[imc-manchester] Manchester Council: ID cards

Tue Mar 1 03:26:27 PST 2005

FAO: Manchester Indymedia readers

The City Council will decide its policy on ID cards tomorrow Wednesday 2nd
March.

There are only two motions in total on the agenda: one on Metrolink, and
some Opposition Councillors including me have tabled a motion opposing the
introduction of ID cards (below).  Councillors will vote and if the motion
is passed, this will be become the Council's policy.

The meeting is a public meeting at Manchetser Town Hall and starts at 10am.
I don't think this motion would come up before about 11.15am at the
earliest.  Please feel free to attend if you are available.

Councillor Paul Shannon
Manchester Liberal Democrat Group Secretary

To:     All Members of the City Council
Roger Fielding
    and Honorary Aldermen
0161 234 3042
                                                                  0161 234
3042

                                                            24 February
2005

Dear Councillor/Honorary Alderman,

              City Council Meeting - Wednesday 2ND MARCH 2005

You are summoned to attend a meeting of the Council which will be held on
Wednesday  2nd March,  2005 at 10.00 a.m. in the Council Chamber at
Manchester Town Hall for the following purposes:

1.    Special business (if any) to be introduced by the Lord Mayor.

2.    To submit for signature the Minutes of the meeting held on 22nd
December, 2004.

3.    The Council's Revenue and Capital Budget 2005/2006

      a)    To note (i) the Proceedings of the of the Art Galleries
Committee on 10th                   February 2005 in relation to the Art
Galleries budget for 2005/2006, and (ii) the
          Executive on 10th February 2005 which contain estimates relating
          to the 2005/2006 Revenue Budget, the Housing Revenue Account, and
          proposals in relation to treasury management and the capital
          programme;

      b)    To note the Minutes of the Finance and General Purposes
Overview and                  Scrutiny Committee to be held on 24th
February 2005, in relation to the overall             budget proposals.
(To Follow)

      c)  To make determinations under Section 11A of the Local Government
          Finance Act, 1992, in  relation to reduced Council Tax discounts
          for empty properties and second homes.

      d)    To approve proposals to ensure that the Housing Revenue Account
          for 2005/2006 does not show a debit balance, including approving
          the level of Heating Charges.

      e)    To approve the Capital Programme for 2005/2006 to 2007/2008.
      (f)   To determine affordable borrowing limits and prudential
indicators under              Section 3 of the Local Government Act, 2003.

      g)    To calculate the budget requirement in accordance with Section
32 of the               Local Government Finance Act, 1992.

      h)    To calculate a basic amount of Council Tax and an amount for
          each category of dwellings in each valuation band (the City
          Council element) in accordance with Sections 33 to 36 of the
          Local Government Finance Act, 1992.

      i)  To set an amount of Council Tax for each category of dwellings in
          each valuation band in accordance with Section 30 of the Local
          Government Finance Act,   1992.

    In considering items (f) to (i) above to consider a report of the Chief
    Executive and City Treasurer containing revised budget calculations, as
    authorised by the Executive, and a report in connection with reduced
    Council Tax discounts for empty properties and second homes

      (Members of the Council need also to take account of the following
reports which were                  considered by the Executive and which
were circulated to all Members of the Council as part             of the
agenda for the meeting on 10th February 2005:

            - Legal background to the setting of the Revenue Budget and
Council Tax
            - Revenue Budget 2005/2006.
            - Housing Revenue Account
            - Three Year Capital Programme 2005/6 - 2007/8

4.      The Executive

i)      Proceedings of the Executive on 19th January 2005

  ii)   Proceedings of the Executive on 16th February 2005

    To consider the Executive's recommendations to Council in respect of ?

      Unitary Development Plan

      Moorbank

5.      Questions under Procedural Rule 22 :

11 questions from Opposition members

6.      Overview and Scrutiny Committees:
  To receive the Minutes of the following Overview and Scrutiny Committees
?

  Children and Young People ? 11th January and 8th February 2005
  Community Regeneration ? 12th January and 9th February 2005
  Finance and General Purposes ? 13th January and 10th February 2005
  Physical Environment ? 11th January and 8th February 2005
  Social Strategy -  12th January and 9th February 2005
  Health and Well-being ? 13th January and 10th February 2005

7.      Committees of the Council:
  To receive the Minutes of the following Committees ?

  Licensing and Appeals Committee ? 24th and 31st January 2005
     - Grants and Awards Sub Committee ? 24th January 2005
    Planning & Highways Committee ? 20th January and 17th February 2005
    Policy Planning Committee ? 17th February 2005
  Standards Committee ? 14th February 2005
  Wythenshawe Area Committee ? 27th January and 24th February 2005
    Constitutional and Nomination Committee ? 2nd March 2005*
  *to be considered as urgent business

8.      Business of Joint Authorities
    To consider any questions by members in accordance with Procedural Rule
    24  on  the  business  of (a) Greater Manchester Fire and Civil Defence
    Authority;  (b)  Greater  Manchester Passenger Transport Authority; (c)
    Greater  Manchester  Police  Authority and (d) Greater Manchester Waste
    Disposal Authority.

9.      Urgent Key Decisions
    To consider a report of the City Solicitor.

10.     Members Allowances

11.     Metrolink

      This Council ?
1.      Regrets the decision of the Secretary of State not to make more
than £520M available for the expansion of Metrolink at this time.
2.      Believes that any suggestion of congestion charging must not be
countenanced to make up for the shortfall for Metrolink
3.      Supports the GMPTA's efforts for extra funding of the three and
one-half lines in the interests of the need to provide greater modal shift
from car to public transport.
4.      Condemns Michael Howard MP for refusing to commit funds from a
Conservative Government to build Metrolink.
5.      Welcomes the commitment made by Charles Kennedy MP that a Liberal
Democrat Government would fund the Metrolink expansion.
6.      Demands that the Labour Government make a similar commitment before
the General Election to finance the expansion of Metrolink.

    (Signed: Councillors John Leech (proposer) Wendy Helsby, Paul Shannon,
    Tony Parkinson, Alison Firth, Keith Whitmore, Simon Ashley and Tony
    Bethell)

12      ID Cards

    This council notes:

    1.    The Identity Card Bill is currently making its way through
    Parliament  .
    2.    That the Joint Committee on Human Rights report on ID cards has
          found that the Government's proposals raise 'serious questions'
          about breaches of human rights      .
3.      That a poll tax on the individual of at least £85 will be charged
to pay for the cards.
4 That about 10 million pensioners, including many in Manchester don't have
a  passport or ID card
5 That all terrorists involved with 'September 11th' travelled under their
own names and with valid ID cards
6 That the ID cards only become compulsory in 10 years
7 That visitors to the country don't need ID cards

      This Council believes:

1.      That there is no evidence that ID cards will reduce the risk of
terrorism or reduce benefit fraud in Manchester
2.      That the cost of introducing ID cards has already increased from an
estimated £3bn in 2003 to almost double that amount
3.      That money would be better spent recruiting extra police officers
to reduce crime, or more resources to our intelligence services to enable
them to tackle terrorism
4.      That Government has a poor record of introducing complex IT
schemes, and that experts predict IT costs will increase
5.      That the creation of a database on every citizen has major civil
liberties implications
6.      That ID cards could be used to discriminate against ethnic
minorities who are increasingly being stopped on suspicion of being illegal
immigrants or terrorist suspects.

        This Council resolves:

That the Chief Executive write to the Home Office and local MPs expressing
our opposition to the introduction of ID cards.

    Signed:  Councillors Simon Ashley (proposer) John Commons, Paul
    Shannon, Alison Firth, Tony Bethell, James Ashley and Audrey Jones.

    Yours faithfully,

Councillor Paul Shannon
Liberal Democrat, Rusholme Ward
20 Lowestoft Street, Rusholme
Manchester M14 7PU
Telephone:
0161 6139362 ( home )
0161 2343002 ( Town Hall ), 0161 2343296 ( Town Hall Fax )

http://www.manchester.gov.uk/localdemocracy/councillors/rusholme.htm#Paul_Shannon

http://www.manchester.libdems.org.uk/contact/

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