Millions of Brits will receive a cash boost from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) next week in the form of the first cost of living payment.
30.03.2023 - 15:33 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Audio systems to announce approaching stops will be installed on buses in a move welcomed today by disability groups and charities. The Department for Transport announced local bus services in Britain will provide audible announcements and visual displays to improve accessibility.
Under the new rules, announced on Thursday, the route and direction of a service, each upcoming stop and any diversions will all be identified, the DfT said. The aids will be introduced as part of vehicle upgrades, with £4.65 million funding being made available to the nation's smallest bus and coach companies.
In Greater Manchester under the Bee Network revolution, the first publicly controlled buses will be rolled out in Bolton, Wigan and parts of Bury and Salford from September, with the whole network to be franchised by 2025. It means that fares, routes and standards will be controlled by local leaders rather than bus companies who will have to bid for contracts to run services.
"Roads and accessibility minister Richard Holden said: "Everyone deserves to take the bus with confidence, and this is a massive boost for passenger independence. Simple and effective audible and visible information should be a baked-in feature of a modern bus service to help people reach their destination, wherever they travel in Great Britain."
Just 30 per cent of buses outside of London currently provide audio-visual information to passengers, the DfT said, adding it 'can be a major barrier for disabled people wanting to travel by coach and bus'.
The changes will be implemented over the next few years, with almost all vehicles required to comply by October 2026.
Marc Powell, accessibility innovation lead at the Royal National Institute of Blind People, said:
Millions of Brits will receive a cash boost from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) next week in the form of the first cost of living payment.
Ex-Emmerdale star Danny Miller, 32, was spotted at a Baby Show in Manchester with his pregnant wife and son, and the actor couldn't stop smiling as he enjoyed the event. Miller, who is best known for his role as Aaron Dingle in the popular soap, was seen with his wife Steph Jones, 31, for the first time since the pair announced their second pregnancy.The couple, who announced the exciting news back in January 2023, looked happier than ever as they smiled for the cameras.
Millions of households are set to receive a £301 cost of living payment from next week as part of the UK Government’s £900 support package for those on means-tested benefits. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will make payments to some 7.2million households across Great Britain, including 686,000 in Scotland, between April 25 and May 17, 2023.
Manchester City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to four points in a weekend where Pep Guardiola's side became hot favourites for a fifth title in six seasons.
Fans of Saturday Night Takeaway were left “cheated” after a new documentary offered them a look behind the scenes at how the show is made. Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, hosted by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, first aired in 2002 and has been beloved by the British public ever since.
As the latest series of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway came to an end on Saturday evening, viewers were more than a little distracted by presenter Stephen Mulhern ’s appearance during one segment of the show. Geordie show hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly swapped their usual UK studio for the balmy warmth of Florida, as they broadcast live from Universal Studios, Orlando - and had even brought along co-stars Stephen, Fleur East and Jordan North for the final show.
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Between Manchester United's victory over Everton at Goodison Park and the present day, a lot has changed.
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Manchester City's focus will turn to Premier League action and a return to the Etihad on Saturday as they host Liverpool in their first game after the international break.
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The Night Agent and popular K-drama The Glory are Netflix’s most-watched programmes this week.According to Netflix’s latest weekly lists of Top 10 most-watched TV shows and movies, The Night Agent amassed over 168million hours viewed on the streaming platform for the week of March 20 to 26. Series topped the most-watched English-language TV series for the week, ending a two week-reign for Season 4 of You.The Night Agent was released on March 23 and is based on the 2019 Matthew Quirk novel of the same name.
Helen Glover made a sensational comeback at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, she blazed a trail not just for women in sport, but for all mothers, by showing it's possible to achieve your biggest goals as a mum of three.And now, the double Olympic champion has made the exciting announcement that she's going for glory at Paris 2024 – and her Bafta-winning wildlife presenter husband Steve Backshall had the sweetest reaction.WATCH: Behind the scenes with Helen Glover "I want to be 38 years old, going into my next Games, being able to say to the world: 'I'm the best I have ever been and I’m a mum of three,'" Helen, 36, told HELLO! in our exclusive interview, one of her first since making her surprise announcement last week."There was a [rowing] trial in November and Steve said to me: 'I really think you should do it.' If he wasn't on board and so invested in and excited by it, it wouldn't be possible," Helen says of her supportive husband, with whom she shares Logan, four, and three-year-old twins Kit and Bo.After winning gold in the women's coxless pairs with Heather Stanning first at London 2012, then again at Rio 2016, she took a step back to start her family with Steve.Her history-making return to competition in Tokyo five years later made Helen the first mum to row in a British Olympic team - and her sights are set even higher for her Paris bid. The Olympic champion is married to Steve Backshall"I'd love to win a medal.
Oscar-winning filmmaker and artist Steve McQueen is set to debut his latest project, a 24-minute film about the Grenfell Tower disaster, next month at the Serpentine art Gallery in West London.
"An exciting future for Carrington," hails a huge sign overlooking a row of queuing traffic on the A6144.
British Summer Time is almost here, and with it will come lighter evenings and, eventually, warmer weather.
The cast of Neighbours has announced that a new series of the Australian show will start filming next month. Alan Fletcher, Jackie Woodburne, Stefan Dennis, Ryan Moloney, Annie Jones, and April Rose Pengilly told the audience of Neighbours – The Celebration Tour at the London Palladium that production will start in April.The six actors including Fletcher, 65, who played Karl Kennedy, and his on-screen wife Susan, portrayed by Woodburne, 67, were also confirmed for a new chapter of the long-running soap.
Newly-single Alison Hammond beamed as she walked the red carpet at the Burberry British Diversity Awards, where she picked up the Media Champion in the Public Eye award.The TV presenter, 48, was handed the award by Paloma Faith during the prestigious event, which was hosted by TV presenter June Sarpong. Posing on the red carpet before heading into the event Alison was all-smiles as she donned a sparkling black midi dress and a pair of flat back and white shoes, which featured a stylish black bow.