File: Chairman of Council

Scope and Content

Papers relating to the office of Chairman of Council of the University of Manchester. This post, the most senior lay post in the University's governance, was held by Sir Raymond Streat (1897-1979) from 1957 to 1965, and by Alan Symons, 1965-1972. Both Streat and Symons were businessmen from the cotton industry; Streat was chairman of the Cotton Board, and Symons was chairman of Tootal Ltd.

Most of the papers are concerned with the administrative arrangements for the appointment and tenure of the office-holder, rather than relating to the responsibilities of the Chairman per se. In 1957, in light of the retirement of Lord Simon as chairman, Council appointed a Committee on the Reappointment of Honorary Officers, originally chaired by Sir Charles Renold, which devised guidelines for the appointment of senior lay posts. The chairman was appointed for annual terms, with periodic reviews of the process within six years. The papers include the original deliberations of the Committee as well as the first review process in 1962 (which recommended reappointing Streat). After he retired as Chairman of Council, Streat chaired the Committee on Reappointment. The file also includes copies of some of the Chairman's speeches to Court, delivered annually to report on the previous year's events.

Former reference: 93

Related Material

See also VCA/7/234 for the vice-chancellor's correspondence with Lord Simon, the previous occupant of this post and VCA/7/863 for post-1970 correspondence.