Every local authority in Greater Manchester is preparing to raise council tax bills from April in a bid to keep services running.
In the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the budgets of town halls right across the city-region have been hit hard, with some councils admitting to having to plug huge gaps in their finances, and while the government has already paid out millions in emergency funding, council leaders have said that this money does not go far enough.
This is why the government has allowed authorities to increase residents’ council tax bills by up to 4.99%.
Although a price hike has now been signed off by all 10 local authorities in Greater Manchester this week, many leaders – some of whom are begrudgingly agreeing to the maximum uplift – have stated that they see council tax as a “regressive” way of funding local services.
But despite the financial hardships many local residents are facing as a result of the pandemic, council tax bills will rise from April.
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Here’s a breakdown of how council tax bills will change in the coming year.
GMCA / Geograph
Manchester
Manchester City Council has today voted in favour of the 2021 Budget and has signed-off on raising council tax by 4.99% for residents in Manchester.
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As part of the sign-off, bills will look to raise £8.5 million and prevent cuts to frontline services like adult social care, and Sir Richard Leese – Leader of Manchester City Council – has also promised that the council will continue to invest in affordable housing and becoming a zero carbon city.
The annual bill for Band D properties will go up by £71.13 to £1,425.46.
Salford
As part of its “no cuts budget” – which was approved by councillors in the borough last month – the neighbouring authority of Salford will increase council tax by 3.99% in April, so for Band A properties, the most common property banding in the city, the annual council tax bill will rise by £50.30, taking the total to £1,343.29.
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Conservative councillors in Salford had called for a “freeze” on council tax, saying it would spend £4.5 million of its reserves as a “one-off”, instead of “hitting people’s pockets”.
Bolton
In Bolton – the only Conservative-controlled town hall in Greater Manchester – a 3.8% council tax rise was signed off last month and it will see Band A properties, which make up more than 40% of the overall tax base in the town and wider borough, pay an extra 74p a week.
The assumptions built into the 2021/22 Budget also include a 1.8% increase for the general council tax levy in the borough, and 2% increase for the adult social care precept.
Bury
Due to Bury Council’s finances being hit to the tune of £43.5 million over the next three years as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but despite attempts by opposition parties in the borough to amend the Budget, a 4.7% tax rise has been approved for Bury residents in the coming year.
This means that Band D households will pay an extra £31 from April, taking their annual bills to £1,643.31.
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Oldham
Once again, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and forming part of measures to plug a £27.6 million shortfall, a council tax rise of 2.99% – alongside and a five year capital investment programme – was approved by Oldham Council yesterday, meaning that some residents will see their bills rise by up to £30 year.
Now signed-off by councillors in the borough, those living in Band A properties will have to pay an extra £2.78 a month from April.
This rise in Oldham the lowest in Greater Manchester, however.
Wikimedia CommonsGeograph
Rochdale
Although opposition councillors had tried to force a freeze on council tax – something which had been mooted by leader of the Labour-led council, Councillor Alan Brett, last summer – plans to raise council tax in Rochdale by the maximum 4.99% were signed off this week.
For Band D properties, council tax will go up by £82.10 for the year, bringing the annual bill to £1,727.37.
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Stockport
A 3.5% council tax rise was signed off by Stockport councillors in early February.
This means the owners of an average Band D property will pay just under £60 extra for services provided by the local authority, bringing the annual bill to £1,749.90, but unlike other local authorities in Greater Manchester, the general element of council tax accounts for the majority of the rise – 2% – with adult social care making up the remaining 1.5%.
Tameside
Council tax in Tameside will increase by the maximum 4.99% from April.
In the move – which will see residents’ bills rise by at least £50 – councillors in Tameside say that increasing council tax by 1.99%, and the precept for adult social care by 3%, will raise nearly £5 million for the town hall in its COVID-19 recovery.
For a typical Band A property, this increase in council tax will equate to an extra £50.83 per year.
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Trafford
With town hall bosses admitting that savings of around £11.1 million will be needed to balance the books in the coming year as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Trafford Council has approved plans to hike council tax by 4.99% in order to raise more than £5 million.
This means that those living in s Band C home will see a £73 increase in their council tax bill from £1,460.46 per year, to £1,533.34 from April.
Wigan
Wigan Council has signed-off on a 3.99% council tax rise from April.
This will be the first rise in council tax prices for seven years, and only the second time in the last decade it has risen, with most of the money going towards social care costs and Councillor Nazia Rahman – Cabinet Member for Finance at Wigan Council – saying the rise would be manageable for some, but it would “take a toll on the tiny budgets” of the majority of people in the borough.
It will cost Band A properties – the most common banding in Wigan – an extra £35 a year.
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Flickr
The above sign-offs for the council tax hike by each local authority this week follows Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s unveiling of his 2021 Budget to the House of Commons earlier this week, and also comes after it was confirmed last month that Mayor Andy Burnham and the ten borough leaders of Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) had made a unanimous decision to suspend the ‘Mayoral General Precept’, which is part of the overall council tax.
The mayoral precept – which funds the fire service, rough sleeping accommodation and free bus passes for young people – will be frozen at last year’s rates.
This means that Band B and Band D properties will pay £70.73 and £90.95 for the year respectively, from 1st April, and alongside that, the police precept – which is separate to both council tax and the mayoral precept – will rise by £10 to an annual payment of £208.30 for a Band D property.
Greater Manchester stadiums included in the bid to host the Women’s World Cup confirmed
Danny Jones
The locations for the official UK bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup have been revealed, along with the Greater Manchester football stadiums chosen for the honour.
Not exactly a ground-breaking spoiler, but the FA did make a somewhat curious choice when they shared the news.
In case you hadn’t heard the news earlier this year, our nation has officially thrown its hat into the ring for the Women’s World Cup (WWC) in 2035, with England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all set to offer up their arenas as part of the record-breaking proposal.
Naturally, a region as footy-obsessed as ours and with two of the biggest stadiums in the country was always going to be included, but as mentioned, there was a particular detail that lots of people quickly noticed following the announcement.
Yes, in a slightly bizarre but ultimately innocuous turn of events, Etihad Stadium – home of Manchester City FC – has been selected, as was the world-famous ‘Theatre of Dreams‘, the only difference being that it was listed separately from the city itself.
Instead, Man United’s iconic home turf, Old Trafford, has been listed as just that: in Trafford, specifically, as opposed to simply being listed in the same section as its sky blue counterpart.
Now, while it’s true that all 10 boroughs have their own identity, culture (not to mention some subscribing to still being part of Lancashire or even Cheshire), it did strike us and others as a bit odd to put that rather iconic and equally historic venue down as almost separate from the city.
Many would argue that one of the things Manchester is best known for around the globe is the team of Red Devils that play at that ground.
Naturally, ‘Cityzens‘ have had their fair share of fun with the post and, conversely, there’s been plenty of retorts regarding ‘supporters from Stockport’, as you would expect…
Nevertheless, we’re just glad to see the Etihad and Old Trafford continuing to cater to some of the biggest dates on the sporting calendar.
Some have actually argued that the region should have been given opportunities to host more stadiums and/or games as part of the market pitch, as the likes of both Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic’s stadiums were floated as viable or even better alternatives, capacity-wise.
Either way, with the 22 venues that have been selected for the UK’s bid for the 2035 Women’s World Cup and us Brits currently unopposed in the race to secure the tournament, the FA are going all-in for the 48-team competition, which would be “the biggest single-sport event ever staged in the UK.”
You can read more down below.
Our shared ambition: to host the largest single-sport event ever staged in the UK, and the first FIFA World Cup in this country since 1966.#AllTogetherpic.twitter.com/y6GOPEPDdG
Wolf Alice at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
London-formed rock band Wolf Alice are now on the road for their UK tour, and they’re visiting AO Arena in Manchester to put a ‘Smile’ on our faces.
We’re trying our best to be ‘Formidable Cool’, but when Wolf Alice come to town, we think everyone is allowed to lose it a little bit.
Known for bangers like ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’, ‘Silk’ and ‘Lipstick On The Glass’, just to name a few, this band have built a cult following thanks to their always-impressive discography.
15 years since forming and just over 10 years since their debut album My Love Is Cool hit airwaves, with their lead singles ‘Fluffy’ and ‘Bros’, just three months later, they’ve been on a roll since. Now, Wolf Alice are playing their biggest Manc gigs to date at none other than our iconic 21,000-seater venue, AO Arena.
Gig guide | Wolf Alice at AO Arena Manchester
Wolf Alice’s upcoming gig is taking place at AO Arena in Manchester on Friday 28 November / Credit: Press Shots (via Supplied)
Wolf Alice UK tour dates
Fri 28 November – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Sat 29 November – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 1 December – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
Tue 2 December – London, UK – The O2
Wed 3 December – London, UK – The O2
Fri 5 December – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
Sun 7 December – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Mon 8 December – Nottingham, UK – Motorpoint Arena
Wolf Alice tickets for AO Arena gig
This band might be bigger than any ‘Giant Peach’ you could possibly think, but you might just be able to get your hand on a ticket or two for the last Wolf Alice gig in Manchester on their final night this Friday, 28 November.
Stop ‘Leaning Against the Wall’ and get onto your favourite ticket site as there are still a handful of tickets for Wolf Alice’s upcoming Manchester show available right HERE.
What are the stage times for Wolf Alice in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm, meaning you can get home in time for some ‘Bread Butter Tea Sugar’ before the early hours.
There’s not one but two incredible acts set to support Wolf Alice, and it’s none other than former-FRIGS lead singer, Bria Salmena, as well as American rock trio, Sunflower Bean.
Doors for this event are opening from 6pm, and Wolf Alice are expected to take the stage from around 7:30pm onwards before combining into a supergroup in time for closing time.
Thank u Europe and thank u @Florence_Road Touring in Europe is magic. We don’t take it for granted, so grateful for you all turning up. 🥹 Lots of love xxx
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.
The Manc -
5th March 2021 
