The Manchester Town Hall at long last has a path to completion, and as the scaffolding around this landmark building creeps down, the council has shared a glimpse at the work that’s happening inside.
The Grade I-listed building has been hidden behind scaffolding and white sheets for more than five years, with its once-in-a-century regeneration delayed by a number of factors.
But now, at long last, Manchester City Council has confirmed a completion date for the project, with work on the Manchester Town Hall set to complete in spring 2027.
Those of us wandering through town or attending the Manchester Christmas Markets in recent months will have noticed the scaffolding around the beautiful structure slowly unveiling its beautiful facade.
First came the clock tower, then down came the huge temporary roof (which had been keeping the building watertight while roofing works were carried out), and now there’s movement around the sides of the town hall too.
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Inside, an army of skilled workers have been carefully restoring and repairing this heritage building, safeguarding it for future generations.
In images shared by the council, we can see the ornate ceilings, intricate stonework, and grand hallways of the Manchester Town Hall for the first time in years.
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And addressing the ‘unique challenges’ faced during the restoration, the report has laid out a ‘more certain’ completion date of spring 2027 and a budget increase of an additional £95 million – taking the overall project budget to £524.8 million.
The Manchester Town Hall project has faced challenges since it began in 2020, including the Covid pandemic, a volatile economic climate, and construction industry rising costs.
The council’s report also said that there’s been a shortage of ‘specialist labour capacity in the supply chain, issues with the supply of materials (which under strict heritage rules need to closely match those used in the original construction) and ongoing discovery of further construction challenges, all of which unavoidably cause delays and associated costs’.
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Inside the Manchester Town Hall. Credit: Supplied
On top of that, three of the contractors working on the regeneration have gone into administration in the last six months alone.
Despite that, most of the external work is now complete, with work now focussing on the interiors.
When it reopens next year, Manchester Town Hall will have a free public attraction The Town Hall Story, which will bring its fascinating history to life.
Before then, a series of hard hat tours are being planned to welcome Mancs inside the building.
Deputy Council Leader Cllr Garry Bridges said: “This project to safeguard Manchester Town Hall and create unprecedented public access is the biggest heritage project the country has seen for many years. Only the restoration of the Houses of Parliament will surpass it in scale.
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“A project of this size is extraordinarily complicated and has had to navigate a stream of challenges – from a global pandemic to high inflation in the construction industry and the hidden issues within the building’s historic fabric.
Scaffolding around the Manchester Town Hall is slowly coming down. Credit: Supplied
“Like everyone, we have been frustrated by the increased time and cost involved. But if we had not acted decisively to invest in the future of this Victorian masterpiece, many parts of which were reaching the end of their natural lifespans, we would have seen it become unusable and obsolete.
“We’re glad that we’re now on a confident path to completion in spring 2027, in time for the 150th anniversary of its original opening. The results of the project will be there for people to appreciate and enjoy for the next 100 years.
“Manchester people are beginning to see the benefits of the expanded Albert Square, at the heart of the city’s best ever Christmas, and there will be many more events to come in a public square to rival the best in Europe.
“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.
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“Now we have a date for completion we can begin to look forward with excitement.”
Manc rock band left ‘broke as f***’ despite just finishing EU arena tour as industry concerns grow
Danny Jones
Manchester musicians Witch Fever have revealed that they are now almost completely “broke” despite having just finished touring with a major rock band on a lengthy arena run across Europe, as concerns continue to grow around shows in the EU.
Post-Brexit, it has become increasingly more difficult for UK bands not only to make money playing around the mainland but to even book support slots in the first place.
From more stringent visa requirements that limit the amount of time they can perform on the road, as well as other essential work permits, to tax, transport and wider logistics, almost every aspect of the live music landscape has become more complicated on the continent.
Unfortunately, ‘Doom-punk’ outfit Witch Fever is one of countless groups being affected by these issues; opening up on a recent podcast appearance, they said that this is simply “what the music industry is like at the moment.”
As you can see, speaking in the most recent episode of the 101 Part Time Jobs with Giles Bidder – a fellow artist as well as pod and radio host – two members of the local outfit put it as plainly as they could: “we’re broke as f***”.
Breaking things down into as basic terms as possible, bassist Alex Thompson said that while the “fees are [already] low, the costs are getting higher and higher” relative to what they can afford.
Thompson went on to admit that she is now relying on the remainder of her late mother’s pension to get by and that no one in the band can even get a steady enough job right now because they’re heading back out on tour again this March.
As explained by lead singer Amy Walpole, the band has only just finished supporting Danish veterans Volbeat, but any potential ‘profit’ from the two-months’ worth of shows is currently “stuck in withholding taxes across Europe” – a common problem for most British artists trying to play overseas right now.
Surprisingly, they even received a little bit of backlash on social media since the interview (which you can watch in full HERE) went live.
This just in, JK Rowling super fan celebrating us struggling coz the music industry is impossible rn because *checks notes* it’s karma for disagreeing with JKs views lol
It wasn’t long ago that the Witch Fever gang booked a big hometown gig here in the city centre, either, as their warm-up shows for Volbeat also involved a trip to the AO Arena back in November.
We’ve seen them live a couple of times now, and if those shows were anything to go by, we really think you should go see them on their upcoming tour.
As it happens, we put them on our artists of the month round-up in January 2024, and they’ve only got bigger since then; it’s more important than ever that we support rising bands and grassroots venues on our doorstep when we can.
If you’re interested, you can grab your tickets now. Even if not, in the meantime, you can see what we had to say about them and four other fantastic Greater-Manchester-based bands down below.
Featured Images — Press shot (supplied)/101 Part Time Jobs (screenshot via YouTube)
Travel & Tourism
Package holiday company launches new ‘Beckham Clause’ for feuding families
Emily Sergeant
A popular package holiday company has launched a new ‘Beckham Clause’ to help protect feuding families.
It’s official… family fallouts are now holiday-proof, thanks to a new ‘Beckham Clause’ that’s been launched by a Manchester-based travel company On The Beach in the wake of the ongoing – and at this point, inescapable – Beckham family feud.
In case you need bringing up to speed, then allow us to (briefly) sum up the Beckham family drama for you as best as possible.
Basically, at the centre of this discourse the eldest Beckham child, Brooklyn, his wife Nicola Peltz, and primarily his mum Victoria, although as the months have gone on, it appears there’s no member of the Beckham family that isn’t somewhat involved (okay, maybe not Harper… well at least not publicly, anyway).
Earlier this month, it was reported that Brooklyn had become estranged from his family, and had told his parents to contact him only through lawyers.
On The Beach has launched a new ‘Beckham Clause’ for feuding families / Credit: Ivan Shimko | Natalya Zaritskaya (via Unsplash)
And then yesterday, of course, Brooklyn publicly spoke out about the accusations on his Instagram Stories for the first time ever… and all hell broke loose in the celebrity news world.
On the Beach’s new clause – officially titled the Family Fallout Refund, and already nicknamed the ‘Beckham Clause’ by bosses – aims to give holidaymakers peace of mind that no matter how messy things get at home, their getaway won’t suffer, as it applies to family holidays where one member suddenly drops out due to a feud, argument, or full-blown emotional meltdown.
Under the new policy, if a family member pulls out before departure, their share of the hotel booking will be refunded rather than leaving the rest of the group to foot the bill.
Family fallouts aren’t just limited to celebrities, every year hundreds of holiday bookings need amending due to feuds, On The Beach said, which is why it’s chosen to launch the new refund scheme.
“We love family holidays, but we’re also very aware that family fallouts cam hamper plans,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Chief Customer Officer at On the Beach.
“The ‘Beckham Clause’ is there for those moments when someone decides they’d rather cool off at home than by the pool.
“Our new perk means that if a family feud takes place and one person drops out, the rest of the group can still head off, relax, and enjoy the holiday they were looking forward to.”
Daisy Jackson -
13th December 2025 
