Manchester

Historically Manchester was at the forefront of the 19th century industrial revolution, and was a leading centre for manufacturing, particularly cotton. Now the city has switched to a mainly service-based economy with many financial institutions based in the city including the Manchester Building Society and the Co-operative Bank. The Co-operative Group, which is the world's largest consumer-owned business, is based in Manchester and is one of the city's biggest employers. The city is a growing centre for business and has recently been ranked both as the best place, and the third best place to do business in the UK.

After the 1996 bombing, Manchester's city centre undergoing extensive regeneration. New and renovated complexes such as The Printworks and the Triangle have become popular shopping and entertainment destinations and the Manchester Arndale is the UK's largest city centre shopping mall.

Children and Learners

• The Anson Cabin Project, Longsight has secured nearly £200,000 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Playful Ideas programme
• £191m has been approved for phase one of the Building Schools for the Future 2006-07, for the re-building and re-modelling of 23 high schools over the next five years, including the building of six brand new schools.
• For 2006-07 Manchester has received over £1.3m from the Sure Start grant and Standards Fund, from this over £565,000 has been allocated for extended schools.
• Young people in Manchester will benefit from a share of nearly £400,000 from the Big Lottery Fund to support the Young Peoples Project addressing political and racial tensions across the city.
• Developments in the Higher Level Skills Pathfinder have lead to the University of Manchester securing over £182,000 for Composite Manufacturing Education and Training.  Manchester College of Arts and Technology has also secured over £60,000 to deliver help post production companies train their junior staff (June 2007).

Health and Well Being

• A new £100m hospital, partly funded with £66m from Private Finance Initiative, has been built on the Wythenshawe site of South Manchester University Hospital.  
• The new £20m Withington Diagnosis & Treatment Centre (DTC) is expected to handle over 7,000 extra operations each year to a maximum capacity of 15,000 extra operations in the future and is due to open by early 2008.  
• A Greater Manchester Access Fund of over £6m, sponsored from Department of Health Access Capital, will be used on clinical facilities to help further access, waiting times and quality of the environment.  
• Manchester Primary Care Trust, together with Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust, is one of 13 early achiever sites for the 18 weeks referral to treatment target. The aim is to achieve this by December 2007, a year ahead of the national target.

Crime

• Manchester has been named as one of 40 priority Respect Action Areas in England, for being a Council who has a strong record in tackling anti-social behaviour.
• The Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) has launched a series of Respect Action Weeks which aim to maximise the effectiveness of the CDRP at a neighbourhood level in tackling local issues, reducing crime and disorder and to involve and reassure local people.
• Recruitment is underway to employ a further 191 Police Community Support Officers in the Manchester North, South and Metropolitan Basic Command Units. They will be deployed in Safer Neighbourhood Teams.
• Manchester will receive around £2.2m in LAA area based grant for 2008/09 to tackle crime, reduce harm caused by illegal drugs, address anti-social behaviour and improve the poor conditions of streets and other public spaces.
• A Community Safety Co-ordinator has been appointed for the City Centre  
• Manchester has been allocated £2.9m funding for its Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) in 2008/09

• Young People Substance Misuse Grant (YPSMG) allocation totals £883k for 2008/09.

• The anti-social behaviour theme group has been allocated nearly  £650,000 of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding to run the anti-social behaviour improvement project.

Transport

• Nearly £9m has been allocated under the Local Transport Capital Expenditure Settlement for 2006-07, including over £1.5m towards the South East Manchester Multi Modal Study and over £3.5m for maintenance.
• As part of the £520m agreed for Metrolink extensions, the July 2006 announcement provides £244m funding in addition to the previous £200m contribution. Approval has been granted to start planned extensions to Oldham, Rochdale and Chorlton within two years. Full approval and funding of £32.2m has been granted for a programme of track renewals on the existing Metrolink lines, to begin immediately.
• Manchester will benefit from £3.2m from the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF), to assess the feasibility of schemes combining demand management, such as road pricing, with better public transport, in order to tackle congestion and improve local travelling conditions. Greater Manchester were awarded £1.25m pump-priming in 2005 and further £1.95m in November 2006.

Social Inclusion and Regeneration

• £108m has been awarded for 2001-06, and a further £61m for 2006-08 through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, to help the local authority and their partners to begin improving services in the most deprived neighbourhoods.

• Manchester is receiving nearly £26m in Working Neighbourhoods Funding in 2008/09.  This replaces Neighbourhood Renewal funding from April 2008.
• Over £52m has been allocated for 1999-2010 through New Deal for Communities in East Manchester, to bridge the gap between the poorest members of the region and the rest of Britain.
• £125m has been awarded over three years for Housing Market Renewal Initiative Pathfinders for Manchester and Salford to tackle low housing demand and abandonment, and to create sustainable communities.

European Funding

• An Extra £260,000 was allocated to East Manchester for environmental improvements in the Medlock Valley in August 2006
• £58m has been awarded to New East Manchester Urban Regeneration Company towards the regeneration of 1,100 hectares of land. Investments include Central Park, Fujitsu’s new head office and the £20m Manchester New Technology Institute.
• £20m was allocated to the Manchester North & South partnership, supporting projects across Manchester, including £5m for the Wythenshawe Forum community centre.
• £5m has been allocated for a joint initiative with Salford supporting projects across both cities, including a £3m alley-gating initiative in the Newton Heath area of Manchester.