True cost of Manchester supercasino bid revealed

2007-08-21 13:50:57

Nearly a quarter of a million pounds was spent by Manchester on the supercasino bid, according to a regional newspaper.

The Manchester Evening News has revealed that £240,000 of council taxpayers' money was used to pay for research into the social and economic impact of the casino and the final presentation of the bid.

A further £50,000 was spent commissioning a report to demonstrate that east Manchester would benefit from the supercasino as much as Blackpool.

Simon Ashley, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats on the city council, told the paper that the money is "down the drain" if the prime minister does not resurrect the supercasino project.

Last month, Gordon Brown told MPs that building a supercasino is not the best way to regenerate an area and called for a period of reflection.

Mr Ashley went on to say that Mr Brown has a "moral obligation" to find other ways of investing in east Manchester.

It has been estimated that the creation of a supercasino would create 3,000 new jobs and generate £250 million worth of investment for the area.