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Manchester City Council
Type
Type	Metropolitan district council of Manchester
Leadership
Leader	Richard Leese, Labour
Structure
Members	96
Election
Voting system	First past the post
Last election	1 May 2008
Meeting place
	Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, Manchester
Website
	http://www.manchester.gov.uk

Manchester City Council is the local authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is made up of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 wards. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Sir Richard Leese.

Much, but by no means all of the council and local civil service is housed at Manchester Town Hall, in the city's commercial centre.

[edit] 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. Under the Local Government Act 1972 the council was reconstituted as a metropolitan borough council.

[edit] Political makeup

Elections are usually by thirds (a third of the seats elected, three years in every four), although the 2004 elections, due to substantial boundary changes (which involved the total number of councillors reduced), saw all seats contested.

Year	Labour	Liberal Democrats	Green Party	Conservative	Independent
2008	61	34	0	1	0
2007	61	33	1	1	0
2006	62	33	1	0	0
2004	57	38	1	0	0
2003	71	27	1	0	0
2002	75	22	0	0	1
2000	78	21	0	0	0
1999	82	17	0	0	0
1998	84	15	0	0	0

The council has been controlled by the Labour Party since its reconstitution in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972.

[edit] 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"".

The Shield : red (Gules) with three gold (Or) bands drawn diagonally across to the right hand side. The white (Argent) top segment (the Chief), shows a ship at sea in full sail. This is a reference to the city's trading base and to the Manchester Ship Canal. 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 industry - Manchester being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. 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, in which county Manchester once was. 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 Lancashire Rose. Motto : "Concilio et Labore" - loosely translated "By wisdom and effort" (or 'By counsel and hard work').

[edit] Wards

[edit] Leaders

Graham Stringer (1984 - 1996)
Sir Richard Leese (-?)

[edit] Notable achievements

Britain's first Nuclear Free Zone, created 1980
Equal Opportunities Policy
Commonwealth Games, 2002
Repopulation of Manchester City Centre - see also Central Manchester Development Corporation

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

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