Budget battle in Manchester council ward which Labour lost at by-election

A Manchester council ward which Labour lost at a recent by-election could be in store for a boost as local councillors battle for more money from the budget.

Calls for more residential parking schemes in Ancoats and Beswick were endorsed by a scrutiny committee at a meeting on Monday (February 28).

Local Labour councillor Majid Dar said the £4m proposal would be funded through cash that the council has received from developments in the area.

READ MORE: Labour lose seat to Lib Dems in Manchester by-election after councillor quit blaming 'toxic culture'

But the scrutiny committee rejected a budget amendment from the ward's newly-elected Lib Dem councillor, who suggested spending nearly £3m on road safety, parks and basic services across the city such as street cleaning.

It comes a month after the Lib Dems beat Labour in the Ancoats and Beswick by-election, making Alan Good one of three opposition councillors in the city.

Speaking for the first time as an elected member at the Manchester Town Hall meeting, his suggestions which relied on spending reserves were dismissed.

Manchester council leader Bev Craig told the scrutiny committee the local authority does not have 'spare money' to spend on the Lib Dems' proposals.

And she insisted these ideas are already covered in the budget for the next financial year – the first to be set since she took over as leader in December.

She said: "Posturing aside, from our investment in road safety to our investment in parks, to our investment in basic services, these are things that we are already doing and they are already in our revenue and capital budgets."

Labour councillor Sarah Russell, who chaired the meeting, also laid into the Lib Dems, who she accused of repeatedly recommending