The city council has been forced to cancel the annual event – which drew tens of thousands of New Year revellers to Spinningfields – because they could not find a corporate sponsor to stump up the cash.
The firework display, which cost up to £20,000 to stage, is the latest victim of the Coalition’s public spending cuts.
Council chiefs decided they could not splash out on a free December 31st party at the end of a year in which they have been forced to close Surestart centres and youth centres.
They had first appealed to the city’s private businesses to step forward and instead cough up the cash for the display to go-ahead.
After all, the firework displays brings thousands of extra people into the city centre and helps boost trade in city centre pubs and restaurants.
But the city council’s plea fell on deaf ears, to no-one’s great surprise.
It means that despite this being the season of goodwill, there is yet another example of the private sector being unable to plug the gap left by public spending cuts.
Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne, MP for Tatton in leafy Cheshire, have repeatedly claimed that the private sector will step into the breach and provide services which the public sector has been forced to axe.
But they have again been proved mistaken, again to no-one’s great surprise.
Predictably Manchester’s Pub and Club Network, have reacted angrily to the cancelled display fearing it could lead to people shunning the city to celebrate New Year’s Eve elsewhere.
Spokesman Phil Burke said: “This is so disappointing. We campaigned for years to get a New Year’s Eve firework display – it brings thousands to the city centre to celebrate together.
“Now there’ll be nothing to see at the strike of midnight, it’s a shambles. I worry people will start to go to other cities instead.”
To be fair, the city’s pubs and clubs are feeling the icy chill of recession, with people losing their jobs and spending money drying up.
This of course, is a direct result of the austerity measures which the Coalition are obsessed with.
So, the vicious circle continues – Coalition austerity measures bring spending cuts which reduce public services. And the private sector can’t fill the gap left…because of the austerity measures.
City centre spokesman councillor Pat Karney said: “It’s very sad that no company has come forward to fund the fireworks.
“Instead we’ll be watching other cities around the UK on the television and Manchester won’t be able to take part.”
Of course, some resourceful New Year’s revellers may still turn up in Manchester on December 31st and start their own firework displays.
But that could prove an extra headache for publicly-funded emergency services such as firefighters, ambulance personnel and NHS staff.
Surely, there must be a better way to run the country than this.
- It is not known if Chancellor Osborne and Prime Minister Cameron will be attending their own firework displays on New Year’s Eve – and whether these will be publicly funded. Or not.
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'Proud to serve the public’ is a North West TUC campaign to protect and promote public services in our Region. We believe public services are a vital part of the North West economy. They create jobs, stimulate growth and... 
I am quite disappointed that the businesses that rely on the new year revellers to make excessive amounts of money, by over charging entry, and increasing prices of food and drinks could not raise the money them selves.
If 100 of these establishments gave £200 each, they would raise the £20,000 required!
It is another example of the private sector wanting to benefit of the back of public sector money, then complaining when they are told otherwise!
great post