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Green Places scheme may benefit from Manchester Airport dividend

Proposals guiding how Manchester City Council will spend a £14.5 million extra dividend from Manchester Airport are to be discussed by its executive.

Executive Members are being asked to endorse the establishment of a Clean and Green Places reserve, which would see the money spent over this financial year, 2014/15 and 2015/16 on a cleaner and better managed environment in the city.

The Council receives an average of around 13,000 enquiries a month from residents about a wide range of environmental matters, from reporting graffiti and flytipping for removal to arranging free bulky waste collections or ordering a replacement bin.

The council has received the extra airport dividend this financial year through its shareholding in Manchester Airport, largely because of Manchester Airport Holdings Ltd’s purchase of Stansted Airport.

As most of this £14.5 million funding is a one-off, it is proposed to use it for one-off investments to improve the quality of the environment. These cannot create ongoing costs, so for example funding could not be used to hire extra staff or support existing facilities but must make a lasting difference.

Councillor Bernard Priest, executive member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “Residents tell us that having a clean and green city is a real priority which is why we are earmarking this money to support that goal. Having a city we can all be proud of makes a huge difference in terms of residents’ perceptions and helping us to achieve our ambitions as a world city, attracting visitors, jobs and investment.

“We recognise that Manchester, in common with other major cities, is not as clean and green as it could - and indeed should - be. This is something which we are determined to improve and this new funding will make a significant contribution.

“With the council already having experienced severe cuts to its government funding and more to come, we must use this one-off dividend wisely so it has a lasting impact.

“This can’t involve committing ourselves to ongoing costs, but it will be about enabling our staff who are tasked with maintaining a clean and green city to be more effective.

“We will be looking at investments on a project-by-project basis but, as an example, this could involve investment in new facilities such as more and better litter bins, new equipment and initiatives to challenge the behaviour of those who cause environmental problems in the city.

“As always, we will also be listening to the views of communities and are keen to hear their ideas to see how we can work together.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .