To: Leaders of Political Parties
100 seat Greater Manchester Council
Set up a Greater Manchester council with 100 councillors replacing the existing ten borough councils (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan)
Why is this important?
The ten boroughs now only exist in people's imaginations. Many, especially young people, no longer identify with them but know they "belong" to Greater Manchester.
Few people know their local councillors' names or the leaders of their council. People do know Andy Burnham is the mayor and 100 councillors will have a higher profile than the 1000 or so currently across the 10 boroughs.
Councils have slashed staff numbers. The number of councillors is now completely out of proportion to council employees. There could be massive cost saving in councillor costs while increasing effectiveness.
Manchester Town Hall is being renovated and would provide a suitable chamber for 100 councillors from across the Greater Manchester area.
