Calls to make council tax cheaper for some of the poorest Mancunians have been voted down. The Lib Dems' proposal to increase the maximum discount on council tax bills in Manchester from 82.5 pc to 85 pc has been rejected.
Councillors also voted against a proposal to put an extra £1m into the budgets for pothole repairs and the maintenance of gullies. The proposals would have been paid for by spending £1.9m of cash reserves held by Manchester council.
But Lib Dem leader John Leech, who proposed the budget amendments, said spending more on road, pavement and gully repairs now would save the town hall money in the future. He also claimed that raising the council tax discount to 85 pc would more than double the support the poorest residents receive.
