It includes a plan for ‘reducing takeaways and vape shops.’
Withington is one area where changes have been welcomed by local residents
Visit some of Manchester’s high streets and you might hear similar complaints. Shop units sitting empty for an age, independent businesses struggling to survive, an uncertain future.
But new plans could soon change that. A raft of measures have been announced to ‘improve every neighbourhood and high street across the city.’
The pledges were part of Manchester Labour’s local election manifesto.
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It includes a £100m fund to be decided by residents, with £20m each for Benchill, Clayton Vale and Newton Heath, Harpuhey, Monsall and Moston, and Moss Side.
That’s alongside a £3m neighbourhood fund to further boost high streets around the city and creating a city-wide high streets team, with a promise of ‘standing up to blight and reducing takeaways and vape shops.’
A new wave of plans has also been promised for Cheetham, Longsight, Levenshulme and Harpurhey in the ‘coming months’.
In some parts of Manchester, like Newton Heath, people have been calling for change.
Many told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) last year that they wanted to see the area ‘doing up’ to make it a better place to live and work.
The LDRS spoke to residents in the area in March 2025 after a consultation was launched into how local people want to see the area improved.
As 69-year-old Vinny Bond, who has lived in Newton Heath for 40 years, put it at the time: “They need to attract people into the place. You look at the main street and there’s shuttered up shop frontages when they should be open. It’s long overdue.”
Another Newton Heath local, 25-year-old John, added: “It has the potential to be a really great place to live. There’s a great community here. The people are so friendly. The canal gives it a lot of charm.
“There’s a lot they could do with that waterfront. But in general the place needs a bit of TLC.”
Political bosses at Manchester council hope plans to improve the city’s high streets and neighbourhoods will be a major benefit to local communities.
Councillor Bev Craig, leader of Manchester council and Manchester Labour, said the plans are aimed at ‘cleaner, greener, nice high streets, good services, and [to] build a city where everyone feels the benefits of the city’s success.’
Councillor Bev Craig said Manchester is ‘building back’ with a new plan for high streets and neighbourhoods(Image: Kenny Brown / MEN)
She told the LDRS: “From 2010-2024, we saw some of the worst cuts to our city, and now we are building back based on the things Manchester people told us were their priorities.
“Every neighbourhood in our city deserves to be the best quality and feel investment. Work is already underway on Wythenshawe, Withington, Moston, Gorton and we’re committing to roll out our city wide high streets work.
“We’re fighting the housing crisis by building over 10,000 council, social, genuinely affordable homes, reducing homelessness and setting up a brand new city wide renters rights team to protect and support our renters.
“We’re cleaning up the streets – recruiting more litter pickers and declaring a war on flytipping with higher fines and more CCTV.
“Our libraries and leisure centres are the beating hearts of communities and that’s why we are expanding library hours and making it easier for people to get healthy by expanding free swimming and rolling out free gym memberships for 11-16s and veterans.
“We’ve made great strides- but there’s so much more to do. That’s why our manifesto sets out 100 of the things we will do. We want to keep moving our city forward and make our city a place where everyone thrives.”
Labour holds 87 out of 96 council seats in Manchester, with four Lib Dems, four Green Party members, and one Workers Party member.
The local elections are taking place on May 7, with 32 council seats up for grabs – one in every ward in the city.