Casino News

'Don't blame council for supercasino costs'

2007-08-23 16:29:12

Following the revelation that the supercasino cost Manchester taxpayers a quarter of a million pounds, one reporter has come out in defence of the council.

David Ottewell, writing for the Manchester Evening News (MEN), believes £240,000 spent on the bid was "excellent value" because of the perceived benefits of the project, namely 3,000 new jobs and £265 million of investment.

He also pointed out that the council had to spend money trying to convince the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) that Manchester that was the best place for the casino.

"The city council faced massive political barriers, including the NWDA coming out in favour of Blackpool," he said.

"A large part of the bill was spent commissioning consultants to prove that the NWDA was wrong to say Blackpool had more to gain from a supercasino than Manchester."

Mr Ottewell went on to say that if Gordon Brown decides to abort the supercasino scheme after a review is published next month, then central government should reimburse the city.

Earlier this week, the MEN 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.