know and trust.”
Emily Sergeant -
10th June 2025 
