Greater Manchester leaders back £69.5m plans for new rail stations, extra Metrolink stops and better bus routes

hereBury's rate increased by a single case.Oldham and Wigan also has a higher rate than yesterday, but cases are still down when the figures are compared with the previous week.The national average in England is 137.4 cases per 100,000 of the population.Manchester and Trafford recorded the highest week-on-week fall in cases.Bolton has the highest infection rate in Greater Manchester - at 236.1 cases per 100,000.Trafford - on 137.8 cases - has the lowest.Of the 315 local areas in England, 16 (5

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester residents will see the amount they pay in council tax towards mayoral functions carried out by Andy Burnham frozen from April.The combined authority agreed that increasing the precept would place a burden on people already struggling through the Covid-19 pandemic.With council tax set by local authorities already expected to rise in the coming years, leaders renewed calls on the government to provide them with more funding.A meeting of the Greater Manchester

direct to your inboxCoronavirus infections are falling across the majority of Greater Manchester.But as the latest covid heat map shows, there are big variations in the number of infections, from borough to borough and often with towns themselves. An interactive map shows the number of positive Covid test results in each neighbourhood across the country using Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

direct to your inboxAldi are looking to hire nearly 100 apprentices across Greater Manchester this year.The supermarket giant has hired over 2,000 apprentices, the majority of which have gone on to secure permanent roles, since launching its Apprentice Programme in 2012.In 2021, Aldi plans to recruit 96 store apprentices in Greater Manchester and applications are open now.Apprentices will receive full training and gain real qualifications while launching their careers and working towards

direct to your inboxA further 11 people have died in Greater Manchester's hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus.The region's coronavirus hospital death toll has now reached 5,202, the latest NHS figures show.Nine new deaths were confirmed by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.The trust's figures include those of North Manchester General, the Royal Oldham, Fairfield General and Rochdale Infirmary.Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Salford Royal recorded one new Covid death

direct to your inboxNew details have emerged about the new jobs and housing masterplan which will replace the scrapped Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.Council leaders of nine of the city-region’s boroughs, along with mayor Andy Burnham, will meet to consider the next steps for ‘Places For Everyone’ this week.

direct to your inboxThe astonishing outbursts from members of Handforth Parish Council shone a light on the sometimes volatile nature of local democracy.A hostile meeting went viral after councillors verbally savaged Jackie Weaver.Ms Weaver, who is chief executive of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils, had been called in to act as clerk - or proper officer - to the meeting. But several councillors refused to accept her authority.

direct to your inboxA further 19 people have died in Greater Manchester's hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus.The region's hospital death has risen to 5,141, the latest NHS figures show.Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust recorded five more deaths each.Four more Covid-related deaths were confirmed at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust while the Royal Bolton recorded three.Two more deaths were recorded at Pennine

direct to your inboxA further 34 people have died in Greater Manchester's hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus.The region's hospital death toll has risen to 5,086 the latest NHS figures show.Fifteen new deaths were recorded by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust in its 24 hour data.Seven Covid-related deaths were confirmed by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust .

direct to your inboxAround 70pc of Covid-19 cases in Tameside are believed to be caused by the new more contagious strain of the virus.Health chiefs say that the new variant of coronavirus, which was first detected in Kent, is now ‘dominant’ in the borough and across much of Greater Manchester.Speaking at a meeting of the health and wellbeing board, director of public health Jeanelle de Gruchy said they needed to be ‘really vigilant’ against the new strain.“We’re seeing high numbers of outbreaks

Wigan is now emerging as a property hotspot.

direct to your inboxInfection rates are continuing to fall across every Greater Manchester borough.Each of the region’s ten boroughs are below England's average of 452.5 per 100,000 people in the week ending January 18.Only the city of Manchester has a rate above 400 and Oldham - which once had the highest rates in the country - is now sitting at 282.6 cases per 100,000 people for the same time period.Here in Greater Manchester, the borough of Trafford had the biggest drop in cases in the seven

direct to your inboxThe Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is to open emergency Covid beds for adults in a sign of the unprecedented pressure facing Greater Manchester’s hospitals.Sir Richard Leese, the region’s health chief, said the situation in the system was now ‘critical’ as NHS bosses have scrambled to discharge as many people as possible ahead of a sustained peak over the coming three weeks.Crisis meetings have been held to determine the ability to scale up beds, as Salford Royal and

direct to your inboxYasmin Qureshi comes across as nothing if not stoic.Even now, months after being discharged from Royal Bolton hospital, her voice is still sometimes breathy; the aftermath of her lungs being battered by coronavirus and accompanying pneumonia. Nonetheless, the MP for Bolton South East seems so calm about it that it would be easy to underestimate the severity of her experiences, like those of so many of her constituents.In the midst of her time in hospital, it is the moments of

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester’s long-delayed Clean Air Zone could be signed off by leaders by the summer after months of public consultation.Vans, buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles and lorries that do not meet emission standards would have to pay a daily charge to drive in the city-region under the plans.Local authorities across the UK have been mandated by the government to introduce charging Clean Air Zones to combat illegal levels of air pollution in the shortest possible

direct to your inboxThe NHS has sadly confirmed the deaths of 29 more patients in hospitals in Greater Manchester who had tested positive for Covid-19.The region's hospital death toll now stands at 4,757.NHS bosses said on Friday a further 993 people who tested positive for the virus have died in hospitals across England.It brings the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 65,104.In the north west, a further 94 hospital deaths were reported, the NHS said on Friday.A

direct to your inboxThe last 24 hours has seen multiple deluges of rain, inches of snow, roads and homes collapsing, and a slew of serious car crashes as the region was 'just centimetres' away from disaster. In the wake of Storm Christoph hitting Greater Manchester, the city's Fire and Rescue Service chief has spoken out about a day, night and further day filled with drama.

Bolton is currently the only borough in Greater Manchester where cases of the virus are still on the rise.

For all the latest news from in and around Bolton, sign up for the free MyBolton newsletterCoronavirus infection rates have continued to fall across Greater Manchester, but have edged back upwards in one borough.Overall the number of positive tests dropped by 12 per cent in the week ending on January 16, compared with the previous week.Latest figures issued by Public Health England show that 10,963 people tested positive across Greater Manchester during the 7 days period up to Saturday - that's

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham has promised a 'new era' at Greater Manchester Police after the force was placed in 'special measures'.The mayor held his first policing press conference yesterday since former Chief Constable Ian Hopkins was asked to step down in the wake of a scathing inspection report.