GREATER Manchester will have its congestion charge referendum on December 11.

And the man who will oversee the poll has also been announced.

Sir Neil McIntosh is the man who oversaw the 1999 referendum on Scottish devolution and is one of the most respected authorities on overseeing large-scale votes.

He was unanimously approved by leaders of the region's ten authorities during a meeting in Bolton.

Town hall chiefs also agreed by a split decision of 7-3 to stage the votes over a peak-hour levy for drivers in the run up to Christmas.

The meeting of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities heard fierce arguments over the merits of a December referendum, which will be carried out by post.

Leaders from Stockport and Trafford councils argued that votes would be delayed during the heavy business period for Royal Mail and that the public's attention would be diverted.

However other authorities said that voters would lose faith in the process if the election was put back until January.

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester council, said that all authorities had previously agreed in principle to stage a referendum this year.

He said: "People will start to suspect that there is an ulterior motive for changing the date. Indeed I suspect there is an ulterior motive for wanting to change the date."

But Dave Goddard, Stockport council leader, said voting turnout would be low if staged during the holiday period.

He said: "You just know how many of these polling cards will sit on the mantelpiece during Christmas. We should have it in January when the pressure is off people."

Although the poll will take place this year, the crucial wording, which could heavily influence the result, will not be decided until a further meeting.

There was also argument over whether new or old versions of the electoral register should be used. The list of eligible voters is updated by councils each December.

The majority of authorities said they would fast-forward their updating process to allow newly arrived residents to have their say.

But Stockport and Bury councils raised fears that they would not be able to change their lists in time, meaning some voters may miss out.

Business leaders had called for their own separate referendum on the city centre congestion fee.

It was decided that a separate survey of local businesses would take place in January but this would not be a referendum and the weight attached to the result would be decided at a later date.

Click here for an interactive timeline following the progress of the c-charge proposals.