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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.