Passengers travelling between 2 railway stations in Greater Manchester and buying tickets on the day will be offered just 2 simple options:

• Anytime – Single or Return

• Off-Peak – Single or Return

Key points

• The tickets are valid across all train operators serving Greater Manchester

• It’s simpler and fairer, removing confusing operator-specific fares

• All 96 stations in Greater Manchester are included

• They are available online, at ticket vending machines and in ticket offices

• Singles and Returns are available for both types, and Singles are half the cost of a Return

• Advance tickets purchased before the day of travel and Season Tickets remain available

• Railcard discounts, Duo, and Ranger and Rover products are unchanged

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/25693507

A corner of south Manchester with ‘immense’ wildlife has been declared a nature reserve.

Manchester council formally earmarked a section of Southern Cemetery, the largest municipal graveyard in the UK, as a local nature reserve on Friday (March 14). It’s the tenth council reserve to be announced, with the last designation taking place in March 2023.

However, councillors have designated an area which is ‘away from active burial sites’. The 28-hectare plot in Chorlton is already home to bats, owls, birds, bees, and butterflies.

Deputy council leader Joanna Midgeley, who represents the Chorlton Park ward for Labour, said the ‘wildlife is immense’.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/24454081

The owners of a pub have been left baffled after finding an unopened can of beer in the roof - dating back more than 30 years.

The tin of Joseph Holt bitter was discovered in the ceiling during a major refurbishment of the pub in Greater Manchester.

The beer is no longer available in cans, only on draught or in mini kegs, and has not been for more than three decades.

It is now being preserved as a piece of history in a display cabinet behind the bar at the Starkey Arms on Manchester Road, Heywood.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/23987579

A second Labour MP has been suspended from the party for comments made in a WhatsApp group.

The Labour Party confirmed Oliver Ryan has had the whip removed, meaning he will now sit as an independent MP in the Commons.

The 29-year-old Burnley MP apologised on Sunday and said he "deeply regrets" the comments he made, which a government source said were "unacceptable and deeply disappointing".

According to the Daily Mail, Mr Ryan joked about a fellow Labour MP being gay.

...

Meanwhile, three Labour councillors caught up in the scandal have "stepped away" from their duties on Tameside Council.

Councillors Jack Naylor, Claire Reid, and George Newton - who were members of the WhatsApp group - are also being investigated by the Labour Party.

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Mr Gwynne is the latest MP to lose his position on the frontbench after ex-treasury minister Tulip Siddiq quit last month and Louise Haigh resigned as transport minister in November.