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WILL Salfordians vote for the £2.7bn TIF bid and the congestion charge?
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Referendum to come at a cost?
Pamela Welsh31/ 7/2008
SALFORD tax payers may be left picking up the tab for the congestion charge referendum.
Leaders of the 10 local authorities in Greater Manchester voted in favour of a county-wide referendum at a meeting of AGMA on Friday, June 25.
The question - which is yet to be decided - will be put to Salford's electorate at a special vote in December. It is likely that the poll will take place solely by post.
The results of the poll will be broken down by authority, and seven out of the 10 areas that make up Greater Manchester will have to agree to the charge before it goes ahead.
Details of how the poll will be paid for are still to be ironed out, but the money could come from the council's coffers and could be as much as £150,000.
A referendum in Bury earlier this month, regarding an elected mayor, cost the taxpayer £150,000.
It is unclear whether the bill for the referendum, which will ask a single question to the whole of the Greater Manchester electorate, will be paid by AGMA, each council or whether it will come from council finances themselves.
Council leader John Merry said: "The good thing is that it is a referendum which will be county-wide. Everyone in Greater Manchester will be asked the same question, on the same ballot paper.
"It is likely to be a postal vote, and the results will be broken down by region. Seven out of the 10 authorities will have to say yes to carry the vote."
Further discussions on how the referendum will be operated will not take place until October, after the consultation on the charge has finished.
Former councillor Roger Jones, who was behind the congestion charge before he lost his seat in the May elections, said: "It is one of the only votes where democracy isn't being observed.
"Whoever heard of an election where you need 70 per cent of the vote to win?"
The government is offering Greater Manchester up to £3bn for public transport improvements in return for a congestion charge which could cost motorists around £6 per day when it is introduced in 2013.
Sir Howard Bernstein, speaking exclusively to the Advertiser, claimed he supported a referendum.
The clerk of the GMPTA and chief executive of Manchester City Council said: "Personally, I am in favour of a referendum and have been all along.
"I think it is important for the people of Greater Manchester to have their say on the TIF proposals."
Most recent 2 of 2 user comments
Good job his opinion doesn't matter one iota anymore eh?
Bye Roger!
31/07/2008 at 17:40
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Whoever heard of a democratic decision being made by an (expensive) handful of so called councillors attempting to bring in a charge for already overtaxed constituents without giving them a chance to vote on yet another tax burden ? The smoke screen of advantages for us is not fooling anyone Roger. Roll on the next council elections, hopefully you will have some more of your kind to sit in the park with and reminisce on where you went wrong. Still looking out for you using the bus !!
1/08/2008 at 23:07