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Salford Council defends town hall ice rink

21/01/2008

Salford City Council has defended its decision to build an ice rink and fun fair on the manicured gardens in front of the town hall.

Figures released by the council show that almost 7,000 skaters visited Salford's inaugural Winter Wonderland.

But the ice rink - which had a "unique" magenta colour – caused something of a stir among local residents in Swinton who expressed concerned about the state of the gardens.

The council, in partnership with Northwest Funfairs, has promised there would be no cost to the local taxpayer for restoring the civic centre lawns.

Councillor David Lancaster said: "Salford has really got behind what we did here. It was something a bit different, something a bit special for the city.

"By working with Northwest Funfairs, we secured a £100,000 entertainment package for everyone at a potential cost to us of up to £24,000."

Local newspaper the Advertiser has been awash with angry letters from residents in the past few weeks, with even some councillors writing in to express concern about the ice risk's impact on the environment.