It’s been another busy weekend for news here in Greater Manchester – here are the top five stories we were all talking about over the last couple of days.
Storm Arwen
Erst was closed because of the storm on Saturday. Credit: Instagram @erst_mcr
We’ve all been talking about the weather. All of us.
The weekend started with Manchester getting battered from all angles by Storm Arwen.
Overnight on Friday and well into Saturday, gale-force winds caused havoc across the region.
The massive storm saw the M62 closed as lorries got stuck, trees ripped up from their roots, and Erst in Ancoats closed as water flooded into the restaurant.
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Omicron
Credit: (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)
A new variant of concern that has emerged in South Africa, putting six countries onto the red list and triggering new rules from the UK Government.
Three cases of the new Omicron variant have now been found in England, with a further six in Scotland – contact tracing is underway.
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From Tuesday November 30, face masks will once again be mandatory in retail and on public transport, though hospitality settings will be exempt.
All people arriving in the UK will now need to take a PCR test too.
Suspected contacts of Omicron cases will have to isolate for 10 days, regardless of vaccination status.
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There are also plans to speed up the booster jab programme.
Snow day
Snow in Manchester city centre. Credit: Instagram @bee_manuk
It’s the weather again!
Manchester spent most of yesterday in a flurry of snow and woke up on Monday to a blanket of white.
It’s made the roads a little tricky and closed a few schools.
Don’t expect it to stick around for long though – there’s rain forecast this evening and much milder temperatures of 10C from tomorrow.
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I’m A Celebrity
Thanks to the wild weather brought by Storm Arwen, I’m a Celebrity has dropped off air.
The live portion was called off on Friday and over the weekend, highlights reels have been broadcast on ITV instead.
The channel confirmed that the production site at Gwrych Castle has been badly damaged.
The celebrities – including Frankie Bridge, Naughty Boy and David Ginola – were all removed from the castle.
It’s hoped that the live show will return tonight.
Sharing an official update online, the RFL wrote: “Wane, who has led England since February 2020, has taken time to reflect on the programme and believes the timing is right for new leadership to guide the team into the next phase, including the upcoming World Cup.
“During his tenure, Wane oversaw memorable series victories over Tonga in 2023 and a star-studded Samoa a year later, as well as a semi-final in the World Cup. He finishes with 14 wins from 19 matches.”
Crediting him as one of “a very small elite number of coaches to have won the full suite of domestic club honours and achieved World Club Championship success”, hailing his experience and longevity both as a player and as a coach.
As for Wane himself, he said: “It has been the honour of my life to coach England Rugby League over the last six years, but after careful reflection, I believe the time is right to step aside and allow the programme to move forward into its next chapter.
England are on the lookout for a new coach heading into the World Cup after being swept in the Ashes.
Coach Shaun Wane has reportedly resigned from the post after a disappointing 3-0 whitewash against Australia last year.
The 61-year-old ex-pro goes on to add, “The privilege of leading my country in a World Cup, an Ashes Series on home soil and securing victories over Tonga and Samoa will live long in the memory.
“I’m incredibly grateful to all the players, coaches and staff I’ve worked alongside during that time; their commitment and professionalism made those moments possible. I wish everyone involved with England Rugby League the best going forward and for the World Cup later this year.”
According to the latest reports online, St Helens boss Paul Rowley is now said to be the favourite to take over in the interim.
The 2026 Rugby League World Cup is still months away (scheduled to take place in October and November), but the governing body will want to get the new setup and coaching in place as soon as possible to prepare for the tournament.
Greater Manchester town named as one of country’s worst at fixing potholes
Emily Sergeant
A town in Greater Manchester has been named one of the worst in the country at managing roads and fixing potholes.
For the first time ever, drivers across England can now see how well their local highway authority is tackling potholes on their roads thanks to a new traffic light rating system published by the Government this weekend.
The new ratings grade local highway authorities as red, amber, or green.
The ratings – which have presented on a new interactive map – are based on current road condition and how effectively local authorities are spending the Government’s record £7.3 billion funding to fix potholes and investing in long-term measures to maintain roads.
The Government funding is meant to allow local authorities to repair potholes ‘effectively’ and move away from short-term repairs that work out to be more expensive – with these fixes meaning more money in drivers’ pockets, as the average repair bill from hitting potholes is said to be around £320.
We’ve launched a Red, Amber, Green rating system, so you can see how well your local highway authority (LHA) is fixing your local roads.
🟢 Green = best practice, long-term preventative plans 🟠 Amber = on the way, but room to improve 🔴 Red = support in place to raise… pic.twitter.com/gRwkEx5kdm
The condition of local roads, how much local authorities are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways are all key areas taken into account when deciding on an area’s rating.
Those that scored ‘green’, like Manchester, were able to demonstrate they are following best practice, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads, and those that scored ‘amber’ – which the majority of Greater Manchester came under showed that there was room for improvement in individual areas.
However, one Greater Manchester town did not fare well at all, and ended up with an ‘red’ rating… and that town was Bolton.
The colour-coded map showing each local authority’s pothole rating / Credit: OS / Crown Copyright (via gov.uk)
Those local authorities that are rated ‘red’, like Bolton, are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured, according to the Government, such as the current state of the roads, their plans for preventing potholes, or investment into maintaining their local roads more widely.
“For too long, drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate,” commented Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for.
“Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time, we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.”
Daisy Jackson -
29th November 2021 
