The Poetry Centre Committee was appointed by Council in 1971 to oversee the running of the Manchester Poetry Centre, established in the same year, with Professor Brian Cox (1928-2008) as its Director. The Committee was originally chaired by Clement Henniker-Heaton; he was succeeded by Dr Simon Towneley in 1973. The Centre was set up with funding from the Arts Council and the North West Arts Association; a grant from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation funded a Poetry Fellowship, to which Michael Schmidt was appointed in 1972. The Centre was very active in the 1970s and 1980s promoting poetry in the region, through readings and lectures. The Committee was discharged in 1993, and its responsibilities were transferred to the Departmental Board of the Department of English Language and Literature.
A complete set of minutes and related papers, including accounts are present. These do not appear to be the "official" minutes as they are unsigned.