Manchester City Council has approved a landmark budget for 2026/27 – its first-ever revenue budget surpassing the £1 billion mark signalling a new era of investment aimed at improving everyday life across the city.
After more than a decade of Government funding cuts between 2010 and 2024, Manchester’s financial position has strengthened thanks to fairer national funding provision.
The improved fiscal outlook now allows the Council to reinvest in vital services and start restoring community programmes that were lost during austerity.
Council approves £1 billion budget to improve Manchester
A significant portion of the new budget focuses on visible improvements to Manchester’s streets, parks, and public spaces.
£5.13 million has been allocated to boost street cleaning services by 2028/29, taking next year’s clean-up budget to £10.6 million.
An additional £774,000 rising to £1 million annually will target fly-tipping, littering, and waste collection issues.
Over £1.7 million will go towards maintaining and enhancing public spaces, especially parks and green areas.
Road and pavement upgrades will receive a one-off £1.1 million, while £500,000 will fund extra gritting in local centres bringing the total highways budget to £20.7 million.
£550,000 a year will be used to improve drainage and gully cleaning to mitigate flooding risks.
Beyond infrastructure, the Council is channelling £1.47 million into initiatives promoting physical activity and community engagement. These include expanding free swimming for under-16s and over-60s, and increasing accessibility to sports for local residents.
Libraries will also benefit, with plans to extend opening hours including reintroducing Sunday openings in eight sites for the first time since 2011 alongside new funding for community events.
Manchester’s long-term plans of tackling housing needs and supporting local growth
Capital funding remains crucial to Manchester’s long-term plans for inclusive growth. The city is on track to achieve its goal of 10,000 new council, social, and genuinely affordable homes by 2032, with more such homes built last year than at any time since the mid-1990s.
Continued investment in affordable housing and local high streets underscores a commitment to shaping vibrant district centres and sustainable neighbourhoods.
Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig said the budget reflects a vision of an “inclusive, better Manchester” built around fairness and opportunity.
“We’re seeing record levels of investment in our neighbourhoods and communities — more council and social homes built than for decades, and stronger economic growth than anywhere in the UK. But we believe Manchester can be even better,” Cllr Craig said. “This budget focuses on creating a city where everyone can have a good home, a good job, and a good life in a well cared-for, invested-in neighbourhood.”
Cllr Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Finance, added that the improved budget “invests in what residents have told us matters most to them” — from maintaining essential services to reviving aspects of civic life lost during the cuts of previous years.