It’s Up the Poll! 2017: GM Mayoral Candidates on Transport Policy

Where Greater Manchester’s mayoral candidates stand on the city region’s transport issues

Whether Burnham, Anstee, Brophy, or Odze are elected, the victorious Mayor of Greater Manchester will be able to apply a London-style franchise model to the city region’s bus routes.

Transport is an emotive issue in Greater Manchester. From the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway, to the Metrolink’s Second City Crossing, it is intertwined in the city’s fabric. For some, it is the story of failed hopes; ping pong between local and central government; and mothballed road projects. There’s more than enough to fill a separate blog post on the aforementioned subject. With the Mayoral Election a week away, we get to decide who’s going to lay their hands on the train set (among other things).

Ashton-under-Lyne Band: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club

A class act under Chalk and Co.

St. George’s Day saw the arrival of Ashton-under-Lyne Band who brought us a great concert at the Boarshurst Band Club. In front of a packed audience, Philip Chalk’s Championship Section band gave us all a stunning concert. The balance between entertaining straightforward pieces and meaty yet entertaining pieces was spot on.

It’s Up the Poll! 2017: Voting for your Greater Manchester Mayoral Candidate

How the Greater Manchester Mayoral Election uses the Supplementary Vote system

Hyde Town Hall photograph by Mikey, 2011 (Creative Commons License: Some Rights Reserved)

If you’ve received your copy of the 4 May booklet through the post, you will have read the statements of each candidate. Instead of sending you a clump of leaflets through the post, they have added all the leaflets inside a nifty A5 booklet, plus details on how to vote. A cheap yet very cheerful option.

It’s Up the Poll! 2017: Tameside’s Elections

East of the M60’s preview of this year’s elections of mayoral and general varieties

• A look ahead towards this year’s possible General Election;
• A preview of the Mayoral Election.

Tower Mill, Dukinfield: now spinning cotton again, thanks to a little help from the European Union.

Subject to a Commons vote, the people of Tameside could be voting in two elections within the space of a month. What is definitely going ahead are the Mayoral Elections that will take place on the 04 May 2017. In the next few days on East of the M60, you will find out more about the second election of the two. The one that Theresa May called earlier this morning [18 April].

BMP (Europe) Goodshaw Band: Easter Sunday Brass at Boarshurst Band Club

An egg-citing programme makes for a joyous concert

Over in Saddleworth and Tameside, this Easter weekend was punctuated by grey skies and weather more akin to early February. The joys of spring – present in most parts of the UK south of Stoke-on-Trent – were woefully absent. In spite of this, the warmest reception was found at the Boarshurst Band Club, and Easter Sunday’s concert with BMP (Europe) Goodshaw Band raised the spirits.

Oldham and Saddleworth Bus Service Changes, April 2017

FirstGroup reorganisation and tender changes behind latest updates 

Back on the Denshaw route: Stagecoach Manchester have regained the 407 service at the expense of Rosso – though with a reduced timetable. This image taken in 2015 shows one of their buses on a Bank Holiday Monday journey.

This month will see a few tender changes, albeit with some drastic cuts to their journeys. The already bricked-to-the-point-of-uselessness 408 service will take a battering for one. As for wanting a late night pint at The Fleece Inn in Mossley, you can forget that unless the 350 bus or County Cars forms part of your plans.

Tameside and Glossop Bus Service Changes, April 2017

Subtle changes but Stalybridge and Dukinfield passengers at sharpest end of two major changes

• Minimal changes to First services, in spite of depot closure;
• Cuts to evening journeys of 340 service;
• 169 service curtailed on weekdays and Saturdays;
• First and Stagecoach retimings.

First Greater Manchester’s journeys of the 346 service, unaffected by the latest service changes.

For passengers within the Tameside and Glossop area, the biggest story behind this month’s service changes is the closure of Dukinfield garage. It has been stated that any changes to First Greater Manchester routes would be negligible.

Uppermill Band: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club

A delightful concert with a good mix of traditional and entertaining pieces

You could be forgiven for thinking that the phrase “after the Mayor’s show” would have applied to yesterday’s visitors, after last week’s gig with Hammonds Saltaire Band. Our guests, Uppermill Band, shook off that tag and asserted themselves very well with an entertaining performance.

Metrolink’s Silver Jubilee: 25 Things About Our Light Rail System

Twenty-five things you may have forgotten about Greater Manchester’s trams

Tram 3060 loading at the Ashton-under-Lyne stop on its first day of operation.

Where were you on the 06 April 1992? For me, it was a bog standard Monday. I was in Second Year – officially Year Eight – at All Saints R.C. High School. With hindsight, I should have bunked off school and caught a 220 bus to Victoria station. On that very date, the first part of Greater Manchester’s Metrolink system opened, from Bury to Manchester Victoria station. The groundwork was set for a light rail system which took the city by storm.

Hammond Saltaire Band: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club

A class act from start to finish

Say no more. If you went to the Boarshurst Band Club yesterday [02 April], you witnessed a virtuoso performance by Hammonds Saltaire Band. For the same price as two pints a lager, the Championship section band gave us all a magnificent concert. One that concluded a memorable weekend of brass banding in the Saddleworth area.