WORKERS can bank on becoming Millennium-aires.

Staffing New Year's Eve events is going to cost a bomb - with predictions of £40 an hour being the going rate of pay.

But visions of bank-breaking pay packets have persuaded Wigan Metro to save taxpayers' money by not organising any special events to mark the passage in to the year 2000.

However some local authority staff will have to work.

Wigan's Director of Leisure Rodney Hill told councillors on the recreation and amenities committee about New Year's Eve problems.

He said: "Casual staff is the difficult issue. Research conducted indicates the local going rate is likely to be £40 an hour to guarantee staff working.

"This extra cost might be recovered from the customers but there are major implications for other local authority staff who will need to be paid through the New Year's Eve/Day Millennium transition."

Councillors backed recommendations not to hold any special events over that period.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.