Have you noticed that one of Manchester’s newest and most eye-catching structures is finally living up to its name?
The Tower of Light structure has been officially switched on.
Marking a milestone in the development of the city’s new Civic Quarter Heat Network, the 40m tower – which was officially finalised back in August 2020, and became the talk of the city not long after – will now be lit up in a series of striking colours every night, with Manchester City Council describing it as “the most visible manifestation” of the Council-owned network – which is providing heating and electricity to some of Manchester city centre’s most iconic buildings.
The Civic Quarter Heat Network – which will go live in early 2022 – will not only help the buildings to reduce their carbon emissions, but also support the city’s transition to zero carbon by 2038.
The Tower of Light is now shining bright! 💡
Located at the heart of Manchester's new low carbon Civic Quarter Heat Network, it's part of the city's transition to zero carbon and will be lit up every night.https://t.co/Hu2C71UR0Jpic.twitter.com/PmFo35Wksw
In case you’re unfamiliar with what the Tower of Light actually is and what it does for the city, the structure contains a 3.3MWe CHP engine and two 12MW gas boilers, is made up of nine sections called ‘drums’ – each one measuring 4m wide, 6m long, and 4m high, with a 1.8m crown section – and essentially acts as the chimney for the low-carbon energy centre.
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The Tower of Light’s energy centre is projected to generate electricity and harness the recovered heat from this process for distribution via a 2km district heating network – which will supply heat for the buildings.
Using low carbon power generated in an energy centre located underneath the railway arches by Manchester Central, the network will serve the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Central Convention Complex, Central Library, Heron House, Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Town Hall and Town Hall extension buildings, via 2km of underground pipes.
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And the network will also have the capacity to connect to other buildings in the vicinity, helping them to reduce their carbon footprints too.
The Civic Quarter Heat Network will help the city’s buildings reduce their carbon emissions / Credit: Manchester City Council
“The Civic Quarter Heat Network is a trailblazing system which demonstrates Manchester’s determination to cut our carbon emissions,” explained Cllr Tracey Rawlins – Executive Member for Environment at Manchester City Council.
“”It’s a complex challenge, but ambitious projects such as this network show that we are taking action to rise to it, [and] as well as looking beautiful, we hope that the Tower of Light will be a beacon for this kind of work.”
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Mike Cooke – Managing Director for the North and Scotland at Vital Energi, the company that built the network – added: “The flue’s innovative lighting scheme, paired with the partially transparent ‘Wall of Energy’, allows the public to catch a glimpse inside the energy centre.
“[And it] ensures the Tower of Light will become an iconic feature to Manchester’s skyline.”
You can find out more about the Tower of Light and what it means here.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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North West water bills to see the biggest average increase of anywhere in the country in 2026
Emily Sergeant
Water bills in the North West are set to see the biggest increase in 2026 on average.
It has been announced that household water bills in England and Wales will rise by an average of 5.4% overall – which works out to around £33 a year, or approximately £2.70 per month – from April, which is said to be two percentage points above December’s official inflation figure… but when you look closer at the North West, that percentage rises from 5.4% to 9%.
The average United Utilities water bill is set to sit at £660 annually in 2026-27, with that being an increase of £57 from the previous year – the largest increase of anywhere else in the country.
Water UK says the nationwide rise in bills reflects the ‘significant investment’ being put towards upgrading water infrastructure.
More than two million households currently receive help with their water bills. An extra 300,000 households are expected to receive support in 2026-27. Find out more: https://t.co/DSDpAmawX8pic.twitter.com/N2LFpjxEQE
Water companies are said to be currently in the process of delivering a £104 billion investment programme to secure the nation’s water supplies, support economic growth, and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.
The money raised by water bills can only be used to fund infrastructure that is independently determined to be ‘new, necessary, and value for money’.
The regulator says United Utilities will begin a £3 billion upgrade in 2026 of the 110 km Haweswater Aqueduct, which carries 570 million litres of water every day to 2.5 million people in Cumbria, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester (or nearly 5% of England’s population), hence water bills increasing at a higher rate to other areas.
North West water bills are set to see the biggest average increase in 2026 / Credit: Raibeart MacAoidh (via Geograph)
“We understand increasing bills is never welcome, but the money is needed to fund vital upgrades to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas,” explained David Henderson, who is the Chief Executive at Water UK.
“While we urgently need investment in our water and sewage infrastructure, we know that for many this increase will be difficult.
“That is why we will help around 2.5 million households – more than ever before – with average discounts of around 40% off their water bill.”
More than two million households currently receive help with their bills through social tariffs, the WaterSure scheme, and other affordability measures, and an extra 300,000 households are expected to receive support in 2026-27, taking the total number to around 2.5 million.
Those who are struggling should contact their water company to see what help is available, as support can often be tailored to individual circumstances.
Featured Image – Sora Shimazaki (via Pexels)
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Deansgate bar Simmons closes just over a year after opening
Danny Jones
London-born bar brand Simmons has closed their Manchester site just over a year after opening their first Northern location.
They’ve lasted roughly 15 months on one of our busiest nightlife strips.
Opening on Deansgate back in October 2024, Simmons Manchester wasn’t just their first foray here up in this half of the country but their only other venue outside of the capital.
An otherwise well-established and popular chain down south, they have a total of 15 different bars in central London, but things clearly haven’t quite taken off as planned here in Manchester.
Placing a poster in the unit’s shopfront besides the likes of Be At One, Yours, The Moon Under The Water Spoons and the Deansgate branch of Slug and Lettuce, as you can see, the fellow franchise founded over a decade ago said: “After much consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our doors.
“It’s never easy to say goodbye”, they add, “We’re incredibly proud of what the team built here and so grateful to them, as well as everyone who joined us over the past year.
“We’ve had some unforgettable nights. We love Manchester, and we hope to be back under the right conditions.”
They go on to thank everyone for being “part of the journey”, but for now, it looks like the room has closed effective immediately.
Simmons started back in 2012 when founder Nick Campbell opened the first bar below his flat in Kings Cross, and their presence has grown hugely since then. The closing sign was spotted and shared on social media earlier this week.
Offering everything from stylish cocktails to New York-style pizza, live music and even private karaoke booths, the place had plenty going on.
With rising business rates, energy bills and more dovetailing with the continuing cost of living crisis that is still hampering both hospitality and the nightime economy, they are just one of many to unfortunately close their doors of late.
For instance, it was only earlier this month that we saw multiple well-known names shut up shop here in the city centre or elsewhere in Greater Manchester, including another long-standing late-night favourite, Revolution.
It’s a shame for any business to close, and we certainly hope they’ll return someday with a model that can be sustained in the current climate.
Emily Sergeant -
18th October 2021 
