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Two city councils at the heart of the row over the UK's super-casino have rejected a compromise deal as ‘old money'. Both Manchester and Blackpool expressed disappointment at the olive branch offered by communities secretary, Hazel Blears, after confirmation that the casino had been ditched. Culture secretary, Andy Burnham, delivered the final nail in the coffin to the casino proposal in the House of Commons on Tuesday, saying it would now be scrapped. It followed months of uncertainty over the future of the big regional gambling hub. Ms Blears announced Manchester would get £10m to develop the SportCity leisure complex, which would be overseen by a ministerial group and create 1,600 jobs. Manchester retaliated that its threat of a legal challenge was still an option. The statement by council leader, Sir Richard Leese, also pointed out that funding for SportCity had already been confirmed. Blackpool, through its regeneration company ReBlackpool, also expressed fury at the decision and lack of new cash. Chief executive, Doug Garret, said: ‘The £300m which has been allocated by the Government is something that we already knew Blackpool was set to receive – it has just been re-packaged. ‘For example, the £82m for the seafront has already been delivered, we announced the funding for the tramway scheme in January, which is already under way, and we had been expecting the funds for housing and education. So, nothing the Government has informed us of today comes as a surprise – which is a shame.'

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ECONOMIC GROWTH

Casino cash help 'already pledged'

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