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Politics in Manchester is never boring. In the final meeting before the local elections in May, the councilors discussed education, housing and parks.

But in the closing moments of the meeting, there was an unexpected twist when a councilman pulled a faceless mask from a plastic bag in front of him. The council leader sat close to her and she put her hand to her face as she performed the trick.

Wearing the mask, the veteran councilman then continued speaking. Pat Karney from the Labor Party was talking about voters requiring ID at polling stations this year.

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New rules affecting all council elections in England on May 4 mean people must have photo identification such as a driver’s license or passport to vote. Alternatively, individuals can apply for a free Election Authority Certificate.

However, according to Karney County, only 399 Mancunians have applied so far, while the total number of applications nationwide was 32,522 on March 19, just five weeks before the April 25 deadline. It is estimated that up to 3.5 million voters across the country in the UK do not have an accepted form of identification.

Karney County previously warned that police could be called in to “rush” at polling stations as people without identification are turned away. Speaking at a full council meeting on Wednesday (March 29), he said this is creating ‘real concerns’.

He then donned a faceless mask to ‘illustrate’ what people may face in May. He said: “If you come to the polling station and you don’t have facial recognition, if you don’t bring your facial ID, and that’s everybody in Manchester, all the councilors here, if you show up to the polling station and you don’t have a facial ID , you could be rejected and you won’t be able to vote.”

The comments came at the end of a council meeting that lasted more than two hours. Councilors were warned not to make any political comments at the meeting because it was taking place during the pre-election period.

But this request was met with laughter. One councilor challenged the rule, arguing that it is “perfectly acceptable” to make political party comments.

However, he was told that the meeting was being broadcast on the council’s website and that this platform should not be used for election campaigns at this time. However, many councilors ignored the advice of the city attorney.

This included Earl Karney himself, who said that every Labor vote in local elections moves the country closer to a Labor government which, he argued, would support the council’s calls for better tenants’ rights. It came after the Green Party called for a rent freeze and an end to ‘no-fault’ evictions.

The motion put forward by the Greens urged Manchester MPs to support calls for a private sector rent freeze which Mayor Andy Burnham backed by signing an open letter to the government along with other groups. He also called on the city to take more steps to prevent Section 21 evictions.

But the Labor group tabled an amendment, removing most of the original motion and replacing it in part with a list of actions already taken by the council. The amended motion called on all private tenants in Manchester to write to the Conservative Minister for Housing and work with the council to secure a Labor government “to secure a radical tenant charter” for the city.

The Greens and Liberal Democrats rejected the Labor amendments with two of their councilors voting against the amended motion and others abstaining. But outnumbered by the 90 members of the Labor group, the motion passed.

However, there was cross-party support for a Labor motion on skills and education after the Greens’ amendments were accepted by the ruling group. The motion called for more return and investment in skills and education.

It comes a week after local leaders signed the latest devolution deal with the government that will give Greater Manchester more control over technical education, though it didn’t go as far as some would have liked. Opposition councilors agreed with calls for more devolution, but the Greens criticized the motion for failing to mention that “green skills” are needed.

They said more people must be trained for ‘green jobs’ if the city is to meet its carbon reduction targets. Labor said this is already part of the council’s work, but they accepted the amendments and the motion passed unanimously.

However, there was no agreement on the future of Central Retail Park. The Liberal Democrats tried to force a debate on the plans for the site by submitting an emergency motion calling for the creation of a public park on the land.

It comes after the council last week approved plans for a huge office complex on the site with some green space. But some say that this is not enough.

At the start of the full council meeting, the Libdems called on councilors to make an exception to the usual rules and allow a motion to be tabled after the deadline. The Greens supported this, but the Labor group voted against it.

Commenting afterwards, Ancoats and Beswick Lib Dem councilor Alan Good said: “Labour’s refusal to discuss residents’ calls for a park is shocking. The last hope of a real park being part of strategic plans for the site is extinct.It is left only at the mercy of the planning committee.

“Our mental health, physical health, and contaminated lungs cannot wait. Ancoats and New Islington need a proper park as soon as possible. The Lib Dems are committed to getting it done.”

Labor Councilor Majid Dar, who also represents Ancoats and Beswick, said: “County Robinson and I have been working towards more green space across the district and we are pleased that the new (Central Retail Park) plans are now going ahead and to see a moorland transformed into something that connects green space and provides high-quality jobs for Manchester. We’ve been working closely with the (executive committee) and residents to make it fit the needs of the area.”

Council leader Bev Craig added: “Manchester Labor is investing in more parks and green spaces across the city, but especially in the city centre. The city now has 145 parks and green spaces, and we are looking to create more “.

“The opening of Mayfield, the first inner-city public park in 100 years, the construction of the riverside city park from NOMA to north Manchester, the Castlefield viaduct and the significant investment in Ancoats Green are all good examples of this.

“Working with local councilors Majid Dar and Irene Robinson, we have listened to the views of residents of Ancoats, New Islington and Beswick. That is why we are investing in Ancoats Green, creating more green space and a children’s play area, improving Prussia Street and the Rochdale Canal at Miles Platting, and is also considering investing in the Medlock Valley.

“The original plans for the Central Retail Park development had no green space. The latest version has changed that to see significant green space and connect the area to Cotton Fields Park and the marina.

“This is in addition to high-quality, low-carbon development that creates 8,000 new high-quality jobs in the city. We want to see more green space as the city develops and we are committed to working with residents to achieve it”.

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