Local News

The former home of a Coronation Street legend has become the epicentre of a planning furore in Heywood.

The Green Party has selected Tottington resident Chloe King to stand as its candidate in the upcoming Tottington ward by election in Bury.

A well known Bury pub has reopened following a £400000 refurbishment that introduces three fireplaces, an upgraded kitchen and a redesigned indoor and outdoor layout.

A new McDonald’s drive-thru for Rochdale has been rejected due to the potential impact on public health.

House hunters in Rochdale are being invited to attend a spring home buyers event at the Silver Hill Manor development on Saturday 14 March.

A charity in Bury has appealed for help after a Henry Hoover used in its community work was stolen from its premises.

Five candidates have been confirmed for the Tottington by election which will take place on Thursday 2nd April.

Reform UK Bury has selected George Martin to stand in the Tottington ward by election next month. The party said he was chosen after reviewing several applicants.

A private pre-school in Prestwich has announced its shock closure, leaving parents with just three weeks to find an alternative.

The padel craze will officially expand in Rochdale following approval of new courts. Rochdale Padel Club has been granted permission by the council to build six new padel courts on the grounds of the cricket club.

Pupils across the Rochdale borough dressed as favourite story characters as schools marked World Book Day this week, with themed activities designed to encourage reading for pleasure.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a 19 year old man was shot in the leg in Rochdale on Thursday afternoon.

A 19 year old man has been taken to hospital with suspected life changing injuries to his leg, as police are responding to reports of a shooting on Beswicke Royds Street in Rochdale this afternoon.

Emergency services are at the scene of a reported serious incident in Rochdale this afternoon.

Synth pop pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark will perform their first ever live show in Rochdale this August at Town Hall Square.

A series of road safety upgrades are being introduced in Kirkholt as part of wider investment into highways across the borough.

More than nine in ten children in Bury have been offered a place at their first choice secondary school for September 2026, according to newly released placement figures.

Schools across Greater Manchester are transforming hard playground surfaces with nature based drainage features designed to reduce flooding and support wildlife.

A dedication service will take place in Langley later this month to honour three soldiers with strong links to the Middleton community.

Residents in Whitefield have launched Bury’s second community food growing project under the Right to Grow initiative, transforming unused public land into a shared space for growing food.

Prestwich Library will temporarily move to the Phoenix Centre while demolition work begins at the Longfield Centre as part of the wider regeneration of Prestwich Village.

Police were called at around 2.40pm this afternoon after suspected grenades were discovered at an unoccupied property on Manchester Road in Rochdale.

A 24-year-old bartender has had his alcohol license revoked after he was caught drink-driving nearly three times over the legal limit. Dylan Lealand of St. Johns Gardens, Bury, the registered director of Ramsbottom cocktail bar No. 5 Rams, will no longer be allowed to sell alcohol.

A man from Radcliffe has been jailed for life after being convicted of dozens of child sex offences against five children as young as seven.

The Conservative Party has selected Walshaw resident and business owner Emma Lee as its candidate for the Tottington by election on Thursday 2nd April. The party said protecting the local Green Belt and strengthening community representation would be central to her campaign.

Bowlee Car Boot Sale and Market will return to Bowlee Community Park on Sunday 5 April for the start of its 2026 season.

Tenpin Rochdale has a brand new look following the major refurbishment due completion on 13 March 2026, bringing new attractions and upgraded facilities to the town.

A former pub in Boarshaw could be given a new lease of life as a convenience store after its owner applied for retrospective planning permission.

Senior councillors have voiced concern after properties owned by Riverside Housing in Langley were placed on the open market. They claim the disposals took place without prior engagement with Rochdale Borough Council.

A fundraising event in Heywood has raised £1799.65 for Macmillan Cancer Support after Donna Dolan bravely shaved her hair ahead of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment.

Drivers in Ramsbottom have been warned to expect delays as a busy main road is due to shut overnight on Tuesday, March 3. A road closure on Bolton Road West (A676) is taking place so United Utilities can carry out urgent works.

Parents, carers and young people in Rochdale are being encouraged to take part in a new national consultation on children’s online safety. The Government exercise will gather views on how to better protect young people across social media, gaming platforms and emerging technologies.

Civil war has erupted within Labour as activists in Gorton and Denton accused the party of ‘not being willing to change’ during its by-election campaign. It comes as Labour suffered a bruising defeat in the race which saw it lose the seat to the Green Party despite having a 13,000-vote majority in the 2024 general election.

A building in the middle of Bury’s bar strip will soon become emergency housing for families facing homelessness. Vacant floors above The Monkey House bar on Silver Street will be refurbished into temporary accommodation, after a planning application was approved by Bury council.

Hundreds of new homes; a manufacturing centre; and regeneration projects around five railway stations in Rochdale have been touted in a cash rollout worth almost £200m.

Emergency services were called to a premises on Silver Street in Bury shortly before 2.30am this morning after several people became unwell.

Together for Bury has confirmed that former councillor Greg Keeley will stand for the party in the forthcoming Tottington by election.

Hannah Spencer has been elected the new Green MP for the constituency of Gorton and Denton. Spencer succeeds former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne, who resigned on health grounds earlier this year.

Accredited election observers have reported what they describe as unusually high levels of family voting during the Gorton and Denton Westminster Parliamentary by election.

An April by-election will take place in Bury after the shock departure of a Tottington councillor, the local authority has confirmed.

Voters in Tottington will go to the polls on Thursday 2nd April 2026, following the resignation of Councillor Luis McBriar.

Bury Council has approved its budget for the year 2026 to 2027, setting out plans to safeguard key public services while managing a reduced but still significant funding shortfall.

People in Rochdale will see their council tax bills go up from April. But it’s not all bad news. 

A 38 year old man has been jailed for more than 12 years after carrying out a planned axe attack on a man in Middleton, leaving him with life threatening injuries.

Three teenage boys have been charged with a series of offences following a knifepoint robbery on Bury New Road in Prestwich on Tuesday evening.

As ‘She’s Electric’ blared from an open top bus, Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell started dancing to gee her up activists one final time. It’s the Labour Party’s last day of campaigning ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election, and the mood has been surprisingly jolly.

As polling day draws closer, the contest in Gorton & Denton appears to be a tight three-way race. Polling by Opinium Research, released on Tuesday evening, shows the Greens and Labour with a narrow lead, both sitting on 28%, with Reform just a point behind on 27%. Some will have already cast their vote through postal voting, but many will be heading to one of the 45 polling stations that are in the constituency.

A serving Bury councillor has defected to Reform UK, becoming the party’s second representative on the local authority.

Members of NASUWT at St Cuthbert’s RC High School in Rochdale have begun nine days of strike action in a dispute over staffing levels, safety and working conditions.

A 23 year old Rochdale man has been sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison after admitting a series of sexual offences against children.

Prestwich will be affected by another eight-week road closure on Fairfax Road, developers and the council have confirmed. 

Officers in Rochdale have been equipped with seven electric bikes as part of a push to improve response times and increase visibility in areas where patrol cars cannot easily reach.

The Green Party candidate, Hannah Spencer, has spoken to Roch Valley Radio about the By-Election and her ambitions if she was to be elected on the 26th February, saying the election will be decided by "a handful of votes".

When I became leader of the council in 2021, I set out my vision for the borough, key priorities and the services local residents want and expect the council to deliver.

A cafe close to Old Trafford has been fined more than £10,000 after environmental health officers found evidence of rats and uncovered a serious allergen failure during separate inspections.

Great Howarth School in Rochdale has officially reopened following a major expansion and refurbishment, welcoming families, staff and community leaders to mark the occasion.

Rochdale Council is set to launch a recruitment process for a new chief executive following the resignation of James Binks at the end of last year.

A local woman left housebound and in daily pain is facing further delays to a long awaited hip replacement, prompting her family to launch a public fundraiser to pay for private surgery overseas.

Tottington ward councillor Luis McBriar has announced he will step down from Bury Council as he prepares to take up a new job that requires political neutrality.

Drivers in Bury are being warned to expect delays, with a main road leading from Ramsbottom to the town centre to be impacted by five sets of roadworks.

It’s an experience that will be familiar to many women. You’re at the gym, minding your own business, maybe belatedly trying to put some of those new year’s resolutions into action.

Local residents are being asked to weigh in on how the council should revamp the public square around an iconic sculpture in Bury.

It’s the end of the morning rush at You & Me cafe in Prestwich’s condemned Longfield Centre.

A series of community improvements have been completed in Langley following investment from Rochdale Borough Council’s 3.5 million pound Ward Capital Fund.

Nineteen individuals, creatives and organisations have been shortlisted for this year’s Rochdale Culture Awards, with winners set to be announced at Rochdale Town Hall on Friday 27 March.

Organisers of Heywood 1940s Day have warned the popular event may not go ahead this year unless more volunteers come forward within the next five days.

Three people have been arrested and more than £150,000 worth of drugs seized after officers stopped a vehicle on Bolton Road in Rochdale.

A man was arrested in Rochdale as part of a coordinated operation which saw 23 people detained during early morning warrants across Greater Manchester.

Patients across Bury say social prescribing has played a vital role in improving their mental and physical health, as NHS leaders encourage more people to seek support through talking therapies and community based help.

Primary school children across Bury are being invited to take part in a new writing competition celebrating what they love most about living in the borough.

More than 250 officers carried out 22 early morning warrants across Greater Manchester on Wednesday 18 February 2026, arresting 23 people suspected of links to a family run organised crime group.

Plans for a new retail unit and two flats next to the Mark Twain pub on Whitworth Road have been given the green light by Rochdale Council.

The ‘vigilante’ group that has been ‘standing guard’ outside schools in Heywood remains active, but is being monitored by the police. Organisers behind Heywood Community Guard (HCG) say it was set up to ‘keep women and children safe’ in the town.

Rochdale Borough Council says it will begin enforcement action within days after construction work continued at Primrose Hill Farm in Heywood without planning permission, amid growing public controversy and a planned protest later this month.

Roch Valley Radio has been given an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Heywood Civic ahead of the official launch, offering the first look at a landmark redevelopment that will see the venue reopen as a fully accessible cultural and community hub.

Plans to turn a former car dealership in Rochdale into a modern fitness studio have been approved by Rochdale Borough Council.

Eleven students at a Rochdale Sixth Form have secured offers to study at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge following one of the most competitive admissions processes in higher education.

Thousands of young people across Bury have taken part in a borough wide vote to choose their new Member of Youth Parliament, with turnout exceeding 35 per cent of those eligible.

A deputy team manager from a Rochdale-based care organisation has been commended for saving the life of a police officer who was seriously injured while on duty.

A Bolton choir for people affected by cancer is inviting new singers to join as it begins rehearsals for the new year.

Traffic halted and delays expected following collision between junctions 16 and 17

Traffic was stopped this evening on the M66 southbound between the A56 and Junction 1.

Live updates during the evening as we embed with GMFRS for a behind-the-scenes look at frontline fire service work during one of the busiest times of the year.

Thousands of music lovers descended on Bury during Bank Holiday Monday, 25 August 2025, for Glaston-Bury, the annual one day music festival in aid of Bury Hospice and other local causes. Since it began in 2008, the event has raised over £300,000 and has become one of the town’s biggest highlights of the year.

Thousands packed into Heywood for the town's annual 1940s Day on Saturday 21 June, transforming the area into a tribute to wartime Britain.

Day One at Parklife 2025 is done, and what a day it was. Over 50,000 people packed into Heaton Park for a massive Saturday, with sets from FLO, Rudimental and a huge headline performance by 50 Cent.

Tens of thousands of music fans are pouring into Parklife, as the day one of the festival gets underway.

The sister of murdered soldier Lee Rigby is preparing to run two major fundraising events this autumn, twelve years after his death at the hands of extremists.

The following statement is attributable to Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry:

Bury Business Improvement District have begun hosting the Knife Angel in partnership with Bury Council and GMP and several organisations and partners.

An old empty mill is to be transformed into much-needed housing for people with mental health issues.

The National Poppy Appeal has been launched in Bury today (Thursday 26 October) as we remember the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives and livelihoods during past and current conflicts.

On Tuesday 19 September 2023, Greater Manchester Police were called to reports of a burglary on Brandlesholme Road, Bury.

Asian Community Radio Station in Moorgate, Bury Sparks Controversy with Anti-LGBT Education Signs

The charitable organisation known as the LGBTQI+ Forum in Bury, has issued a statement.

On Tuesday 29 August 2023 at around 11:55pm, officers were called to reports of a man who had been attacked with a knife on Haworth Walk in Radcliffe, Bury.

Housing association Onward Homes and construction firm John Southworth will be working in partnership on a new development of 30 affordable homes in Whitefield, Bury.