Manchester Congestion Charge Referendum

[Harry Hayfield]

Electorate: 1.94 million
Polls Close: Friday December 12th 2008
Voting: by post only

This referendum is being held in the 10 council areas that make up the former Greater Manchester Metropolitan Council Area (which I have only found out in the last few moments) and have asked for more information on how the voting will be announced.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Turnout will be like 15% or something.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Actually it seems to have been around 53% or so; maybe they used postal votes or something. Possible from some of the language used in coverage... a Manchester Evening News frontpage a few days ago (you can get it in Bangor, presumably because of the railway to 'olly'edd) bemoaned the fact that only 34 or was it 38...% had voted so far.

Anyway. Turnout highest in "Trafford". This means it will fail.

[Rural Radical]

Actually it seems to have been around 53% or so; maybe they used postal votes or something. Possible from some of the language used in coverage... a Manchester Evening News frontpage a few days ago (you can get it in Bangor, presumably because of the railway to 'olly'edd) bemoaned the fact that only 34 or was it 38...% had voted so far.

Anyway. Turnout highest in "Trafford". This means it will fail.

When I lived in Widnes in the late Eighties the local paper was the Liverpool Echo, wheras in Warrington it was the Manchester Evening news. A bit off subject I know.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

When I lived in Widnes in the late Eighties the local paper was the Liverpool Echo, wheras in Warrington it was the Manchester Evening news. A bit off subject I know.

Might that have something to do with railway lines [qm].

[Filuwaúrdjan]

So, yeah, it went down in flames. Which is hardly surprising; never ask people to directly vote for a new tax.

[Rural Radical]

When I lived in Widnes in the late Eighties the local paper was the Liverpool Echo, wheras in Warrington it was the Manchester Evening news. A bit off subject I know.

Might that have something to do with railway lines [qm].

Widnes station (Farnworth) is on the Hunts Cross to Manchester line.

Paul Simon wrote "Homeward Bound" at Farnworth station.

[Harry Hayfield]

The results were (by borough) (Brackets = Election 2005 Turnout)

Bolton: YES 21% NO 79% Turnout: 49% (56%)
Bury: YES 21% NO 79% Turnout: 57% (61%)
Manchester: YES 28% NO 72% Turnout: 46% (48%)
Oldham: YES 20% NO 80% Turnout: 54% (54%)
Rochdale: YES 22% NO 78% Turnout: 51% (57%)
Salford: YES 16% NO 84% Turnout: 57% (49%)
Stockport: YES 19% NO 81% Turnout: 59% (59%)
Tameside: YES 16% NO 84% Turnout: 61% (55%)
Trafford: YES 20% NO 80% Turnout: 64% (59%)
Wigan: YES 20% NO 80% Turnout: 45% (52%)
Overall Result: YES 26% NO 74% Turnout: 45% (54%)

As the motion was rejected in a super majority of boroughs (7 out of 10), the motion has been defeated

[True Democrat]

The results were (by borough) (Brackets = Election 2005 Turnout)
Tameside: YES 16% NO 84% Turnout: 61% (55%)
Trafford: YES 20% NO 80% Turnout: 64% (59%)

Lol.  Higher turnout for a referendum than the election.

[minionofmidas]

How large would the area covered have been?

[DM Andy]

How large would the area covered have been?

The proposal was to have 2 charging rings, an outer ring just inside the M60 Orbital Motorway (roughly 10x10 miles) and the inner ring just inside the inner ring road (roughly 1.5x1 mile).

[minionofmidas]

Why the hell did they let people outside the outer ring vote?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Why the hell did they let people outside the outer ring vote?

Boundaries of the Greater Manchester Transport Authority (one of the many layers of government that most people don't know exists...), basically. Crazy though (not that it'd have made much of difference to the result). Most of the towns covered by "Wigan", say, aren't even part of the Manchester metropolitan area by any sane definition...

[Rural Radical]

About 80 spuare miles.