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Bolton is a town prone to an identity crisis. Ever since it was pulled into Greater Manchester by the 1974 Local Government Act, many of its residents have steadfastly refused to accept its removal from Lancashire.

Bolton has been named Greater Manchester’s town of culture for 2024. The award will bring £50,000 to support a year-long programme of new events.

Leaders at the University of Bolton are pressing ahead with controversial plans to remove the town from its name. The organisation’s Office for Students (OfS) has launched a consultation on a proposal to change its name to the University of Greater Manchester.

The vacant former Marks & Spencer building in Bolton town centre ‘lends itself’ to residential use as well as retail, the council leadership has said. Last week, it was announced that agreement had been reached with the shopping giant about an early surrender of their lease of the building, which runs until 2027.

Giant inflatable multi-coloured bubbles have invaded Victoria Square as week two of Bolton’s Put Big Light On Festival gets underway. After the success of last weekend’s centrepiece installation Borealis, a northern lights recreation above the town hall which attracted thousands of visitors, the main attraction currently is Evanescent.

Hundreds of homes across Greater Manchester will have their eco-heaters upgraded with 5G technology to help monitor energy usage - and hopefully bring bills down. The government is putting £3m towards the innovative scheme.

A £35m regeneration project which will see Bolton town centre undergo a huge transformation is underway. The Central Street Project, which will deliver 167 new rental homes boasting rooftop terraces and gardens, has entered a key phase, with the site fully prepared and foundations now being installed.

Thousands of people in one Greater Manchester borough have put their name to a petition to leave the region entirely.

Plans to increase cabinet councillor allowances in Bolton by 76 per cent have been put on hold after the rise was deemed ‘too high’ by the council leader. An independent three-member panel appointed to look into councillors’ allowances had recommended the payment to the nine executive cabinet members be raised from £7,265 to £12,796 per year.

The Bolton Food & Drink Festival will be back for the August bank holiday weekend, with a raft of star chefs, food stalls, talks, demonstrations and live music taking over the town centre.

There was plenty of local political drama in three Greater Manchester boroughs last night — with more election action set to hit the region today.

Labour are now the largest party on Bolton Council after a night of high drama at ‘all out’ elections to decide who runs the borough. They gained seats from the Conservatives to finish the night with 26 councillors, the Tories, who previously controlled the council lost 10 seats and now have 16.

Plans for a new estate of 112 homes have been delayed as the developer was offering no contribution to community services and infrastructure or building any affordable homes. Morris Homes North Ltd hope to build the homes on land north of 659 Radcliffe Road in the Darcy Lever area of Bolton.

New laws requiring electors to show photo identification when voting will ‘disenfranchise many’ and could lead to a security risk for polling station staff, councillors have heard. The Elections Act 2022 was passed by Parliament in April.

A new town centre park will be named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II. In a tribute announced the morning after her funeral, Bolton Council has confirmed that a new public green space will be officially known as Elizabeth Park.

Bolton Conservative MP Mark Logan has defended renting out a flat he owns in London while claiming expenses for separate accommodation in the city.

A Conservative MP from Bolton is claiming £27,000 each year on expenses to pay for accommodation in London - despite already owning a flat in the city.

A Bolton Labour councillor who quit the party during a council meeting says ‘backbenchers are treated as voting fodder’ by local leaders.

A decision on plans to build more than 1,000 homes and a Ryder Cup compatible golf course has been delayed after new documents were lodged at the last minute.

demolish the shopping centre in Bolton – but plans for its replacement have only been agreed in principle.

Labour Party director on Friday. The ward to the north of Bolton town centre covers parts of areas such as Halliwell, Astley Bridge, and Tonge Moor.

The decision to scrap free parking in Bolton town centre should be reversed, a scrutiny committee has recommended.