Author: stockportlibdems

The Labour Cabinet’s unpopular decision to remove library facilities from the Carnegie-endowment Stockport Central Library was opposed by a majority of councillors in a debate and vote at the last Full Council meeting. Despite being asked to ‘think again’ following this unprecedented debate and vote, the Cabinet decided on Tuesday night to press ahead with their original plan.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Lou Ankers, shadow cabinet member with responsibilities including libraries, said: “It is frankly astonishing that, despite overwhelming public opposition demonstrated through two petitions and the council’s own consultation, and despite a clear, cross-party majority of councillors voting against the removal of library services from Stockport’s Central Library, the cabinet have chosen to just ignore everyone and go ahead with their original decision.

“Recent documents released under the Freedom of Information Act following intervention by the Information Commissioner show that it was the Labour Cabinet’s plan all along to relocate the central library. This is something they tried to hide but which we uncovered during the scrutiny process, leading to our motion back in October 2020 calling for a full public consultation.

“Ignoring the huge opposition to this plan makes a mockery of our process of pre-decision scrutiny in Stockport, and shows once again that Labour do not listen.”

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Lib Dems at Stockport Town Hall, added: “Labour have simply stuck two fingers up at all the residents, civic groups and councillors who have opposed this plan for many months. The little trust residents and councillors had in this administration has evaporated.

“Make no mistake, though – we are only here because Conservative councillors propped up this administration last May, despite them no longer being the largest party on the council.”

The Conservative Government is failing to deliver the promised 1,155 more police officers for Greater Manchester.

Analysis of Home Office statistics by the Liberal Democrats has shown that Greater Manchester’s officer numbers rose by only 295 in the last year.

A total of 561 extra officers have been recruited by Greater Manchester Police under the Government’s campaign that started in September 2019.

Greater Manchester Police has so far recruited just 19 more officers per month under the scheme. To meet the Conservatives’ own target of 1,155 by March 2023, that rate would have to increase to 40 per month over the next 15 months.

Stockport’s Liberal Democrats have slammed the government for failing to keep their promise to communities, adding that there needs to be a return to full and proper community policing.

Responding to the figures, Cllr Lisa Smart, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Hazel Grove, said:

“People in Greater Manchester are being let down and taken for granted by this Conservative Government. With so many local crimes going unsolved, we desperately need more police on our streets and in our communities.

“Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and known personally to local people.”

Cllr Tom Morrison, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Cheadle, added:

“The Conservatives’ pledge to boost police officer numbers looks set to become yet another of their broken promises. They are letting down victims of crime and our communities right across our area.

“We demand better for our residents.”

The ‘Police officer uplift, quarterly update to December 2021’, published today by the Home Office, is available here.

Stockport Liberal Democrats join with others in marking ‘One Day’, the theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day.

Stockport Council are marking the occasion later today with a commemorative event online, within the restrictions required by Covid.

Speaking ahead of the commemoration, Cllr Wendy Meikle, Deputy Leader of the Lib Dems at Stockport Town Hall, said: “I am honoured to represent my Group at this solemn but important commemoration, taking ‘One Day’ to think about those who suffered and died in the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.

“I will be thinking about 27th January 1945, the day that Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated and the date chosen for Holocaust Memorial Day itself. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration and death camp was the site of the largest mass-murder in history and it is vitally important that we remember those who suffered and died there, as well as all other victims of the Holocaust and of subsequent genocides.”

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Lib Dems at Stockport Town Hall, added: “My own visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau brought home the scale and cruelty of the suffering in the Holocaust. In marking Holocaust Memorial Day, at a time when liberal values are being challenged across the world, we must continue to challenge antisemitism, fight prejudice and intolerance, and do all we can to oppose all forms of bigotry.”

Nearly 700 have signed Lisa Smart’s petition to update the guidelines for the use of speed cameras in Greater Manchester and beyond.

Currently, a fixed speed camera can only be considered when at least three separate collisions causing deaths or serious injury have happened on a 1 km stretch of road.

The guidelines are set by Government and implemented in Greater Manchester by the Safer Roads Greater Manchester Partnership.

Recently, the BBC’s Panorama programme reported that the road fatality rate has risen by five per cent – the first significant rise in 40 years.

Cllr Lisa Smart, Lib Dem parliamentary spokesperson for Hazel Grove, said: “The use of speed cameras is severely restricted by out of date Government guidelines. We believe that one serious injury on the road is one too many and we should not have to wait until a death to take enforcement action on dangerous drivers.”

Raising the issue at Stockport Council, Lisa Smart said “Cameras have been shown to reduce speeding by 70% and they also reduce the number who are killed or seriously injured by 42%. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents say: “Cameras Save Lives”. The criteria need to change.”

The petition can be signed at www.lisasmart.org.uk/speeding

Speaking after the publication of the most recent CQC instpection of Stepping Hill NHS Foundation Trust, Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport Town Hall, said: “We offer our congratulations to Karen James and her team at Stepping Hill for the positive turn around in performance as measured recently by the CQC.

“Although their most recent assessment confirms that the hospital still requires improvement overall, it is only fair to acknowledge considerable progress has already been made, particularly in regard to urgent and emergency care. We agree with statement issued by the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust that this is, indeed, testament to the efforts and hard work of all the dedicated doctors, nurses and other staff who work there.

“It’s worth also noting that this improved performance takes place against a background of unprecedented pressures as a result of the Covid pandemic. We are so often accused of being quick to criticise when things go wrong, so it is only fair to comment favourably and publicly when they are going in the right direction.”

At the meeting of Stockport Council last night there was a heated, two-hour debate about the Labour Cabinet’s proposals to remove all library services from historic, Grade 2-listed Central Library. This is the first time in the council’s history that a decision has been called to a debate and vote of the full council through the scrutiny process.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Lou Ankers, Shadow Cabinet member with responsibilities including libraries, said: “We have said all along that Labour aren’t listening, and last night proved it once again. After ignoring residents in their own consultation and ignoring petitions, they made it clear that they have ignored everything councillors have said at scrutiny committees. We have been clear all along that we support the proposed ‘Stockroom’ investment at Merseyway as a new, accessible, multi-purpose centre, that includes some library facilities. What we oppose is the loss of our Central Library to the public as a library.

“Labour claim that the building cannot be made suitably accessible to remain a library. At the same time they are saying it can be converted into an accessible adult education centre. This is just nonsense. It must be one or the other. The money proposed to be spent converting the building to a new purpose should be invested in making the existing Central Library fit for all, and Labour should go ahead with the town centre investment to deliver all of the benefits of that scheme.

Cllr Lisa Smart, Shadow Cabinet member with responsibilities including governance, added: “Last night was an appalling display by Labour. They packed the public question time slot with their own candidates who asked planted questions arguing in favour of Stockroom and crowding out questions from ordinary members of the public about issues of concern to them, knowing full well that we want Stockroom to go ahead.

“The council meeting voted overwhelmingly in favour of retaining library services at the Central Library and to establish an all-party working group to work out how best to do this. But we could only make a recommendation – the Labour Cabinet are the decision makers and they can still ignore the will of councillors, just like they have ignored residents’ views on this so far. I hope they will now see sense and respect the wishes of the people.”