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City council considers legal options to rescue supercasino

08/02/2008

Manchester City Council has said it is considering mounting a legal challenge after it was revealed a supercasino would not be built in the east of the city.

The city administration has said it knew nothing of the government's decision to scrap the supercasino project, which would have brought thousands of jobs to one of Manchester's poorest districts.

Last year, after Gordon Brown became prime minister, the city council warned that it would take the government to court if ministers did a U-turn.

Tory shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "The government's flip-flops on this have left Manchester's regeneration plans in tatters and the gambling industry in turmoil.

"Is the government for casinos or against them?"

A formal announcement has not yet been made by the government but the decision was apparently confirmed in a letter to the Scottish and Welsh executives, according to the BBC.

Ministers are still expected to give the green light to 16 smaller casinos to be built around the country.