Manchester Christmas lights switch-ons and New Year fireworks at risk due to budget cuts

Bonfire night fireworks displays at parks across Manchester could be cancelled permanently as the council is forced to make budget cuts.

The major public events organised by Manchester council, including the huge bonfire night celebrations at Heaton Park, have not happened for three years. Last month, the town hall announced that the bonfire events held across eight parks in the city which were cancelled due to Covid would not return this year with bosses blaming ‘escalating costs’ amid ‘increased pressure’ on budgets.

Now, the local authority is looking at scrapping these bonfire events forever. It comes as the council faces a forecasted financial shortfall of £96m over the next three years, with £28m of savings required in the 2023/24 budget alone.

The New Years’ Eve fireworks display and the Christmas lights switch-on event would also not be financed by the council in the future, according to the latest savings proposals, but they could still go ahead if private funding is secured.

The council is yet to confirm whether the New Years’ Eve fireworks display will happen this year, but the Christmas lights switch-on has been cancelled while Albert Square remains closed during the major restoration of the town hall.

Speaking at a scrutiny meeting on Tuesday (November 8), council director Neil Fairlamb said all events have been been looked at and their impact considered.

He told councillors on the scrutiny committee that this year’s cancellation of bonfire events is a trial that will inform what the council does in future years.

The funding for the council-run bonfires held at eight parks across the city – including Heaton Park, Platt Fields Park, Cringle Park, Debdale Park and Wythenshawe Park – would be cut by £40,000 and spent on other events.

However, the funding for the Christmas lights switch-on event and the New Years’ Eve fireworks display would be withdrawn altogether, he suggested.

He said: “That’s not to say that they wouldn’t happen – they could happen in a different guise, but they would have to be self-financed and self-funded rather than events that the council promotes with investment.”

According to a report, the move would also support the council’s aims to reduce its carbon emissions, as well as reducing costs by £130,000 a year.

The environment and climate change scrutiny committee will consider another report about the future of bonfire night events later this week. This report states that there would be a programme of autumn activities available to residents using what is left of the bonfire and fireworks budget.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Labour councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, who is the executive member for finance and resources, said: “When we’re looking at a budget shortfall of £96m over three years, we have to balance between essential services and events that are not essential.”