Charlotte Hall

A new 4,000-square-foot Asda Express store in Cadishead, Salford, remains unopened nine months after its planned launch. The completed building and car park are being used informally for parking and football, while graffiti and dead insects have added to residents' concerns about the vacant site. Asda declined to explain the delay but said the store was making good progress and that an update would be provided. The delay comes as the supermarket faces falling revenue, proposed head-office job cuts and a major technology overhaul.

Wain Estates has launched a public consultation on plans to redevelop the derelict former Swinton Park Golf Club site with around 700 homes, including affordable housing, alongside open space, play areas, sports facilities and a neighbourhood centre. The consultation is not yet a planning application, but the developer plans to submit an outline application to Salford Council before the end of 2026. The proposals follow a rejected or criticised 2024 concept for 1,200 homes and face opposition from councillor Jim Cammell, who argues the site should not be allocated for housing.

A Syrian-Kurdish family in Salford says nearly two years of repeated attacks by masked teenagers, including rocks, eggs and racist and Islamophobic abuse, have made their home unsafe and left them considering moving away. The father, a pharmacist, says police responses have been inadequate, while Greater Manchester Police says it has supported the victims, investigated reports, circulated CCTV images and increased patrols. The investigation remains ongoing.

A Salford City Council investigation found that 99% of 91 unregistered HMOs inspected failed to meet minimum safety standards, revealing more than 1,000 hazards, including 161 serious category-one risks involving fire safety, mould, damp and potential structural collapse. The council estimates that about 425 HMOs across the city remain unregistered and is consulting on additional licensing rules requiring landlords to demonstrate safety, proper management and measures to prevent antisocial behaviour. The National Residential Landlords Association opposes the proposal, warning that compliance costs could burden responsible landlords and reduce rental supply. Reform UK has also questioned the concentration of HMOs in areas including Weaste and Seedley, Ordsall and Broughton.

Plans have been submitted to convert the former Bridgewater pub on Liverpool Road in Eccles, Salford, into a 19-bedroom HMO for working professionals. The proposal has divided local opinion, with some residents mourning the loss of a pub associated with family memories and others supporting the scheme as a source of affordable accommodation for young professionals, graduates, key workers and single people. Online speculation that the property could house asylum seekers has no evidence and is contradicted by the application, which targets working professionals. The developer and planning agents did not respond to requests for comment.

Construction of 46 independent-living apartments for people over 55 in Walkden has been halted since January after developer Alderley Group faced a winding-up order and entered liquidation proceedings. Housing 21 says the scheme will proceed once a replacement contractor is found, but residents and councillors are concerned that the unfinished site could attract fly-tipping and antisocial behaviour. Salford Council is reviewing the situation, while road closure arrangements remain in place through December 2027.

A private children's home in Salford run by Bright Path Care Limited was rated as requiring improvement in safeguarding and inadequate in management after an Ofsted inspection found that staff failed to identify a child had been overmedicated, medical records were deficient, immunisation status was unclear, and some staff lacked essential training or complete references. New manager Emma Jones said the home had introduced medication-record training and stricter background checks, while Ofsted also praised meaningful activities, educational support, family relationships and fewer missing-from-home incidents.

Andy Burnham has continued wearing a blue Josephs Goal wristband since meeting Joseph Kendrick in 2013, when Burnham was MP for Leigh. Joseph, now 17, has non-ketotic hyperglycinemia, an extremely rare condition involving severe seizures, developmental challenges and breathing problems; doctors originally expected him to live only about three years. His parents founded Josephs Goal to raise awareness and fund research, with donations supporting gene-therapy work at University College London. The family says Burnham’s continued public use of the wristband has brought valuable national and international attention to the condition, and they have invited him to play in another charity football match.

More than 4,400 ballots in the 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral election were rejected because voters marked their first- and second-choice candidates in the same column, while nearly 13,000 voters used only one of two available preferences. The figures have renewed concerns that voters did not understand the supplementary voting system, which Greater Manchester has switched to and from over recent elections. University of Manchester researcher Rob Ford argues that the system is confusing, poorly communicated and does not adequately represent public preferences, particularly because second-choice votes for candidates who fail to reach the final round cannot count. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority said households received election booklets and that explanatory social-media posts were published, but it did not directly comment on the criticism.

Attendance data for Salford City Council shows that 12 councillors attended roughly half of their assigned meetings over the previous 18 months, while 23 attended only about two-thirds. Labour councillors John Walsh and Barry Warner had the lowest attendance rates at 17% and 23%, followed by Conservative councillor Jan Barrington at 25%. Reform group leader Ivan Voronov accused Labour and Conservative councillors of treating their roles like a “gig.” The Conservative and Labour groups defended councillors by citing ward work, professional and family commitments, and wider regional duties. The council had previously removed attendance data from its website, saying it was inaccurate, before restoring it.

Salford Council has unveiled initial designs for a replacement Clarendon Leisure Centre in Pendleton, whose predecessor was destroyed in a 2024 arson attack. The proposed facility would include an 80-piece gym, multi-purpose courts, a five-lane swimming pool, accessible splash facilities, a café, village-style changing rooms and improved pedestrian and cycling access. Funding is expected to include a £5.4 million insurance settlement, local-authority money and possible grants from Sport England and government departments, although the final cost remains uncertain. Councillor Hannah Smith-Robinson defended the council’s progress and rejected criticism from Reform UK, while the ruins of the former centre currently have no redevelopment plans.

Salford resident Jennifer Ryder says mushrooms and stagnant dishwasher water have made her kitchen unusable for months, forcing her to rely on crisps and biscuits. She attributes the problem, along with other longstanding defects and emotional distress, to delayed repairs by housing association Onward Homes. Onward says it has offered temporary accommodation, financial and practical support, and multiple repair appointments, but claims access was not provided for the planned July work.

A two-year insurance dispute blocking reconstruction of Salford’s fire-destroyed Clarendon Leisure Centre has ended with the council accepting a £5.4m settlement, roughly half the building’s value. Officials say the agreement provides financial certainty and allows progress on a new leisure centre planned for Churchill Way, expected within two years. Continuing negotiations risked higher costs and unfavourable findings, leading the council to opt for closure of the claim and move forward with design and planning work.

A proposed 200‑home expansion of a wider 460‑property scheme in Hollins Green has raised concerns among residents about increased traffic and pressure on local services. Developer Peel Land argues the greenbelt site qualifies as ‘grey belt’ and includes affordable homes and new infrastructure. A highways review found no major safety issues, but locals fear the village cannot cope with additional demand. The plans have been sent to Salford Council for consultation amid ongoing opposition to greenbelt development.