To consider any items which the Chair has agreed to have submitted as urgent.

The Chair agreed to submit a change to the Council’s current appointments to Council Committees as Urgent Business. The Committee was invited to consider and make recommendations to Council on proposed changes to current memberships.

The following amendments were proposed:

Council Committees:

Decision

To approve the amendments to Committee memberships as follows:

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 1 February 2023.

Decision

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 1 February 2023 as a correct record.

The report of the Chief Executive is now enclosed.

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive that provided a progress update with the implementation of the Elections Act 2022 in Manchester in reference to the 4 May 2023 local election, with specific focus on voter registrations, polling station accessibility, voter ID requirements and the local GM /Manchester communications campaign to raise awareness of these changes.

Members thanked Officers in the Election team for their work on the changes brought by the Elections Act 2022 and their work in the build up to the 4 May 2023 local elections.

Decision

The Committee noted the following:

• Progress with the changes passed in the Elections Act 2022 and progress in its implementation in Manchester for the Local Elections 4 May 2023.
• Progress with the communication plan for local residents in Manchester and Greater Manchester regarding the changes for the May 2023 polls.

The report of the Chief Executive is now enclosed.

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive that provided an update to the Committee since its last meeting on 1 February, relating to the following polling districts and places: Longsight (polling district 3LOF and 3LOG), and Chorlton (polling district 4CLB). The report also provided information on an existing designated polling place where the location of the voting station has had to be moved to another building on the same grounds of a school. This relates to: Ardwick (polling district 2ARC).

Since the last meeting of the Committee, the following polling places had been re-designated using delegated powers of the Chief Executive in consultation with ward councillors, group leaders and the Chair of the Constitutional and Nomination Committee ahead of May’s Local Elections.

The Committee were also made aware that the usual location for the polling place at the Armitage Church of England Primary School in Ardwick (polling district 2ARC) is the Community Room. This room had been damaged due to flooding and is now not available for use. Elections staff had agreed with the building owner to move the polling place to the 'Link Building' which is located within the school grounds. The entrance to the Link Building is on a separate road to the original site and the poll cards for electors had been changed to reflect this.  Local councillors had been informed of this change.

Decision

The Committee noted the report.