Manchester earmarked as Labour conference venue
The Labour Party will host next year’s 2006 autumn conference in Manchester, according to the BBC.
Subject to confirmation from the national executive committee, expected to meet on 25 January, it will be the first time since 1917 that Manchester will host the annual event.
The northern city hosted the Labour’s spring conference in March last year. It was widely adjudged a success in terms of security and hotel arrangements.
Party conferences normally take place in the seaside resorts of Blackpool, Bournemouth and Brighton, with the three main parties alternating between resorts.
The cost to Blackpool of loosing the conference is not clear, but is likely to be significant. During conference week the media, campaign groups and party members descend in their thousands to the area, with hotels block booked months in advance.
Whilst there, a significant amount of money is ploughed into the local economy in terms of restaurants, bars and the hiring of conference facilities.
In recent years though, conferences have also brought a security headache for the host council with large sections of the waterfront section closed to the general public.
