Oldham’s key role in c-charge vote

OLDHAMERS will go to the polls on December 11 to decide whether to accept the congestion charge which will bring trams into the borough.

Oldham Council will advise the rest of Greater Manchester on how to avoid electoral fraud in the postal ballot.

At a meeting of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, council chief Howard Sykes voted with six fellow leaders to defeat a move by fellow Lib-Dem and Stockport council boss Dave Goddard to put off the referendum until January.

The leaders unanimously agreed to the appointment of Sir Neil McIntosh — electoral commissioner for Scotland until this January — as returning officer for the referendum.

He will promote public awareness of the poll, ensure its “security and integrity”, and declare the result.

The electoral register will be used to decide who is eligible to vote. It is normally updated at the beginning of every December but the process will be brought forward to November.

Voters can choose to return their completed ballot paper by post or drop it into a network of delivery points across Greater Manchester towards the end of the polling period.

A declaration of identity will be included in the postal ballot paper pack and the paper will only be valid if accompanied by the signed declaration.

Votes will be counted electronically but the last time there was postal voting in Greater Manchester, police were snowed under with allegations of electoral fraud — mostly in Oldham — in the pioneering postal ballot for European and local council elections.

Councillor Sykes told the AGMA meeting: “I do not say this with a lot of pride, but when it comes to the vote coming from who the ballot paper is meant for, it has not always been the case in our parish. We are going to have a whole set of problems and this is the biggest thing for us.

“We need some degree of certainty that the ballot papers are used by the people to whom they are issued.”

AGMA leader Lord Peter Smith said: “We will certainly use Oldham’s expertise on this.”

Stockport’s bid to postpone the poll was backed by Tory controlled Trafford and Bury.

Councillor Goddard said: “How many of these ballot papers will sit behind the clock and people will forget to send them back?

“December is a notoriously difficult time both for the post and for getting people’s attention.”

But Manchester leader Sir Richard Leese astonished his colleagues when he said the delay could cost an extra £42m in increased capital costs, interest payments and loss of income from the congestion charge.

And Tameside leader, Councillor Roy Oldham, said: “If we delay this referendum now, people will start getting suspicious that we have an ulterior motive.”