Council notes that this year marks the twentieth year of the Christmas Markets in Albert Square, during which time Manchester has seen many changes.

Council looks forward to their continued success, and to their return to Albert Square when the works on Our Town Hall are completed in 2024.

Proposed by Councillor Karney, Seconded by Councillor Rahman and also signed by Councillors Flanagan, Andrews and Lyons.

Motion proposed and seconded:

Council notes that this year marks the twentieth year of the Christmas Markets in Albert Square, during which time Manchester has seen many changes.

Council looks forward to their continued success, and to their return to Albert Square when the works on Our Town Hall are completed in 2024.

Amendment made and seconded

A copy of the amendment was circulated as follows.

To insert the after:

Council notes that this year marks the twentieth year of the Christmas markets in Albert Square, during which time Manchester has seen many changes.

The following:

Council will recall that this period began under a Labour Government which invested in public services, got people back into work and lifted 600,000 children out of poverty. It ended, after ten years of Tory austerity, with a real-terms cut in funding for local Councils of 77% leading to savage cuts to services for those who most need them.

Council will recall Labour Governments delivering real improvements for people and is invited to contrast this with the misery heaped on our communities by the Tories since 2010. In particular Council notes that:

Labour recruited an extra 14,000 more police officers in England and Wales leading to a 32% reduction in crime whereas the Tories scrapped 21,000 police officers and are now presiding over the fastest rising crime rate in a decade;

Labour’s New Deal programme helped 1.8 million people back into work and cut long term youth unemployment cut by 75% whereas Tory benefit cuts and the introduction of Universal Credit affecting families in and out of work, have led to an increase in family poverty and a massive increase in reliance on food banks with 10 Million households estimated to have experienced a loss of income in real terms;

The Labour Government doubled school funding per pupil and implemented the £55 billion ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme to modernise every secondary school in the UK compared to the Tories record of trebling of University tuition fees and scrapping Education Maintenance Allowance;

Labour invested in housing and brought over a million social homes up to standard while the Tories have overseen a national housing crisis with twice as many people sleeping rough than in 2010 and more than 120,000 children without a permanent home.

Resolution

The amended motion was put to Council and voted on and the Lord Mayor declared that is was carried unanimously.

(The City Solicitor advised Council that the second amendment circulated was not relevant to the original motion submitted and therefore, could not be considered.)

Decision

Council notes that this year marks the twentieth year of the Christmas markets in Albert Square, during which time Manchester has seen many changes.

Council will recall that this period began under a Labour Government which invested in public services, got people back into work and lifted 600,000 children out of poverty. It ended, after ten years of Tory austerity, with a real-terms cut in funding for local Councils of 77% leading to savage cuts to services for those who most need them.

Council will recall Labour Governments delivering real improvements for people and is invited to contrast this with the misery heaped on our communities by the Tories since 2010. In particular Council notes that:

Labour recruited an extra 14,000 more police officers in England and Wales leading to a 32% reduction in crime whereas the Tories scrapped 21,000 police officers and are now presiding over the fastest rising crime rate in a decade;

Labour’s New Deal programme helped 1.8 million people back into work and cut long term youth unemployment cut by 75% whereas Tory benefit cuts and the introduction of Universal Credit affecting families in and out of work, have led to an increase in family poverty and a massive increase in reliance on food banks with 10 Million households estimated to have experienced a loss of income in real terms;

The Labour Government doubled school funding per pupil and implemented the £55 billion ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme to modernise every secondary school in the UK compared to the Tories record of trebling of University tuition fees and scrapping Education Maintenance Allowance;

Labour invested in housing and brought over a million social homes up to standard while the Tories have overseen a national housing crisis with twice as many people sleeping rough than in 2010 and more than 120,000 children without a permanent home.

Council looks forward to their continued success, and to their return to Albert Square when the works on Our Town Hall are completed in 2024.