Cash back for cigarette parade?

Exclusive: Amanda Crook

July 20, 2009

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Unrepentant smokers on the march

MANCHESTER council could get back the public cash used to fund a controversial float of 'unrepentant' smokers in the Manchester International Festival parade.

The hour-long extravaganza called Procession, put together by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, drew huge crowds to the streets of Manchester two weeks ago.

But it also attracted criticism for the inclusion of smokers.

And now the city's health and wellbeing committee has decided it is 'unacceptable' for any public cash to have been spent on the smokers' float and is asking for the money back.

The committee asked council staff to try to recover the cash - thought to be around £500. Coun Susan Cooley, committee chairman, said: "It is not a huge amount of money but we do not want any public funds being spent on that float while we are redoubling our efforts to prevent people starting smoking and to quit."

The M.E.N. reported earlier this month how Manchester council's communities and neighbourhoods committee condemned the smoking element as 'an appalling waste of taxpayers' money'.

Festival organisers said they were awaiting an application for the cash back but would consider the request.

Previously, festival director Alex Poots said: "MIF is an artist-led festival and sometimes artists do raise challenging questions."

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nyb, ex manc (20/07/2009 at 12:05)

The health and wellbeing committee...says it all really; petty, small minded, beauracratic, totalitarian, bunch of Comrades. Commissars only need apply for membership.

Is It Me? (20/07/2009 at 12:06)

Freaky!! Anyone remember the slogan 'Manchester,A Nuclear Free City' many years ago? There was a sign near the Halfway House on Cheetham Hill. Like,er,if Bury was nuked the radiation would stop at the Halfway House? If Leese and his 'advisors' were that worried about public health,they would ban the heavilly polluting buses and lorries from Manchester but they won't as it involves money. People still have a limited choice about where to have a cig but they have NO choice about which street to walk down in order to avoid carcinogens!The cigarette thing is just purely about control,just like Global Warming! I do not smoke but it is the Council's motives I object to!

stephenc, prestwich (20/07/2009 at 12:08)

yes lets spend £1000 trying to recover £500....

Laurie, Bramhall (20/07/2009 at 12:10)

Do you know what I would do if was the festival organiser? I would take the concept to another city and tell Manchester Council where they can stick it.

I saw people smoking on Deansgate on Saturday and see Town Hall workers having cigarettes at the side of the Town Hall. Why should my council tax pay for smokers to have cigarette breaks?

Meanwhile if you are a football fan please feel free to get tanked up at 6am, we will relax the drinking-on-the-street laws, ignore all petty crime and very anti social behaviour and I will tell you what we will even have a tanker full of beer outside the Town Hall for you.

But how dare an artist have a handful of smokers in a parade!

I also note in the parade that there were cars with stupidly loud exhausts and playing stupidly loud gangster rap music from their cars. Are they not encouraging boy racers?

I went to a local carnival in the Cotswolds recently and there was a Horse and Dray in it from he local traditional breery. Should this be banned to lest it encourage the carnival watchers to take up alcohol?

What about Army parades? Does that make children want to go off to war and fight?

The council should get on with administrating the city and providing a servce to the public not spouting Students Union leftie wing claptrap on people.

to the point, bury (20/07/2009 at 12:34)

The health and well-being committee, is that part of the Department of silly walks?

PW, Manchester (20/07/2009 at 13:21)

Perhaps the health and well-being committee can look into the over-congested Crown Point in Denton, where it takes my bus 25 minutes to negotiate about 300 yards most evenings. It was never like that before they narrowed the roads, and fixed the lights to let a few cars through at a time in rush hour. The fumes from all that traffic standing still is not good for anyone's health. The same problem exists all over this city, and is often totally unnecessary. As a non-smoker I would prefer to passively smoke tobacco fumes than heavy petrol and diesel exhausts that are made to hang about. Come on Committee, let's address a problem that's seriously affecting us all.

Steve an alternative view (20/07/2009 at 13:47)

You know Manchester Council never fail to give me the enjoyment of a little chuckle every now and again. The ‘health and wellbeing committee’ that’s just hilarious. Since when has Manchester Council ever been bothered about the health and wellbeing of anybody. Manchester is a dirty, dust filled, smog ridden building site and they are bothered about a group of people exercising their right to say in their view its ok to smoke. And what’s ever better, do it in what was meant to be a work of art.
Here’s a suggestion for Manchester Council, how about forming a committee to stop the waste of public money on rubbish. They could call it ‘ the stop wasting public money committee’

Jay B, oldham (20/07/2009 at 14:37)

The city's health and wellbeing committee! Hahaha! thats put a smile on my face today!
i bet richard leese is the chairman too!

Mark,Radcliffe. (20/07/2009 at 14:38)

Are the 'Health and Well-being' committee allowed a 'comfort-break',as that includes having a fag.....

Gaz, Gorton (20/07/2009 at 16:04)

The UK government gets £10 billion in Excise and VAT from cigarette sales. Manchester council gets millions upon millions from central government so they benefit from smokers.

They also harp on about being green yet own many airports accross the UK. Slap you down for not recycling but pollute the UK. Better to pull out of making money from polluting businesses.

Enjoy the parade but was choking on the fumes from the lorries. Why encourage these lories to crawl through town belching out smoke. Traffic was snarled because of this and metrolink works and sewerage pipe works.

Best keep you own nose clean council before going after right on cheap shots. Stick to cleaning the streets rather than poking your nose in alright.

sugar n spice, manchester (20/07/2009 at 17:10)

i dont see the problem with spending £500 manchester council always seem to have plenty of money to spend on minorities and stupid parades around the city also they did not seem to mind spending a huge amount on the clean up after the rangers fans that they invited to manchester no doubt our council tax will pay for everything.

Andanotherthing, Mcr (20/07/2009 at 20:02)

Oh dear. school term has ended I picked up 23 Wkd bottles from out side of my house this (not mine) Iron Brew flavour. The children finally went home, on the same street about 3:50am. Where were the health and wellbeing committee? tucking their kids in maybe.

Princess_Pam, Crumpsall (20/07/2009 at 20:06)

If the council even thinks of stopping money on the grounds of smoking, as a smoker I'd ask for a rebate so I can donate direct. Don't they realise that they are supposed to represent all Mancunians and not just the anti-smokers.

andy waytomakeacomment, Greater Manchester (21/07/2009 at 14:44)

@ Is It Me?

Re. "Manchester, A Nuclear Free City"

It's off-topic, but from the Council's web site here's some background material to provide some context:

The Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLAs) was set up in 1980 at the height of the Cold War.

Current NFLA priorities include

* identifying nuclear hazards and making proposals about how to reduce and eliminate them
* pressing for existing binding international agreements to reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons to be fulfilled
* helping government find the most publicly acceptable ways to manage the country's nuclear waste legacy
* promoting safe and sustainable alternatives to nuclear power
* increasing openness, transparency and public accountability over all areas of UK nuclear policy and practice
* ending avoidable nuclear waste transportation within the country and to and from the country

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