The switch from the office to working from home during the Covid pandemic has forced the council to cash in on a vacant office building in Wigan.
16.05.2023 - 06:01 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Local councils in Greater Manchester spent tens of thousands of pounds each on celebrations for the King's coronation earlier this month. One town hall set aside up to £52,000 to put on events in the area, while some spent nothing.
The money went towards street parties, screenings and other public activities held over the bank holiday weekend, starting on May 6. Some local authorities in Greater Manchester also benefited from government grants for the events.
Independent news website openDemocracy asked all councils across the country how much they planned to spend on the coronation. The seven councils in Greater Manchester which responded said they had allocated a combined total of £126,821 for coronation events, according to the website.
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This includes two councils - Salford and Stockport - which said that no cash was set aside for coronation events. Bolton, Manchester and Trafford did not respond to the Freedom of Information request, according to openDemocracy.
However, Manchester council has since revealed that it spent £18,129 on coronation-related activities. The town hall says the money was spent to support communities across the city who were marking the historic occasion.
The local authority facilitated road closure requests for residents hosting street parties. The council spent £6,375 supporting more than 60 street parties across the city such as by providing bunting and road closure signs.
A further £11,754 was spent on decorations within the city centre, including on lamp post signs and library banners. The additional costs of the screening of the coronation at Piccadilly Gardens was covered by a government grant.
The Greater Manchester
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