Following intensive discussions with central government over the past month, Greater Manchester has now agreed a Trailblazer devolution deal. The deal will give our city region even more control over local services including transport and post-16 education and will also provide funding to help build on previously developed land (“brownfield sites”), helping us to protect our valuable green belt and other open spaces.
Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Council and of the Lib Dems at Stockport Town Hall, said: “Decisions that will make a difference to the lives of local people can now be made more locally, which is welcome news and gives Stockport and Greater Manchester more control of what happens in our region. Giving local leaders the power and influence to make important decisions like this in areas they know best, will ensure local people are at the heart of this agenda.
“This aligns with a core Liberal Democrat belief – that decisions should be taken as close as possible to those affected by them. Whilst we would have liked to have seen even more powers and funding devolved from central government to our region, this is definitely a move in the right direction. The Trailblazer deal has cross-party support at a Greater Manchester level and we will continue to work closely with our colleagues to seek further devolution deals in the future.”
