Manchester City Council

Manchester City Council is the local authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. Manchester is the sixth largest city in England by population.^[4] Its city council is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. The council is controlled by the Labour Party and led by Bev Craig. There is currently no official opposition as the two opposition groups, the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats both have four councillors. Joanne Roney is the chief executive. Many of the council's staff are based at Manchester Town Hall.

Manchester City Council
Coat of arms
Corporate logo
Type
Type	Metropolitan district council of Manchester
Leadership
Lord Mayor	Yasmine Dar, Labour since 18 May 2022^[1]
Leader	Bev Craig, Labour since 1 December 2021^[2]
Chief executive	Joanne Roney since April 2017
Structure
Seats	96 councillors^[3]
Political groups	Administration (86)   Labour (86) Opposition (9)   Green (4)   Liberal Democrats (4)   Independent (1) Vacant (1)
Joint committees	Greater Manchester Combined Authority Greater Manchester Police, Fire and Crime Panel
Length of term	4 years
Elections
Last election	2023 (1/3rd councillors + 1 vacancy)
Next election	2024 (1/3rd councillors + 1 vacancy)
Motto
Latin: Concilio Et Labore, lit. 'By Wisdom and Effort'
Meeting place
Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, Manchester
Website
www.manchester.gov.uk

History

Further information: History of Manchester

Manchester was incorporated in 1838 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 as the Corporation of Manchester or Manchester Corporation. It achieved city status in 1853, only the second such grant since the Reformation. The area included in the city has been increased many times, in 1885 (Bradford, Harpurhey and Rusholme), 1890 (Blackley, Crumpsall, part of Droylsden, Kirkmanshulme, Moston, Newton Heath, Openshaw, and West Gorton), 1903 (Heaton), 1904 (Burnage, Chorlton cum Hardy, Didsbury, and Moss Side), 1909 (Gorton, and Levenshulme), 1931 (Wythenshawe: Baguley, Northenden, and Northen Etchells), and Ringway in 1974. A new Town Hall was opened in 1877 (by Alderman Abel Heywood) and the Mayor of Manchester was granted the title of Lord Mayor in 1893.^[5]

Under the Local Government Act 1972 the council was reconstituted as a metropolitan borough council in 1974, and since then it has been controlled by the Labour Party. In 1980, Manchester was the first council to declare itself a nuclear-free zone. In 1984 it formed an equal opportunities unit as part of its opposition to Section 28.^[6]

Political make-up

For historical political control and leadership, see Manchester City Council elections.

Elections are usually by thirds (a third of the seats elected, three years in every four), although the 2018 and 2004 elections saw all seats contested due to substantial boundary changes. Labour has controlled a majority of seats in every election since the council was reconstituted in 1974. Between 2014 and 2016 Labour occupied every seat with no opposition.^[7] In the local elections held on 5 May 2016, former Manchester Withington MP, John Leech, was elected with 53% of the vote signifying the first gain for any party other than Labour for the first time in six years in Manchester and providing an opposition for the first time in two years.^[8] On 24 July 2019 it was reported that Majid Dar (Ancoats and Beswick) had been suspended by the Labour party.^[9] On the 16th October 2023, Ardwick Cllr Amna Abdullatif resigned from the Labour Party over Keir Starmer's refusal to call for a ceasefire in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.^[10]

Year		Labour		Liberal Democrats		Green		Conservative		Independent
Current	86		4		4		0		1
2023	88		4		4		0		0
2022	92		2		2		0		0
2021	94		1		1		0		0
2019	93		3		0		0		0
2018	94		2		0		0		0
2016	95		1		0		0		0
2015	96		0		0		0		0
2014	96		0		0		0		0
2012	86		9		0		0		1
2011	75		20		0		0		1
2010	62		31		0		1		2
2008	61		34		0		1		0
2007	61		34		1		0		0
2006	62		33		1		0		0
2004	57		38		1		0		0
2003	71		27		1		0		0
2002	76		22		0		0		1
2000	78		21		0		0		0
1999	82		17		0		0		0
1998	84		15		0		0		0
1996	84		15		0		0		0
1995	83		14		0		2		0
1994	79		15		0		4		1
1992	80		12		0		5		2
1991	85		9		0		5		0
1990	78		9		0		12		0
1987	77		9		0		13		0

Coat of arms

 

Gules, three bendlets enhanced Or; a chief argent, thereon on waves of the sea a ship under sail proper. On a wreath of colours, a terrestrial globe semée of bees volant, all proper. On the dexter side a heraldic antelope argent, attired, and chain reflexed over the back Or, and on the sinister side a lion guardant Or, murally crowned Gules; each charged on the shoulder with a rose of the last. Motto: "Concilio et Labore".

A coat of arms was granted to the Manchester Corporation in 1842, passing on to Manchester City Council when the borough of Manchester was granted the title of city in 1853.^[11]

• The Shield: red (Gules) with three gold (Or) bands drawn diagonally across to the right hand side.
• The Chief (the white (Argent) top segment): shows a ship at sea in full sail. This is a reference to the city's trading base.
• The Crest: On a multicoloured wreath stands a terrestrial globe, signifying Manchester's world trade, and covered by a swarm of flying bees. The bee was adopted in the 19th century as a symbol of industrial Manchester being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
• The Supporters: On the left, a heraldic antelope with a chain attached to a gold (Or) collar, representing engineering industries, and hanging at the shoulder, the red rose of Lancashire, reflecting Manchester's historic position in Lancashire. On the right, a golden lion stands guardant (facing us), crowned with a red (Gules) castle (a reference to the Roman fort at Castlefield from which the city originated). The lion also wears the Red Rose of Lancashire.
• Motto: Concilio et Labore, loosely translated "By wisdom and effort" (or "By counsel and hard work").

In 1954, Manchester Corporation successfully took the Manchester Palace of Varieties to court for improperly using the corporation's arms in its internal decoration and its company seal. The case of Manchester Corporation v Manchester Palace of Varieties Ltd;^[12] was the first sitting of the Court of Chivalry for two hundred years, and it has not sat since.^[13]

In April 2013, Manchester City Council threatened to take legal action against The Manchester Gazette, for its use of the city's coat of arms on their website. The News Outlet claimed it already gained permission and continued to use it for a further 8 months in spite of the warnings. Withington MP John Leech described the council's latest move as a "massive over-reaction and waste of money", adding: "Have the council's legal department got nothing better to do?".^[14][15]

Controversies

On 14 April 2010, the BBC reported that council leader Richard Leese had stood down temporarily from his post as leader of Manchester City Council after having been arrested on suspicion of the common assault of his 16-year-old stepdaughter. He was released after accepting a police caution and admitting striking his stepdaughter across the face.^[16][17]

On 12 February 2019, an 'enormous political row' ^[18] erupted after Manchester Council announced it was consulting the public on a new Public Spare Protection Order which, among other things, targeted 'aggressive' begging and rough sleepers who pitch tents or sleep in doorways.^[19] The council's opposition leader, and former Lib Dem MP John Leech sparked further controversy when he tweeted that the potential council policy which was still out for public consultation was "absolute crap".^[20]

On 8 March 2019, at a routine council budget meeting, a row erupted before proceedings began.^[21] The argument was prompted by a sign put up by Labour above the Lord Mayor's chair at the front of the council chamber, reading '10 Years of Tory And Lib Dem Cuts'. When Leech, the Lib Dem leader, entered the chamber, he took down the message – prompting senior Labour councillor Pat Karney to 'thunder' across the chamber.^[22] He began 'screaming' and 'shouting' at Leech, and told him to hand over the laminated A4 pieces of paper at least 11 times.^[23]

On 15 April 2019, The Times uncovered a number of offensive tweets from Fallowfield Labour councillor Jade Doswell.^[24] Doswell had tweeted that she was a "little bit sick in my mouth" at the sight of an Israeli flag and claimed the flag was 'offensive' and provocative’.^[25] She apologised on a private Facebook post.^[26]

On 25 July 2019, it was reported that Majid Dar had shared Facebook comparing justifications made by the Nazis for the slaughter of Jews during the Holocaust with those made by Israel's army for its actions in Gaza. Another post stated that Zionism 'keeps changing direction like a snake', whilst replies to one of his other comments included 'Kill all the Jews PERIOD' and 'Israel needs to stop existing'.^[27][28]

On 18 March 2020, Greg Stanton stood down from the Liberal Democrats to sit as an Independent councillor. Although Stanton cited his reasons for leaving as "because I could no longer support [John Leech's] leadership", the Liberal Democrats told the Manchester Evening News that Stanton was under "investigation for unacceptable and obstructive behaviour". Stanton stated that the statement was "misleading".^[29]

On 20 March 2020, The Manchester Evening News ran an article on Independent councillor Kenneth Dobson (who represents Clayton and Openshaw), after he spread conspiracy theories suggesting that the outbreak of COVID-19 was faked. A series of tweets labelling COVID-19 a 'bogus virus' and a 'load of bol**x' were posted on his Twitter page, alongside images posted describing the pandemic as 'propaganda' and conflating the spread of the virus with the rollout of 5G wireless networks.^[30]

On 22 June 2020, Manchester Council's executive member for Finance and Human Resources was suspended by the Labour group, after allegations of sexual abuse were made against him on Twitter.^[31][32]

Wards

The council wards are listed under their major parliamentary constituency below; the 2010-2024 parliamentary constituencies utilise the council ward boundaries as they were when the review was carried out in 2007, but new ward boundaries were designated for the city council in 2018 and so some wards span multiple constituencies. When the next General Election is conducted it will use the new constituencies which in turn use the post-2018 ward boundaries.

 

Wards within Manchester City Council

Blackley and Broughton		Manchester Central		Manchester Gorton
Higher Blackley Crumpsall Charlestown^[a] Cheetham Harpurhey This constituency also contains Salford City Council wards Broughton Kersal		Moston^[b] Miles Platting & Newton Heath Deansgate^[b] Piccadilly Ancoats and Beswick Clayton and Openshaw Hulme Ardwick Moss Side^[c]		Gorton and Abbey Hey Longsight Whalley Range^[a] Fallowfield^[a] Rusholme Levenshulme
Manchester Withington			Wythenshawe and Sale East
Chorlton^[c] Chorlton Park^[c] Old Moat Withington Burnage^[c] Didsbury West Didsbury East			Northenden Brooklands (Manchester) Baguley Sharston Woodhouse Park This constituency also contains Trafford Council wards Brooklands (Trafford) Priory Sale Moor

1. Part of this ward is in Manchester Central; in Whalley Range this part is significant.
2. Part of this ward is in Blackley & Broughton.
3. Part of this ward is in Manchester Gorton.

New Constituencies

Blackley and Middleton South Gorton and Denton Manchester Central Higher Blackley Crumpsall Charlestown Harpurhey Moston This constituency also contains Rochdale Council wards East Middleton South Middleton Gorton and Abbey Hey Longsight Levenshulme Burnage This constituency also contains Tameside Council wards Denton North East Denton South Denton West Cheetham Miles Platting & Newton Heath Deansgate Piccadilly Ancoats and Beswick Clayton and Openshaw This constituency also contains Oldham Council wards Failsworth East Failsworth West Manchester Rusholme Manchester Withington Wythenshawe and Sale East Hulme Ardwick Moss Side Whalley Range Fallowfield Rusholme Chorlton Chorlton Park Old Moat Withington Didsbury West Didsbury East Northenden Brooklands (Manchester) Baguley Sharston Woodhouse Park This constituency also contains Trafford Council wards Brooklands (Trafford) Priory Sale Moor

Councillors

Each ward is represented by three councillors.^[33]

Parliamentary constituency	Ward	Councillor	Party		Term of office
Blackley and Broughton constituency	Charlestown	Basil Curley		Labour	2023–27
		Hannah Priest		Labour	2021–24
		Veronica Kirkpatrick		Labour	2022–26
	Cheetham	Shazia Butt		Labour	2023–27
		Shaukat Ali		Labour	2021–24
		Naeem-Ul Hassam		Labour	2022–26
	Crumpsall	Fiaz Riasat		Labour	2023–27
		Nasrin Ali		Labour	2021–24
		Mohammad Amin		Labour	2022–26
	Harpurhey	Pat Karney		Labour	2023–27
		Joanne Green		Labour	2021–24
		Sandra Collins		Labour	2022–26
	Higher Blackley	Paula Sadler		Labour	2023–27
		Shelley Lanchbury		Labour	2021–24
		Olusegun Ogunnambo		Labour	2022–26
Manchester Central constituency	Ancoats and Beswick	Chris Northwood		Liberal Democrats	2023–27
		Alan Good		Liberal Democrats	2022–24^[a]
		Irene Robinson		Labour	2022–26
	Ardwick	Amna Abdullatif		Independent^[d]	2023–27
		Abdigafar Muse		Labour	2023–24
		Tina Hewitson		Labour	2022–26
	Clayton and Openshaw	Sean McHale		Labour	2023–27
		Donna Ludford		Labour	2021–24
		Thomas Robinson		Labour	2022–26
	Deansgate	Anthony McCaul		Labour Co-op	2023–27
		Marcus Johns		Labour Co-op	2021–24
		Joan Davies		Labour	2022–26
	Hulme	Annette Wright		Labour	2023–27
		Ekua Bayunu		Green^[b]	2021–24
		Lee-Ann Igbon		Labour	2022–26
	Miles Platting and Newton Heath	John Flanagan		Labour	2023–27
		June Hitchin		Labour	2021–24
		Carmine Grimshaw		Labour	2022–26
	Moss Side	Mahadi Hussein Sharif Mahamed		Labour	2023–27
		Emily Rowles		Labour	2021–24
		Erinma Bell		Labour	2022–26
	Moston	Yasmine Dar		Labour	2023–27
		Julie Connolly		Labour	2021–24
		Paula Appleby		Labour	2022–26
	Piccadilly	Sam Wheeler		Labour	2023–27
		Jon-Connor Lyons		Labour	2021–24
		Adele Douglas		Labour	2022–26
Manchester Gorton constituency	Fallowfield	Jade Doswell		Labour	2023–27
		Zahra Alijah		Labour	2021–24
		Ali R. Ilyas		Labour	2022–26
	Gorton and Abbey Hey	Afia Kamal		Labour	2023–27
		Julie Reid		Labour	2021–24
		Louis Hughes		Labour	2022–26
	Levenshulme	Basat Sheikh		Labour	2023–27
		Zahid Hussain		Labour	2021–24
		Dzidra Noor		Labour	2022–26
	Longsight	Suzanne Richards		Labour	2023–27
		Luthfur Rahman		Labour	2021–24
		Abid Chohan		Labour	2022–26
	Rusholme	Ahmed Ali		Labour	2023–27
		Jill Lovecy		Labour	2021–24
		Rabnawaz Akbar		Labour	2022–26
	Whalley Range	Angeliki Stogia		Labour Co-op	2023–27
		Muqaddasah Bano		Labour	2021–24
		Aftab Razaq		Labour	2022–26
Manchester Withington constituency	Burnage	Azra Ali		Labour	2023–27
		Bev Craig		Labour	2021–24
		Murtaza Iqbal		Labour	2022–26
	Chorlton	Mathew Benham		Labour	2023–27
		Eve Holt		Labour	2021–24
		John Hacking		Labour	2022–26
	Chorlton Park	Dave Rawson		Labour	2023–27
		Mandie Shilton-Goodwin		Labour	2021–24
		Joanna Midgley		Labour	2022–26
	Didsbury East	vacant			2024–27
		Linda Foley		Labour	2021–24
		Andrew Simcock		Labour	2022–26
	Didsbury West	Richard Kilpatrick		Liberal Democrats	2023–27
		Debbie Hilal		Labour	2021–24
		John Leech		Liberal Democrats	2022–26
	Old Moat	Garry Bridges		Labour	2023–27
		Gavin White		Labour	2021–24
		Suzannah Reeves		Labour	2022–26
	Withington	Becky Chambers		Labour	2023–27
		Chris Wills		Labour Co-op	2021–24
		Angela Gartside		Labour	2022–26
Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency	Baguley	Phil Brickell		Labour Co-op	2023–27
		Tracy Rawlins		Labour Co-op	2021–24
		Paul Andrews		Labour Co-op	2022–26
	Brooklands	Glynn Evans		Labour	2023–27
		Dave Marsh		Labour	2023–24^[c]
		Sue Cooley		Labour	2022–26
	Northenden	Richard Fletcher		Labour	2023–27
		Sam Lynch		Labour	2021–24
		Angela Moran		Labour	2022–26
	Sharston	Tim Whiston		Labour Co-op	2023–27
		Emma Taylor		Labour	2021–24
		Tommy Judge		Labour Co-op	2022–26
	Woodhouse Park	Anastasia Wiest		Green	2023–27
		Rob Nunney		Green	2021–24
		Astrid Johnson		Green	2022–26

^a Elected at a by-election in February 2022 to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Marcia Hutchinson.^[34]

^b Elected as Labour but joined the Green party in July 2022^[35]

^c Elected at a by-election in September 2023 to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Julia Baker Smith.^[36]

^d Elected as Labour but resigned from the party in the wake of the Labour leadership's stance on the Israeli invasion of Gaza.^[37]

References

1. "Council minutes, 18 May 2022" (PDF). Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
2. "Council minutes, 1 December 2021" (PDF). Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
3. . Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. "Manchester Population 2021 – UK Population Data". 29 August 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
5. Frangopulo, Nicholas J. (1969). Rich inheritance: a guide to the history of Manchester. Wakefield: S.R. Publishers. pp. 59–72. ISBN 9780854095506. Reprinted by Manchester Education Committee (1962).
6. Citations:
   • Staff writer (13 November 2008). . Improvement and Development Agency. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011.
   • Staff writer (2008). . Manchester City Council. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008.
7. Staff writer (8 May 2015). "Election 2015: Labour gains total control of Manchester City Council". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
8. Fitzgerald, Todd (6 May 2016). . Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
9. Williams, Jennifer (24 July 2019). "Manchester councillor suspended amid anti-semitism investigation". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
10. Timan, Joseph (16 October 2023). "Manchester councillor resigns from party over Labour leader's stance on Israel". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
11. Frangopulo, Nicholas J. (1969). Rich inheritance: a guide to the history of Manchester. Wakefield: S.R. Publishers. p. 59. ISBN 9780854095506. p. II (note by W. H. Shercliff) Reprinted by Manchester Education Committee (1962).
12. Manchester Corporation v Manchester Palace of Varieties Ltd, P 133; [1955] 1 All ER 387
13. Squibb, G. D. (1997) [1959]. The High Court of Chivalry: a study of the civil law in England. Oxford New York: Clarendon Press Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198251408.
14. Williams, Jennifer (30 April 2013). "Manchester council threat to sue website over coat of arms". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
15. News Desk (17 October 2013). . Manchester Gazette. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
16. "Manchester City Council leader steps down after assault". BBC News. 14 April 2010.
17. Carter, Helen (14 April 2010). "Manchester council leader Richard Leese cautioned over stepdaughter assault". The Guardian. London.
18. "Manchester launches Housing First scheme as rough sleeping row erupts". The Big Issue. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
19. Williams, Jennifer (12 February 2019). "'Aggressive' begging and public urination could soon be punished with £100 fines". men. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
20. Leech, John (12 February 2019). "I want to be absolutely crystal clear; Liberal Democrat councillors in Manchester will oppose this crap until the end of time". twitter.com. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
21. Williams, Jennifer (8 March 2019). "Manchester council meeting kicks off with blazing row over 'Lib Dem cuts' poster". men. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
22. "Jennifer Williams (@JenWilliamsMEN) – Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
23. Barlow, Nigel (8 March 2019). "Karnage at the council budget meeting". aboutmanchester.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
24. Henry Zeffman, Kate Devlin (15 April 2019). "Labour antisemitism: Israeli flag made party candidate 'feel sick'". Retrieved 19 April 2019 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
25. Reporter, Jewish News. "Labour candidate 'sorry' for saying sight of Israeli flag made her 'feel sick'". jewishnews.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
26. "Labour candidate Jade Doswell apologises for saying Israeli flag made her feel 'sick'". www.thejc.com. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
27. "Labour councillor suspended in anti-Semitism investigation". BBC News. 25 July 2019.
28. Williams, Jennifer (24 July 2019). "Manchester councillor suspended amid anti-semitism investigation". Manchester Evening News.
29. Griffiths, Niall (26 March 2020). "City councillor quits Lib Dems after 'unacceptable' behaviour". Manchester Evening News.
30. Griffiths, Niall (20 March 2020). "Politicians' warning about 'irresponsible disinformation' about coronavirus". Manchester Evening News.
31. Williams, Jennifer (22 June 2020). "Manchester councillor suspended by Labour group over social media allegations". Manchester Evening News.
32. "Tweet". twitter.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
33. "All councillors". Manchester City Council. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
34. "Manchester councillor quits after racist bullying claim". BBC News. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
35. "We're delighted to announce that Hulme councillor @Ekua4Hulme has joined us from the Labour Party!". Manchester Green Party. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
36. "Labour win by-election in council seat so safe the Tory candidate didn't turn up". Manchester Evening News. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
37. Abdullatif, Amna (26 October 2023). "I Dedicated My Life to the Labour Party. Keir Starmer's Stance on Gaza Made Me Leave". thenation.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.

Further reading

• McKechnie, H. M. (ed.) (1915) Manchester in Nineteen Hundred and Fifteen. Manchester U. P.; "Undertakings of the City Council; Social Amelioration in Manchester; Elementary Education in Manchester; Secondary Schools in Manchester; The Evening School System of Manchester", by E. D. Simon, et al.
• Manchester City Council. "Concilio et Labore" Series. No. 1-11. (Each pamphlet describes part of the council's work, e.g. no. 4: the City Treasurer.
• Redford, Arthur (1939) The History of City Government in Manchester; Vol. 2 & 3: Borough and City; The Last Half Century.
• Simon, Ernest D. (1926) A City Council from Within. London: Longmans, Green
• Simon, Shena D. (1938) A Century of City Government: Manchester 1838–1938. London: G. Allen & Unwin
• Tomlinson, H. E. (1943) "The Heraldry of Manchester" in: Bulletin of the John Rylands Library; vol. XXVIII, pp. 207–27

External links

• Manchester City Council
• Manchester Green Party
• Manchester Labour Party
• Manchester Liberal Democrats