It was cruel - it excluded LGBT people from the gay streets of Manchester and their usual local pubs (some of which were happy to allow them in) during a 'pride' if they didn't buy a costly ticket. In effect, Manchester Pride's longstanding business model has been dismantled. You won't get into others or the events that are on private land. The bottom line is that you no longer need a wristband or pass to walk along the streets of the gay village during Manchester Pride or to visit friends or residents who live in the fenced area. Somehow they went ahead and did exactly that nine months later at Europride 2003 and every August after until 2014. More recently minutes of a meeting held in November 2002 ( read more on ) have come to light at which all concerned (police, organisers, charities, city council and Marketing Manchester) were told they could not charge to enter streets that were closed. The Ombudsman wrote that members of the public have the right to make their way to premises (homes and business).
The key points are that in April 2015 the Local Government Ombudsman ruled that Manchester Pride's closure of the pavements was 'unlawful.' That Manchester City Council had exceeded its powers by mentioning wristbands in a traffic order. There's an enormous amount to add to this page, covering events since Autumn 2013.
