Manchester City Council facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Manchester City Council
Type
Type	Metropolitan district council of the Manchester
Leadership
Leader	Richard Leese, Labour
Seats	96
Elections
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

The Manchester City Council is the local government for the city of Manchester. Manchester is a big city and a special type of area called a metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. This council helps run things in Manchester, making decisions about local services and how the city works.

The council has 96 members, who are called councillors. There are three councillors for each of the city's 32 areas, known as wards. Currently, the Labour Party is in charge of the council. Its leader is Sir Richard Leese. Many of the council's offices and local staff are located at the historic Manchester Town Hall and its extension, right in the heart of the city's main area.

History of Manchester's Council

Manchester's local government started a long time ago. In 1838, it officially became a "corporation" under a law called the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. This meant it had its own local governing body. It was known as the Corporation of Manchester.

Later, in 1853, Manchester was given "city status." This was a special honour, making it only the second place to get this title since the Reformation. Over the years, the city's boundaries grew many times. New areas like Bradford, Harpurhey, and Rusholme joined in 1885. More areas like Blackley and Newton Heath were added in 1890.

In 1904, places like Burnage and Didsbury became part of Manchester. Then, in 1931, a large area called Wythenshawe joined the city. A new, grand Manchester Town Hall was opened in 1877. In 1893, the leader of Manchester's council, who was called the Mayor, was given the special title of Lord Mayor. In 1974, the council was reorganised under a new law, becoming a metropolitan borough council.

How Manchester's Council is Made Up

The way councillors are chosen for Manchester City Council is through elections. Usually, about one-third of the council seats are voted on each year, for three years out of every four. This means not all councillors are elected at the same time.

In 2004, there were many changes to the ward boundaries. Because of this, all the council seats were up for election at once that year. This also meant the total number of councillors was reduced.

The table below shows how many councillors each main political party had in different years:

The Labour Party has been the main party in control of the council since it was reformed in 1974.

Manchester's Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms for Manchester City Council is a special symbol. It tells a story about the city's past and what it stands for.

• The Shield: This part is red with three gold bands crossing it diagonally. At the top, there's a white section showing a ship sailing on waves. This ship represents Manchester's history as a trading city.
• The Crest: Above the shield, there's a colourful wreath. On top of this sits a globe, which shows Manchester's worldwide trade. The globe is covered with flying bees. The bee became a symbol of hard work and industry in the 1800s, because Manchester was a very important place during the Industrial Revolution.
• The Supporters: On the left side, there's a mythical animal called a heraldic antelope. It has a chain attached to a gold collar. This represents Manchester's engineering industries. On its shoulder, it wears the red rose of Lancashire, the county Manchester used to be part of. On the right side, there's a golden lion. It's standing guard and has a red castle crown on its head. This castle reminds us of the old Roman fort at Castlefield, where Manchester first began. The lion also wears the Lancashire Rose.
• The Motto: Below the shield, there's a phrase: "Concilio et Labore." This Latin phrase means "By wisdom and effort" or "By counsel and hard work." It shows the values of the city.

Wards of Manchester

Manchester is divided into 32 local areas called wards. Each ward has three councillors who represent the people living there. Here are the names of the wards:

Leaders of the Council

The leader of the council is a very important role. They guide the council's decisions and plans for the city.

• Graham Stringer (1984–1996)
• Sir Richard Leese (since 1996)

Notable Achievements of the Council

Manchester City Council has helped achieve many important things for the city. Some of these include:

• Hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2002, which brought many athletes and visitors to Manchester.
• Helping to bring more people to live in the city centre. This has made the city centre a lively place to live and visit.
• Working on the development of areas like Hulme and Eastlands, improving them for residents and businesses.

Images for kids

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  Wards within Manchester City Council