Bureau for Investigative Journalism research shows more than £9.1bn worth of publicly owned assets offloaded to plug gaps left by government cuts
Stretford Public Hall is the kind of building that embodies the idea of the public good. A magnificent, Grade II listed red-brick Victorian edifice, it has served the local community in Trafford, Manchester, since 1878. Home to one of the first libraries in the city, as well as public baths and a civic theatre, it has hosted community celebrations for the end of both world wars as well as events ranging from debates, meetings, plays and speeches by everyone from Oswald Mosley to Tony Benn to dances and historic Rock Against Racism concerts featuring the Fall and John Cooper Clarke.
In December 2013, Annoushka Deighton, chair of the Friends of Stretford Public Hall, discovered via a news story on Facebook that the cash-strapped local council had put it on the market – and the most likely buyer was a “heavyweight” property developer who wanted to turn it into flats. “The council were under enormous pressure, because of cuts to their budget, and wanted to see what the best deal they could get for it [was].”
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