Manchester casino axed

Plans for a ‘super casino’ in Manchester have been axed by the Government. The House of Lords rejected the plans, last March.

Manchester City Council planned to locate the casino in Beswick, East Manchester, one of the poorest areas in the country. As usual, the development was justified on the pretext that it would ‘bring jobs’ for local people and create ‘regeneration’.

However, locals felt they’d heard this before with the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Where were all the jobs that it was promised the Games would bring, they asked?

Critics said that any jobs for locals at a casino were likely to be as low-paid cleaners and similar, while better skilled positions would be filled by people from outside the region.

A major concern was that the casino would lead to an increase in gambling addiction and debt problems for East Mancunians. Yet many local politicians seemed strangely unconcerned about this and last year Manchester City Council hinted it might take legal action if the plans were cancelled.

Yesterday it was revealed that Manchester is the ‘debt capital’ of the UK.

All of which does lead you to wonder whether local politicians really have the best interests of the population at heart these days or whether ‘something else’ may be influencing them more.


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