Manchester gets £5m cashback. This will fund improvements to streets, green spaces, recycling, and housing.
The council received a £5.4 million rebate from the Greater Manchester authority. They will use £4.6 million for cleaning, including streets and green spaces, and to tackle illegal dumping. Leaf collection will improve, too.
They will spend £400,000 on recycling bins, so people won’t have to pay for new ones. This reverses a prior decision; the change starts this April.
The council will use £338,000 on housing. They will crack down on mould and damp, affecting rental homes from private landlords. Most people wanted more street cleaning.
Councillor Akbar is happy with the budget. It benefits the people, and government grants also helped the council. Council tax will still increase by 4.99%.
Councillors must save £18 million to balance the budget. Frontline services will not be affected, said Akbar. The council aims for efficient savings and wants to generate income.
The council executive will vote on it on February 19th. All councillors will vote February 28th, and they must approve the plans.