Council tax rise confirmed in Wigan after four hours of debate

The political area of Atherleigh in Wigan went out with a bang after a number of community groups were issued awards by their local councillors.

As we enter a new tax year, many things are due to go up in price, including taxes for cars, vans, and motorbikes.

Manchester is a city of firsts. The atom was split in 1917 at the University, the world’s first free library opened in 1653, and McDonald’s opened its first UK drive-through in Fallowfield in 1986.

Figen Murray, the mother of Manchester Arena attack victim Martyn Hett, has called on big music venues to add a 50p tax to tickets to improve security.

Coronation Street fans rejoiced as Kevin Kennedy and Angela Lonsdale reunited for a night out after leaving the ITV soap 20 years ago. Police sergeant Emma, played by Angela, arrived on the cobbles back in 2000 and left in 2003 after being offered a promotion in Newcastle.

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of terrorism offences after a woman was stabbed outside a leisure centre. The woman was seriously hurt following the incident in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, on Thursday night.

Councils have been setting their annual budgets over the last few weeks. This includes the difficult decision of whether to raise council tax and by how much.

City's Cancelo stance

American music star Chris Brown is entertaining thousands of fans in Manchester this week at his three huge AO Arena gigs. And after the opening night show on Thursday, he decided to continue the party at one of the city's swankiest celeb haunts.

Sir Rod Stewart is no stranger to charity work and helping others in need. His most recent act of kindness has seen him foot the bill of more hospital scans across the country in a bid to reduce NHS waiting lists.

Plumes of smoke could be seen for miles after a blaze broke out at a derelict building in Tameside. Fire crews raced to the scene on Club Street, off Ashton Old Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, at around 5.30pm on Tuesday (March 7).

It's bad news for Lewis Capaldi fans as the Scottish singer took to Twitter to announce some devastating news. Capaldi, who played Manchester in January as part of his 2023 tour, has had to cancel two of his upcoming gigs.

“I can’t even ask my children if I want a loaf,” Val Barlow says as she looks into the distance. “My son asks me if I need anything but I know he’s got family. He’s working and he’s seeing nowt of it. I’m struggling like everybody else but you’ve got to go on.”

Claudia Fogarty's famous relatives have broken their silence after she became one of the latest Islanders to be dumped from the Love Island villa on Thursday. Claudia, 24, left the ITV2 dating show alongside Keanan Brand on Thursday, after fellow dumped Islanders Olivia Hawkins and Maxwell Samuda chose the pair to leave with them.

Councillors have agreed to hike council tax by nearly five per cent at a meeting where one Labour member described his Tory opposition as the ‘Tameside Trump’.

Calls to make council tax cheaper for some of the poorest Mancunians have been voted down. The Lib Dems' proposal to increase the maximum discount on council tax bills in Manchester from 82.5 pc to 85 pc has been rejected.

This time a year ago Rico Lewis hadn't had a sniff of the Manchester City first team. He had hardly even played for the Under-21s given his tender years and was instead captaining the Under-18s to league title glory.

Manchester City youngster Rico Lewis explained that the Blues were left gutted after they conceded late on during their routine victory over AFC Bournemouth.

Twelve months ago, Masha Semeniuk was met with the sound of sirens. The 34-year-old had made her life in Kyiv.

People in Stockport will see their council tax bills rise by more than 4 per cent from April after town hall bosses passed a ‘robust’ budget for the year ahead.