The government has turned down Greater Manchester’s attempt to host the World Expo in 2025 on Ashton Moss in Tameside.
Greater Manchester’s Combined Authority revealed in the summer that it was asking the government to bid to bring the six-month showcase of technology, manufacturing and culture from across the world to Tameside attracting up to 28 million visitors as well as exhibitors and would-be investors from around the world.
However the Chancellor Philip Hammond had reportedly rejected the idea because of cost. Ashton Moss in Tameside has been identified as a suitable option in Greater Manchester to host the global event. The 110-ha site is less than 10km from Manchester city centre and within 15km of Manchester airport and has been identified as a Greater Manchester economic priority.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Tameside council leader Kieran Quinn, who spearheaded the bid is said to be furious accusing the government of being “blinkered post-Brexit’ and said ministers were ‘burying their heads in the sand’.
A bid, it was claimed, would offer UK trade and investment a boost at least comparable to the 2012 London Olympics.
