Manchester Council spend sustains 5,000 jobs, says report

MANCHESTER City Council has revealed the results of a new survey which demonstrates that it’s procurement policies sustain the jobs of at least 5,000 of the city’s residents.

The study, completed by the centre for Local Economic Strategies, examined the city council’s £103m procurement spend in its 2008/09 financial year.

It highlighted the geographical nature of the council’s spend, demonstrating that 85% of contracts for goods and services from its top 300 suppliers were placed with Greater Manchester businesses, and that 51% were with companies whose headquarters were within the city council’s own boundaries.

The highest levels of spending were with companies based in Ardwick (around £43m), the city centre (£41m) and Hulme (£39m).

The findings of the research analysing the council’s 2008/09 budget will be presented at an event taking place at Manchester Town Hall this evening.

Cllr Bernard Priest, executive member for finance at Manchester City Council, said: “The figures show that we are indirectly employing thousands of people in Manchester through our supply chain as well as contributing significantly to the local economy and this is  something we will strive to continue.”