Manchester City Council’s spending on Remembrance Day ceremonies has nearly doubled over the last four years.
Figures released by the council in response to a Freedom of Information Request show they spent £39,911.97 in 2023, up from £20,232.12 in 2019, or £25,185.15 when adjusted for inflation.
A spokesperson from Manchester City Council said: “Remembrance Sunday is one of the key Civic events in the city’s calendar and an important opportunity for Manchester to mark the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in conflicts past and present – and thank our veterans and serving armed forces personnel for their service to our country.
“This is a major event that requires intensive planning, management, and security. Over the last decade, we have seen a year-on-year trend of increasing costs for the event in line with general inflationary increases as costs for goods and services have also increased.
In recent years we have also improved infrastructure that has enhanced the event experience for visitors.”
In 2021 a large digital screen was added, increasing the cost to £26,494.95, before a second screen was added in 2022, bringing the cost to £29,686.60.
The council attributed the jump in 2023 to an increased security presence in line with national guidance.
This year’s service and two-minute silence will be held at the Cenotaph in St Peter’s Square on Sunday at 11 am.
After the service, there will be a short march to Peter Street across the square, before crowd control barriers will be removed to allow public tributes.
A Soldiers’, Sailors’ & Airmen’s Families Association (SSAFA) spokesperson said: “It’s up to the individual to choose to attend Remembrance commemorations and observe the Two Minutes’ Silence on both Remembrance Sunday and November 11.
“And that opportunity to choose is, fundamentally, what the sacrifices made over the generations have succeeded in giving people: freedom of choice.”
According to the 2021 census, there are 7,728 veterans living in Manchester.
Claire Squires, 50, who served in the Royal Navy and is the co-founder of Trafford Veterans said: “I think we owe a debt of gratitude to those that gone before us.
“A lot of men just never came home, you can’t forget that sacrifice, it’s history you can’t wipe it out, it’s important that you remember. It doesn’t take long to have an act of Remembrance.”
Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons/ David Dixon, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
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