Manchester Town Hall revamp cost rises by £95m in further delay

In the past year, a number of contractors have gone bust, causing knock-on delays as parts of the work were not finished as scheduled.

Project bosses have denied suggestions that construction firms were taking the council for a ride, insisting every taxpayer-funded penny spent was being scrutinised.

They also did not believe an insistence to spend a portion of the budget on local companies had slimmed down the pool of available firms to the point where not enough were available to complete the work quickly.

Councillor Bridges hoped the town hall would reopen before the 160th anniversary of its 1868 reopening.

“When town halls like ours were built in the 19th Century, most Mancunians were excluded from them.

“But we want to give the building back to the people – inviting them to a new free visitor attraction and to share in a cultural programme around its reopening.”