Didsbury secured the construction of Metrolink to the area. This included additional stops at Withington, Burton Road, West Didsbury, Didsbury Village and East Didsbury. Final government approval for government funding for the Chorlton cum Hardy – East Didsbury Metrolink extension using a closed railway line was granted in March 2010 by Transport Minister Sadiq Khan. The line through to East Didsbury opened on 23 May 2013. Didsbury has a non-selective education system, assessed by the SATs exam. There are seven primary schools and two state comprehensive secondary schools. The Barlow RC High School is one of those chosen by Manchester Council
Didsbury conservation area now known as Didsbury St James, about half a mile (1 km) to the south of what is today's village centre. The old village green is now the beer garden of The Didsbury public house. The traditional independent retailers are gradually being replaced by multi-national firms, raising fears that Didsbury may lose its individual identity and become a "clone town". However, independent traders continue to thrive, especially in West Didsbury, which celebrates its independent spirit each year with the two-day Westfest festival. The 200-year-old Peacock's Funeral Parlour, one of the few pre-Victorian buildings in the village and regarded