News
Boris Johnson promises thousands of houses for first-time buyers with 30% discount
Some good news…
Boris Johnson has vowed ‘radical reforms’ to the country and has set aside £12bn – first announced in the budget – for funding for new homes.
This morning the prime minister vowed to get the country back on track with a new deal which will see a programme of building and investment.
Boris announced ‘the most radical reforms to our planning system since the Second World War’.
Alongside this programme, he has confirmed that the government will set aside £12 billion for the funding of new homes. This will support 180,000 new affordable homes for ownership and rent over the next eight years.
Included in that, is a new pilot of ‘First Homes’ that will provide a 30% discount to first time buyers.
The properties will be the exact same as others, but just sold to local first-time buyers who have been struggling to buy a home in the current market for 30% less.
The discount is said to be passed on to future buyers when First Homes are resold, to give more people the opportunity to get on the property ladder.
The final design of the First Homes scheme is yet to be confirmed.
The PM said today: “We will build fantastic new homes on brownfields sites and other areas, with better transport and other infrastructure, that could be suitable and right for development.
“We will address that intergenerational injustice and help young people get people the housing ladder the way their parents and grandparents could.
“We will build better, we will build greener, and faster.”
In revealing the plan to help Britain ‘get back on its feet’, he said: “It is time not just for a new deal, but a fair deal for the British people.
“This government is determined to use this crisis finally to tackle this country’s unresolved challenges of the last three decades.
“We will build the homes, fix the NHS, solve social care, to tackle the skills crisis, to mend the indefensible gap in opportunity, productivity and connectivity between the regions of the UK. To unite, and level up.
“To that end, we will build, build, build. Build back better, build back greener, build back faster.”
He added: “This is a programme for jobs, jobs, jobs – because it’s by building, building, building… that we will get the jobs this nation needs.”
Boris Johnson has vowed to not return to the years of ‘what people call austerity’. He says: “the world has moved on since 2008”.
“We are preparing now – slowly, cautiously – to come out of hibernation. We cannot continue simply to be prisoners of this crisis”, he said.
The prime minister has warned of the rocky economic time ahead that will see job losses.
Currently, 2.8 million people are unemployed in the UK and it’s predicted this number could rise by a further one million during the impending economic downturn.
“We know in our hearts that the furloughing cannot go on forever,” he said.
“We also know that jobs people had in January are not coming back, at least not in that form,” the prime minister said. However, he refused to address how many jobs might be lost overall.
“I remain absolutely certain we need to make sure we keep the tax burden in so far as we possibly can is reasonable and we continue to be a competitive market economy,” he said.
“You know where my instincts are and what I would like to do, they are of course to cut taxes where ever you possibly can.
“The difficulty is we have a generational challenge now. We have to take our country forward.”
He also stressed that Britain needs to remain competitive as it leaves the EU stating: “You need to make sure as we leave the EU, the fiscal environment has to be as competitive as it possibly can be.
“I want brilliant British ideas being translated into brilliant British companies.”
News
Oasis announce huge reunion tour as Liam and Noel Gallagher ‘make peace’
The news we’ve all been waiting for!
After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour.
The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.
The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.
And now shows have been announced for multiple dates in the UK and Ireland, with tickets going live this Saturday, August 31st.
The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.
15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.
The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.
The Oasis 2025 tour dates in full:
July
4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
11th – Manchester, Heaton Park
12th – Manchester, Heaton Park
19th – Manchester, Heaton Park
20th – Manchester, Heaton Park
25th – London, Wembley Stadium
26th – London, Wembley Stadium
August
2nd – London, Wembley Stadium
3rd – London, Wembley Stadium
8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
16th – Dublin, Croke Park
17th – Dublin, Croke Park
You can grab your tickets HERE.
News
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Fancy a career change?
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.
“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.
Two men have now been charged with murder, following the discovery of a human torso in Kersal Dale.
As well as that, more suspected human remains were also discovered this morning, Monday April 29th, in an alleyway close to the railway lines off Worsley Road, Eccles.
This follows earlier discoveries of human remains over the past three weeks, at Kersal Dale, Blackleach Reservoir and Colliery Wood, all in Salford.
Greater Manchester Police
Michal Jaroslaw Polchowski (25/04/1956) and Marcin Majerkiewicz (10/04/1982) both of Worsley Road, Eccles, have been charged with murder.
They are set to appear at Tameside Magistrates Court this afternoon.
While formal identification is still ongoing, the remains found at Kersal Dale are believed to be of a local man in his 60s. The remains found at the other three locations are still to be tested, but police are confident they belong to the same victim.
ACC Sarah Jackson said: “We have had large numbers of officers, staff and specialists working diligently on this investigation over the last three weeks. It has been very much a large, collective effort, with the victim and family at the heart of it from the outset.
“We have specially trained officers deployed to support the family as they come to terms with this tragic news. They are aware of this morning’s further discovery and will continue to be kept up to date with how we are progressing.
“Despite the charges brought today, our work is far from over.
“The scenes we already have established in Bury and Salford will remain in place for much of this week whilst our searches and enquiries continue. Local officers will continue to patrol the impacted areas to provide reassurance.
“We will continue following every line of enquiry to recover and reunite the victim with his family, bringing a dignified end to this terrible scenario.
“I’d like to thank the communities of Salford and beyond for their cooperation throughout this investigation. I know this incident has come as a shock, and the support we’ve had from those in the area is very much appreciated.”
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