Council tax to rise by at least £30 in Oldham - but bosses say it will be Greater Manchester's lowest increase

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direct to your inboxLast week marked the one-year anniversary since the first coronavirus death was reported in the UK.Just days after it was reported, tragedy struck closer to home as the first Covid-related death was recorded in Greater Manchester.Since that first death, we have pledged to pay tribute to the people in our region who have lost their lives to the disease. The M.E.N has published countless tributes from families in our Loved and Lost series.

direct to your inboxThe use of coronavirus testing in schools could be behind rises in infection rates in five areas of Greater Manchester, the latest figures suggest.Figures from Public Health England show that cases rose by 19 per cent in Tameside and 18 per cent in Oldham in comparison to the figure a week ago, with smaller increases in Salford, Stockport and Trafford.Cases fell in the other five boroughs, with the largest decrease being 25 per cent in Bury.Statistics show that there were

direct to your inboxThere have been no new coronavirus deaths reported at Greater Manchester hospitals n the past 24 hours.The latest data released by the NHS on Sunday shows a further 49 deaths reported nationally where the deceased had tested positive for Covid-19.But only one of these deaths was at a hospital trust in the north west, at Morecambe Bay Hospitals Trust in Lancashire.There were no new deaths relating to hospital trusts in Greater Manchester.It means the death toll for our region

direct to your inboxAt the crack of dawn on a May morning in 1990 a convoy of official cars crawled up the hill from Middleton to the sprawling council estate of Langley.Once there, police officers and social workers converged on five homes.Kids were roused from their beds, hurriedly dressed and taken off in tears as their distressed parents looked on in shock.It was the start of a barely believable nightmare for six families accused by social service workers of being involved in the satanic

direct to your inboxFor many of us, today will be a very different Mother's Day.It would usually be a day for visiting our families, enjoying a meal and celebrating with the special women in our lives.But today, due to the coronavirus lockdown rules, most of us will have to spend the occasion away from our mums.In the hope of spreading some love and keeping spirits up, we asked our readers to tell us about the women who are special to them.We asked you to tell us who you are celebrating today.

direct to your inboxCoronavirus infection rates are continuing to drop in all 10 boroughs across Greater Manchester, the latest figures show.The latest Public Health England data shows that nine boroughs recorded double-digit reduction in infection rates for the week ending March 8 compared to the previous week.Tameside was the only borough which recorded a single-digit reduction in transmission rate.The overall rate for Greater Manchester now stands at 89.9 per 100,000 population.This is higher

direct to your inboxNine more people have died in Greater Manchester's hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus.The latest NHS figures bring the region's hospital death toll to 5,717.Three more deaths were recorded by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.The trust's figures include those of North Manchester General, the Royal Oldham, Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield General.Stockport NHS Foundation trust confirmed two more deaths.Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside and Glossop

click on this link, enter your email address, and select 'MyWigan News'.Speaking after the budget meeting, council leader David Molyneux explained why the ruling Labour group decided it was time to end the council tax freeze.He said: "We've got to take the decision very carefully and very fairly."That's why we kept our council tax the lowest in Greater Manchester."It's important to us that we try to keep that cost at a minimum."We've got to deliver a balanced budget.

direct to your inboxThe property market has thrived in the last year.Estate agents closed for seven weeks during the first lockdown, but have remained open through the second and third, with a stamp duty holiday introduced to encourage the market.And, with more time spent indoors than ever, people have had time to rethink their priorities in a home.These factors could be why there has been a hike in demand in some areas of Greater Manchester.

Wigan Council says it received multiple calls from Ashton-in-Makerfield residents concerned about workmen 'dressed in black' painting 'green gel' on their lampposts and fences.

direct to your inboxTaxpayers in Manchester will see their council tax bills rise from April after the council set its yearly budget - which includes cuts of £41m.Leaders say the 4.99 per cent increase will raise £8.5m to protect vital frontline services such as social care after a year in which finances have been decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.It will mean the annual council tax bill for Band D properties will rise by £71.13 to £1,496.59 - before taking into account mayoral and police

direct to your inboxMarch 5, 2020.The day the first coronavirus tragedy was reported in the UK.A woman, aged in her 70s, was the first person reported to have died after testing positive for the disease.She was being treated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.It was headline news in every newspaper and on every television channel across the country.It shocked us all.Just days later, on March 8, tragedy struck closer to home as the first Covid-related death was recorded in Greater

direct to your inbox Bolton continues to have the highest coronavirus infection rate in Greater Manchester, the latest figures show.

direct to your inboxEvery local authority in Greater Manchester is preparing to raise council tax bills from April to keep services running despite the financial impact of Covid-19.The budgets of town halls across the city-region have been hit hard by the pandemic, with some councils having to plug huge gaps in their finances.While the government has paid out millions of pounds in emergency funding to councils, their leaders say the money does not go far enough.The government has also allowed

coronavirus infection rate in Greater Manchester, the latest figures show.

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham has described Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget as a ‘packet of Polos’ boasting some ‘refreshing’ economic ideas - but with many policy-shaped holes.The mayor of Greater Manchester welcomed the extension of the furlough scheme, the Universal Credit uplift and grants for self-employed workers until September.The continuation of cuts to VAT and stamp duty, as well as a longer business rates holiday, were also seen as positive measures for the country’s post-pandemic

direct to your inboxMarch 5, 2020.The day the first coronavirus tragedy was reported in the UK.A woman, aged in her 70s, was the first person to die after testing positive for Covid-19.She was being treated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.The news was reported in It was later discovered that At the Manchester Evening News, we made a pledge to pay tribute to the special people across from our region who have died with this terrible disease.We believe that it's important to remember