THE LAST of the £14.5m Clean City fund - handed to the City Council after Manchester Airport's purchase of Stanstead Airport - will be spent on 'a huge clean-up programme covering the entire city', according to the Council.
Parks and community spaces will receive £1.5m of the money, this includes cleaning war memorials, resurfacing children’s play areas and planting new flowers and shrubs
In September 2013 it was announced that the Council's investment in Manchester Airport had scored them a one-off cash boost of over £14m.
Manchester Airport provided the council with a £14.5m clean-up fund
This was good news for the city, Confidential has made no bones in the past about our frustration with the grubbiness of the city centre.
Read: Mucky MCR: We've Come So Far, This Let's Us Down, and here: Nine Staff Clean City Centre At Night - Rotas Revealed.
Over the course of the last year, the City Council have announced a number of initiatives to clean the city.
December 2013 saw £40,000 spent on 'gum blasters' to jetwash 90,000 square metres of pavement in the city centre; March 2014 saw volunteers offered £200 grants to get their hands dirty and help with the effort; and in June 2014 £500,000 was spent on 600 new bins for the city centre (though many of these are still prone to overflowing).
They've also employed a team of 'litter busting' Traffic Wardens to dish out £80 on-the-spot fines.
The city centre had 600 new bins installed
The Council say that over half of the £14.5m fund has now been allocated to projects based on suggestions from residents.
Here's a breakdown of how the City Council have spent over £5m of the fund so far: Clean City: What We Have Spent.
Now, £5.5m of the remaining amount has been earmarked for a range of projects to improve district centres, parks and roads over the next few months.
Parks and community spaces will receive £1.5m of the money, this includes cleaning war memorials, resurfacing children’s play areas, planting new flowers and shrubs and improving existing allotments while creating new ones.
A further £1m will be spent on improving 'district centres', with projects such as improving the appearance of run-down buildings, creating new lighting to improve visibility and deter crime, and improving the appearance of grass verges and other open spaces.
£500k will be spent on getting rid of sites that have become overgrown with weeds and on low maintenance planting across the city.
Some money will also be spent on clearing waste grounds of debris, repainting road markings on key roads including at some schools, and repainting old fencing, sign posts and road barriers.
The fund’s remaining £1.3m will go on projects to be approved in due course.
Money from the fund can not be spent on projects that would create ongoing costs (such as hiring new staff) and must be spent on one-off projects.
Jet washed city centre pavement (outside Philpotts on Spring Gardens)
Councillor Rosa Battle, Manchester City Council’s executive member for culture and leisure, said: "The fund has already been spent on a huge number of projects which will make a lasting improvement to our city but we want to make sure residents are able to feel the benefit as quickly as possible.
"Proud Mancunians responded to our call for suggestions in their hundreds, with many people saying they wanted their local district centres and parks made into better places. We’re responding to their concerns by setting a huge amount of money aside to boost these areas."
Has the £14.5m Clean City fund made a difference near you? Have a rant below...
You can pledge your support for a Clean City project here.
