HOTELS, restaurants and bars are expected to benefit from an £18m windfall from the Labour party conference beginning on Saturday, which will see 17,000 delegates flock to Manchester as the city becomes the political focus of the country next week.
Hundreds of police officers will create a secure zone around the Manchester Central convention centre to protect Gordon Brown and his cabinet during the four-day summit.
Around 1,100 officers will be involved in policing the perimeter each day - in what will be one of Greater Manchester Police's biggest security operations.
The figure is slightly higher than in the 2006 conference, where 1,000 officers were called upon each day.
Extra officers will be drafted from north Manchester and from other divisions such as Oldham and Rochdale.
Armed police will patrol l the perimeter and sensitive locations inside the conference zone, and spotters will be positioned at key rooftop spots.
Former US president Bill Clinton attended the Labour summit in 2006 but there is no word on which foreign dignitaries would be present this year.
Those entering the secure area, which covers the conference centre, the Midland and Radisson hotels, will face airport-style bag checks and detector barriers. Liquids and items such as make-up being brought into the venue will also be screened. A GMP spokesman said: "This will be one of our biggest operations. The perimeter area will be the same as the last time although we have slightly increased police numbers for operational reasons.
"There will be some road closures but overall we believe that businesses should be able to continue operating smoothly during the event."
Fully booked
Tourism agency Marketing Manchester said hotel rooms were fully booked for the four days of conference - with an estimated £18m windfall for city businesses, compared to £15m in 2006.
Andrew Stokes, head of the visitor agency, said: "We will have the eyes of the world on Manchester for these few days. People will be looking at all the new sites and attractions in Manchester. It will be hard to get a room anywhere over these days. There are few cities that can offer the accommodation and conference venues that we can - hopefully we can build on our success even further."
Tourism chiefs will use the conference as an opportunity to meet union leaders, public bodies and business leaders to win future events for the city.
Labour is set to return to Manchester in 2010, while the Tories will stage their conferences here next year and in 2011. Staff at the city centre Ibis hotel on Portland Street said they had been fully booked `for months in advance'.
However not all businesses were expecting bumper earnings. At the Manchester 235 Casino, which falls within the security perimeter, managers were worried that regular customers would be prevented from getting in.
One staff member said: "Obviously we hope that we will be packed with delegates enjoying their expense accounts but with our regular customers unable to get in, we may end up breaking even."
Comment: Page 8
Comments
Login or Register to comment
A good enough reason to give Manchester a wide berth, when that bunch of 'Losers' hit town.
Never mind political focus of the country, more like laughing stock.
Hundreds of Police Officers may be on duty,but who's going to protect Mr. Brown from his own back-benchers ?
It might raise an est. £18m but what about the cost to the local council, police, etc does the labour party coff up for those costs?
Has anyone else seen the advertising about "Manchester" welcoming the Labour Party conference?
Glad my taxes are going somewhere useful.
Over the last few days I have noticed billboard posters up throughout Manchester advertising the upcoming Labour conference saying 'MANCHESTER WELCOMES THE LABOUR PARTY'. I presume our beloved council leaders have used public funds to pay for these posters. If so, I think it is disgusting. Why should taxpayer's money be used for something like this when the money could have been used for something else.
And maybe Hazel Blears will buy me a beer in the Sugar Lounge!!!
I'm sure our hard working mp's and councillors will be reclaiming the £18mill back in expenses. Another junket provided for by the taxpayer. Makes you proud to be British eh?
Thanks again Mr Labour council for letting the city residents know about how they will be able to get around. Thanks for nowt. It can't be hard to issue some notices.
No doubt we won't be allowed to sleep for 5 days as before as the helicopter will insist on circulating overhead all night.
And 1100 police officers are needed. I see the satelite towns of Rochdale etc with their high crime rates are losing officers to police this event. Bet they are overjoyed.
There is a positive. Tax payers money is being spent as we speak on cleaning the streets, the gum and the gardens. You couldn't make it up - it only gets done when the labour chronies are in town. Just like the Queen, Gordon Brown must think the world smells of fresh paint.
Make the most of it Manchester.Not many of these to come now. Whose turn is it this year for a knighthood?
Dave Pickup
After Leese's Knighthood it'll be m'Lord.
Blackpool's loss is Manchester's gain.
Of course this is good news for Manchester - It would be if the Tories and even the Lib Dems or TUC held their conferences here.
Birmingham are hosting the Tories in a couple of weeks and I'd bet they would love to have Labour as well !
Talk about people letting their political prejudices blind them to the benefits to Manchester.
Don't look at the colour of the political party - red blue or organge - look at the colour of their money - all £18 Million.
I'll be in Long Legs for this years fringe meeting on feminism!!!!!
Cllr Ken Hulme,
Manchester will host the Tories next year, Which means that the council taxpayer will save around £2 million on policing costs over Labour.
The £18 million "windfall is also a little disingenuous in that the hotels, bars, takeaways are not devoid of patrons the rest of the year they are only displaced while the freeloaders and ne'erdowells are in town.
Sir Reginald Ringpull
Conferences & Exhibitions are serious business these days and Manchester ought to be a player in that market.
I suspect if no-one came to G Mex you and others would be having a go at Labour for creating a White Elephant in the City.
Forget the politics on this one - close your eyes, think of Manchester and count the pennies.
it worries me that people from outside Manchester might read the comments posted on this site, and decide that we are all a bunch of pessimistic whingers who dislike anyone who makes an effort to improve things, hate anything new or different and dont want anyone from outside their area to come here
we are not all like that
I suppose we are expected to be grateful that even though we will end up picking up the tab, most of the cost will be 'relocated' within the cities bars & take-aways.
Mr Hulme....No one will be turning up to G-Mex.The gurus renamed it the Manchester Central Convention Centre.It's nice to see that you havent even ventured from Delph into Manchester to visit the location prior to this...As its all on expenses,it definately wont affect the pound in your pocket.
Cllr Ken Hulme, Delph wrote:
"Conferences & Exhibitions are serious business these days...Forget the politics on this one - close your eyes, think of Manchester and count the pennies. "
The total bill for secuity for the three main parties will be over £13 million pounds - Why the @*@@ should the local taxpayer pick up the bill? For what is a four day jolly we pay pounds and you expect pennies in return.
If I was to have gone to a "Trade" conference, I or my employer would have picked up the tab. The Labour Party MPs do not, the taxpayer still pays their wages and expences. The man in the street has to pay their way but the "Listening MP's" are oblivious to the ill feeling they engender.
Garsinho, Manchester
'MANCHESTER WELCOMES THE LABOUR PARTY.'
I wonder when the Tories have their conference
here the council will put up a banner saying
how much the council welcomes them.
Who is going to protect Manchester from Brown and hid stoogies.
Dear Mark R
I'm not going to the Labour Party conference as a delegate or observer. I'm going to protest outside it on the Peace March on Saturday and I will definitely be paying my own expenses. Still it will save me the cost of another fare down to London to protest about Iraq - so I guess I will benefit.
I will be carrying the Saddleworth Peace Movement Banner if anyone ones to join me and my friends from Saddleworth you're most welcome - even Sir Reginald.
What's the point of demonstrating it only goes to proving they was right to spend so much money on bringing so many cops in and extra security. Leave the politics to them because they are going to ignore you anyway go and rob a shop that's what they will do in Rochdale while the cops are busy with demonstrators
Isn't there a terror threat, for those with short memories there was the london bombings not that long ago trains and buses copped for it, the threat is still there, thats why you need security, if security wasn't there the place would probably go up with possible thousands of casualties, nobody wants that!.