Manchester clings on to supercasino dream
22nd February, 2008
Backers of an axed supercasino bid in Manchester have succeeded in securing a five-day stay ahead before the final nail is hammered into the coffin of the casino project.
Prime minister Gordon Brown orchestrated a U-turn on his predecessor's supercasino policy last year, quashing hopes for the £265 million site which would have created some 3,000 jobs and helped regeneration efforts in the sorely underdeveloped eastern districts of the city.
Culture secretary Andy Burnham had been expected to formally declare the project dropped today, but following intense lobbying his announcement has now been postponed until next Tuesday.
That will afford Manchester MPs, city council chiefs and casino gambling interests one more opportunity to stage some frantic petitioning - effectively amounting to a last-ditch attempt to save the development.
Town hall officials have accused the government of hypocrisy over its scrapping of the supercasino project, noting that their decision came alongside a move to develop 16 smaller slot machine casinos elsewhere in the country.
In response cabinet members have insisted there are better ways of regenerating rundown areas, though few precise details have been forthcoming.
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