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.
Fans are preparing to pay tribute to Mani from The Stone Roses ahead of his funeral service
Danny Jones
Stone Roses fans and Greater Manchester locals alike are getting ready to pay their respects to the late, great, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, following his tragic passing last month.
As well as details surrounding his funeral being announced earlier this week, the iconic Manc musician’s cause of death has also finally been revealed.
While Hatton’s service featured a high-profile cortège which started all the way from his hometown of Hyde, past multiple landmarks and ending at the Etihad Stadium, those local to Mani’s family home on the edge of Stockport are also being welcomed to help send him off.
It's the funeral of Mani of the Stone Roses on the 22nd. He lived locally. This poster is asking people to line the route of his funeral cortege to "show that he truly was adored". pic.twitter.com/X0DYHl10Hp
He had been struggling with emphysema for some time; he was declared dead at his home in the suburb of Heaton Moor, and is said to have died peacefully in his sleep.
As you can see from the posters put in various places around the area, residents wishing to pay their own tributes to Mani before his private funeral service at Manchester Cathedral are encouraged to line the long street leading down from St Paul’s and Heaton Moor United Church as he heads towards the city.
Departing Parsonage Road from 10am on Monday, 22 December, before turning right onto Heaton Moor Rd, then Wellington and eventually on to the Cathedral, you can expect plenty of people to show up.
One of those people will be his former bandmate and another influential guitarist, John Squire, who is one of many famous musical names to have honoured him in their own way over the last few weeks.
Other members of The Stone Roses, as well as Primal Scream (who he joined in 1996), are expected to join the close family and friends at the service itself.
Nevertheless, we have no doubt that plenty will be observing the funeral in their own way.
So, for those of you also looking to honour him, you know what to do; and to quote the poster itself, “together we can show this local legend and his family that he was truly adored.”
Plans to transform Chorlton’s old shopping centre have been green-lit
Danny Jones
Yes, after a prolonged period of uncertainty, the plans put together for redeveloping Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre are now moving forward.
Following an extensive consultation period back in 2023 and planning permission having now been approved by Manchester City Council, the transformation of the long-neglected retail complex has been green-lit, and the project will be moving forward even sooner than you think.
As confirmed earlier this week, Stretford-based construction company PJ Livesey will be working in tandem with the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to deliver the major regeneration, which will see even more living spaces and leisure facilities arrive in the already thriving suburb.
Following an official press release on Thursday, 18 December, we’ve now been given a latest glimpse at what the developers are hoping the new Chorlton Cross district will look like.
Credit: Font Communications (supplied)
Plans for the transformation of both the high street and the old Leisure Centre date back to 2023 and even further when taking into account the Council asking the public for their thoughts on what should happen with the area, but Chorlton Cross, specifically, has been the subject of debate for some time.
The bulk of units in and around the largely forgotten shopping centre are now empty, with just a few hold-outs still clinging on to their space.
Now, following extensive feedback from native Mancs and those who have flooded into the South Manchester town over the past decade, the approved plans have now been revealed.
They include:
A mix of 262 one, two and three-bed apartments, all with access to outdoor space through balconies and gardens
20% affordable homes available through a mix of tenures, with 18.5% of these being available for social rent
Around 3,500 sq metres of public open space, including a fully walkable route through Manchester Rd and outdoor seating areas to encourage people to stop and dwell
A mix of flexible retail spaces, such as a new ‘Makers Yard’ suitable for smaller, start-up businesses
Up to 60 new trees across the site with maximised retention of existing trees
Manc filmmaker, Bernard Leach – who has been making videos about the region since 2007 – shared a longer look at how the vision for this next chapter in Chorlton‘s residential and retail history is currently shaping up earlier this month.
As you can see, some sections of the old Lancashire village and ‘cum-Hardy’ parish could look rather unrecognisable sooner than you think.
Should everything go ahead as scheduled, those involved are hoping to get work underway in the New Year, with the ‘decommissioning’ of all existing buildings, including Graeme House, undergoing demolition by early 2026.
With the majority vacating their premises in recent years, it’s fair to say that it’s been vastly underutilised for far too long.
Posting on social media back in September last year, nearby resident Nigel Woodcock wrote: “Serious question, not just councillor-baiting, but can anyone explain why the retail businesses in Chorlton Precinct were booted out before any decisions were made about what’s going to happen to it?
“It makes no sense to me. No plans have even been submitted, so far as I’m aware, so why kick out those businesses and leave it derelict for so long? The land and buildings are actually owned by the combined GM Local Authorities, so one might expect a modicum of political and business nous to be applied.”
Similar to the new plans being put together for the stretch of land between Castlefield and Salford, most are just glad something is finally happening with the space.
Commenting on the plans progressing, PJ Livesey’s Managing Director, Georgina Lynch, said in an official statement: “This is a landmark moment for Chorlton, marking the transformation of the former shopping centre into a vibrant new hub for the community.
“Working closely with Manchester City Council, we’ve carefully balanced the delivery of much-needed new homes – including 20% affordable – with the creation of lively, welcoming spaces to shop, relax, and spend time.
“This site is at the heart of Chorlton, and we’re bringing it back to life, cementing the area’s reputation as a truly great place to live.”
What do you make of the Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre regeneration plans?
The Manc -
5th March 2021 
