'Big six' rival set for another helping hand? - Unbelievable news from Manchester

A strange headline for an article on a Newcastle United website but undoubtedly many Black and Whites will have seen, and absorbed, the news the Manchester United’s Old Trafford Regeneration Project has been backed by the government.

So, the taxpayer will be contributing towards Man Utd's shiny new project, despite Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glasers having £25bn between them...

A statement released on Sunday by Man Utd CEO, Omar Berrada, said: ‘The delivery of a world-class stadium can be the catalyst for major regeneration of an area of Greater Manchester which requires new investment to thrive again. We cannot achieve that wider aim on our own, which is why we welcome the announcement by the Chancellor and the ongoing support of the Mayor of Greater Manchester and Trafford Council.’

Another statement, put out by the UK Treasury said Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was championing the Old Trafford project as ‘a shining example’ of the government’s plans to promote economic growth.

Huh, I must’ve missed the similar statement from the UK government in relation to Newcastle United’s St. James’ Park regeneration/rebuild project – although I’m sure if it wasn’t released yet it’ll be along shortly…

It is claimed that that particular area of Greater Manchester is in desperate need of regeneration, however MediaCityUK built in Salford Quays (parts of which already includes Old Trafford) has already seen up to £1billion of regeneration/development which includes the Lowry Arts Centre and the Imperial War Museum North.

Another Sickening Sweetheart Deal?

All this chat recalls another sickening sweetheart deal paid for at taxpayers’ expense and that is West Ham’s stadium. The white elephant was built for the 2012 Olympics – without a proper legacy plan in place meaning the Hammers got the stadium on the cheap and taxpayers have been covering the costs of the stadium for years (this article is from 2015, and nothing has changed in the last decade).

In the interest of fairness it has been claimed by many prominent journalists, including Henry Winter, that no public money will be spent on the footballing aspect of the Old Trafford regeneration project and just the infrastructure around it, including roads,  railways and the redirection of freight. However, this is still unacceptable.

St. James’ Park will also require huge and expensive infrastructure costs if it is to be regenerated, yet I didn’t hear the Chancellor championing Newcastle’s redevelopment as a ‘shining example.’ Did she just conveniently forget about it?

The Northeast is the most deprived area of the country, and the government has recently pulled funding for the repair of the Tyne Bridge and the Gateshead flyover is literally in such a state of disrepair that it is closed, adding thousands of driving hours to people’s everyday life, harming the environment, and being an obvious source of danger to the public. Add in the thousands of forgotten communities across the region and the talk of more government spending focused on Manchester really sticks in the craw.

Sky Sports’ Man Utd Propaganda machine kicks into gear

Another fantastical claim that was put forward by Sky Sports on Sunday was that the Old Trafford regeneration project would create 90,000 jobs and provide an economic impact of around £7.3bn. How specifically would that happen?

Spurs’ new stadium cost around a £1bn – it created 3,500 total jobs (1,700 new) and creates a £293m economic impact p.a. So, it’s claimed the Old Trafford regeneration project would be 25x more impactful and create 82,000 more jobs. Now, I’m no expert but that sounds like pie-in-the-sky economics to me, figures plucked out of thin air to justify taxpayers’ money involvement.

Let me be frank, not a penny of taxpayer money should be handed over. Between them Ratcliffe and the Glaser’s are worth over £25bn – put your hands in your own pockets and foot the bill because that’s what Newcastle United will do when they build/regenerate St. James’ Park.