Marcus Rashford to receive City of Manchester award for child poverty campaign efforts

It’s been confirmed that Marcus Rashford MBE will be receiving the City of Manchester award for his child poverty campaign efforts during the pandemic.

Councillors in Manchester have unanimously backed the plans to award Marcus for his ‘outstanding and exceptional contribution to the city’.

The Man United and England star forced the government to make several policy U-turns, extending free school meals support both over the summer holidays and Christmas.

Marcus was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Honours List back in October, to recognise his incredible effort in helping vulnerable children.

Labour and Lib Dem councillors both agreed to give the 23-year-old the City of Manchester award, an alternative to the freedom of the city which was introduced back in 2017.

A motion from a special council meeting on Wednesday said: “The council hereby records its view that the powers entrusted to it by law recognising the outstanding and exceptional contribution made by Marcus Rashford MBE concerning the work he has done for the benefit of the young people of Manchester.

“Council is asked to agree that the significant and positive contribution made by Mr Rashford should be formally recognised and recorded in the city’s history and that this would be properly exercised by conferring upon him the City of Manchester Award.”

In the end, the motion was moved by a Wythenshawe councillor now serving as Lord Mayor of Manchester, Tommy Judge, with ‘sincere pleasure’ – Marcus grew up in Wythenshawe.

The motion was seconded by Sir Richard Leese, before being unanimously supported by all 96 elected members.