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The north of England is expected to be hit hardest as the coalition government’s public spending cuts begin to take effect. A multi-million revamp of the run down Manchester Victoria railway station has long been promised but the project is being scrapped by the Treasury. Other projects which are expected to be scrapped are the electrification of the Liverpool to Manchester railway and the Mayfield project which was expected to create a mini Whitehall in Manchester for 5,000 civil servants. Deep concern has been expressed by Senior local Labour politicians that that cuts will reverse much of the progress made in the region by the Labour government over the past 13 years.

A 1,000 tonne mobile crane as put in place the main roof truss on the £187m Wigan Life Centre. The centre is expected to be completed by the end of next year and will provide a variety of public services all under one roof. There will also be a new 25-metre and learner swimming pool, as well as a cafe, gym and communal area designed to bring the community closer together. The crane, one of the biggest in the country, had to be supported by seven lorries to bring in additional parts. The crane as put in place in the early hours of Friday morning and required a police escort due to its immense size.

Salford City Council has given backing to two new regenerations projects for Eccles, in North West England. Two shopping centres are to be expanded by their owners, PBN Holdings and Threadneedle Properties. Plans include building a new footbridge between the town centre and the West One shopping centre plus the addition of a new Tesco Extra store. The developments are expected to create 400 new jobs which will be welcomed in this relatively poor area of Manchester. The West One shopping centre was completed in 2001 but like many shopping centres after the recession, a number of units are empty and developers are hoping to attract new businesses.

A multimillion pound redevelopment of the BBC Television Centre is expected to be revealed next month as of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the 23-acre site. The exact plans have not been confirmed but the development project is expected to be one of the biggest in Europe offering space and facilities to independent production companies and media groups. The BBC is expected to sell Television Centre and then rent back studios as required for programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing and music shows. The facility opened in 1960 and has hosted many famous programmes such as Blue Peter. Many sections of the BBC, such as news and sport, are currently in the process of moving to new and improved facilities at Broadcasting House in Central London and Salford Quays in Manchester.

The city of Winnipeg in Canada has been voted one of the best places to live. The city is located towards the center of the country and experiences harsh winters and hot summers but this hasn’t stopped it being rated as the 9th best place to live in MoneySense’s Best Places to Live survey. In 2009 it ranked at position 8. In the past Winnipeg has been criticised for its high crime rate and hostile city centre gang wars but the latest crime figures indicate that other Canadian cities have higher crime rates. Last year Victoria ranked as the best place to live in Canada but the city is now ranked at position 8. A $3.2-million plan for Winnipeg over the next 25 years will include new roads, a rapid transit system and new suburbs. During the 25 years, Winnipeg’s population is expected to rapidly expand by 180,000 more people.

In three tiny villages near Rutland, eleven residents have self funded their own high-speed broadband connection. Launched earlier this week, the villagers now receive 40Mbps broadband installed by Rutland Telecom at a cost of 37,000.

Of the three villages – Lyddington, Stoke Dry and Thorpe-by-Water just over half of the residents are connected. A cabinet with VDSL2 equipments was installed next to a BT street cabinet and Rutland Telecom paid BT to connect the cabinet to the local exchange. Broadband and voice for 30 per month are being offered to the residence with Sky TV likely to be added to the package towards the end of the year.

Villages that are unlikely to be served by the large telecoms operators have started similar community broadband projects. For instance, in Alston Cumbria a local entrepreneur is pioneering 100Mbps to several homes

The Conservative proposals are part of a wider package of measures in the Big Society manifesto and would see organisers giving advice to local people on how to set up their own neighbourhood activity groups. The plans also include the creation of a “big society bank” to fund third sector organisations and to support social enterprises operating in some of the UK’s most deprived towns.

David Cameron stated that the Tories would improve education and early years provision for deprived families in order to make opportunities more equal for all. He would also reform the Sure Start programme by introducing financial incentives for schools to attract poorer students and by transferring management of children’s centres to the voluntary sector.

The Big Society paper also contains plans to promote volunteering and to celebrate the work of community groups with an annual bank holiday day.

John Denham, the Communities Secretary, has announced a £200,000 cash injection to aid job creation and support local businesses in Minehead.
The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has authorised the money as part of its ‘Strategy for Success’ plan to ensure the survival of seaside economies. Minehead’s plight is particularly stark, with ‘multiple deprivation’ being cited in the government review.
Tacking empty high street shops, reducing the number of long-term unemployed and the improvement of workforce skills is all part of the strategy. Minehead has been selected as ‘high priority’ from 25 coastal towns. In total more than £1,000,000 will be received by coastal towns in the South West of England, including Torbay and Plymouth.

Redevelopment plans for the centre of Liverpool will be unveiled next week by the city’s young and aspiring architects.
Since the start of the year over seven workshops have been held with a group of young people who have been keen to learn all about architecture and the environment. The content of the workshops has included the design process plus actual work on a redesign of the city centre. The group’s activities have included a tour of Grosvenor’s £1bn Liverpool One development with the architects which produced the scheme’s masterplan, BDP. The culmination of their efforts will result in a high profile presentation, part of a wider national campaign called Architecture for Everyone. Architecture for Everyone was launched in 2008 in honour of the black British teenager, Stephen Lawrence, who was an aspiring architect.

The Government’s Local Authority Business Growth Incentive (LABGI) scheme has awarded Bracknell Forest Council over £100,000 for regeneration projects. Actual projects are yet to be allocated but according to a Council Finance spokesman, the money will go towards town centre projects. The cash will come from business rates and is a reward for local councils who foster and promote business growth. However, the £106,000 to be awarded is less than the £700,000 Bracknell Council has received over the past few years. But surely the reduction will mean the council must be wiser in what the money is actually spend on and it must ensure the public receives value for money?