Manchester libraries and leisure centres to close, bin collections and free parking hit in savage council cuts

Published by: TheManchester Evening News

Today we reveal the devastating cuts that will hit almost every council service in Manchester.

In what are described by town hall leader Sir Richard Leese as ‘the worst cuts since the war’, dozens of youth centres, libraries, nurseries, swimming pools and leisure centres will close.

Bin collections will go fortnightly, housing for more than 300 vulnerable families will be scrapped and council childcare costs will be hiked by more than quarter. Car parking prices will rocket and motorists will have to pay to park in Manchester on Sundays for the first time. All overnight streets cleaning will be axed and all public toilets will be closed – except for one.

Libraries, swimming pools and leisure centres will bear the brunt of the savage council cuts. All of Manchester’s 26 libraries will close completely on Fridays and Sundays.

So will leisure centres in Levenshulme, Ardwick and Newton Heath – as well as the Debdale Sailing Centre unless alternative providers can be found. A new provider will be sought to take over management of Abraham Moss leisure centre.

In all, £31.2m will be taken out of so-called ‘neighbourhood services’ – 29 per cent of the total budget.

Black bin collections, for general household waste, will go from weekly to fortnightly although food waste will still be picked up every week.

Overnight street cleaning - between midnight and 6am - will end across the city. Instead, workers will wait until 6am before clearing the streets of debris left the night before.

Highways work will also be pared back with only essential repairs carried out.

That means no new speed bumps or community road safety schemes.

The number of lollipop patrols at schools is likely to be cut and the amount of money available for new playgrounds halved.

All public toilets will close, with the exception of Mount Street in the city centre – where charges will be introduced.

Sunday parking charges will be introduced for the first time and on-street charging increased and extended to 12 hours - from 7am to 7pm.

That will bring in more than £1m as bosses are forced to find new income streams.

The council is also saving £5m by merging the separate town hall teams that look after street management, highways and repairs.