News
Rishi Sunak announces £400 energy bill discount for everyone
The controversial £250 loan scheme has also been replaced with a £400 payment
Rishi Sunak has outlined new measures to help people cope with the cost of living crisis, including a one-off payment for low-income households and a windfall tax on oil and gas companies.
Addressing the Commons today, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said: “I want to reassure everybody, we will get through this.”
He first announced that the government will introduce a temporary levy on the profits of oil and gas companies at a rate of 25%, acknowledging that the sector is making ‘extraordinary profits’ due to surging global commodity prices driven in part by the war in Ukraine.
He said this levy will be phased out when prices return to more normal levels, adding that the more a company invests, the less tax they will pay.
Also as part of the new support package, eight million low-income households will receive a one-off payment of £650 to help with rising energy bills.
This payment will be sent directly to people’s bank accounts, and will be received in two lump sums; one from July and from the autumn.
Sunak stated: “There is no need for people to fill out complicated forms… We will send the money straight to their bank accounts.”
The chancellor has also announced a one-off disability cost of living payment of £150, alongside a payment of £300 for pensioners.
He explained: “I can announce today that from the autumn we will send over eight million pensioner households who receive the winter fuel payment an extra one-off pensioner cost of living payment of £300.
“To help the six million people who receive non-means tested disability benefits, we will send them, from September, an extra one off disability cost of living payment worth £150.”
Also revealed was the scrapping of the controversial £200 loan first announced at the start of the crisis – instead, households will receive a payment of £400 towards their energy bills.
This will not have to be paid back.
The chancellor said: “I’ve decided that those repayments will be cancelled. This support is now unambiguously a grant.
“We are on the side of hard working families with £6bn of financial support.”
Sunak added that in total, the measures he’s announced today provide support worth £15 billion, bringing the total cost of living support offered by the government this year to £37 billion.
Here’s what the Chancellor’s new support package offers:
- A temporary levy on the profits of oil and gas companies at a rate of 25%.
- A one-off £650 payment to eight million low income households.
- £200 loan scheme replaced with £400 non-repayable grant for energy bills.
- £300 payment for eight million pensioners.
- A one-off disability cost of living payment of £150.
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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