Author: stockportlibdems

Concerns over rising crime levels in Stockport were expressed by a number of councillors at last night’s meeting of Stockport Council. Cllr Mark Hunter, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, requested that the Council Leader convene a summit meeting with the new District Commander for Stockport, Chief Superintendent John Webster, as soon as possible.

Cllr Hunter pointed to the recent spike in crime statistics and said residents were increasingly concerned and worried by the increase in car crime and domestic burglaries in particular. Cllr Wilson agreed the request and committed to pursuing the concerns directly with the Chief Superintendent.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Hunter said “I’m pleased Cllr Wilson has agreed to my request and look forward to meeting our new Chief Superintendent. I think this issue is way too important for it to be left to individual politicians and political parties and I believe a genuine cross-party initiative to help the Police tackle crime in our area could pay dividends”.

“I also highlighted the fact that the Lib Dem nomination for the GM Police, Crime and Fire Panel is still unable to take his place on that committee despite being nominated almost five months ago. Since the meeting I learned that the GM Combined Authority sat on the Home Office paperwork to make this happen for nearly three months.

“We have been without representation on this panel and its predecessor body since May 2016 – it is no wonder there has been no effective scrutiny of the political management of our local police force.”

A motion calling on local MPs to oppose government Voter ID proposals will be debated at the meeting of Stockport Council on Thursday evening.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Cllr Lisa Smart, Deputy Leader of the Lib Dems at Stockport Town Hall and shadow lead for election issues, said: “Any government worth its salt should be working to encourage more people to vote, not making it harder for people to have their say. A government that was confident in the action it was taking would believe it can win the argument and not have to exclude those people least likely to vote for it from the process in a nakedly political attempt to rig the system.”

Local Lib Dem Leader, Cllr Mark Hunter, added: “This has been called ‘a solution looking for a problem’. It is a nakedly political move by this Tory government to try to exclude the younger, the less well-off and those from a minority ethnicity from voting. Of 58 million votes cast in 2019 there were only 33 allegations of impersonation, leading to one conviction and one caution. We urge all our local MPs to support our democracy and act to oppose the government’s proposal.”

The text of the motion to be debated can be read as item 7(i) here:
https://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=27426&x=1

Stockport Liberal Democrat councillors will table a motion at Thursday’s Stockport Council meeting, demanding urgent action and a stronger emphasis on the council’s approach to dealing with the cause and effects of Climate Change across Stockport.

The motion will be proposed by councillor Mark Roberts, from Bredbury Green and Romiley, and seconded by Councillor Becky Senior, from Marple North. Both wards have been affected by flooding in recent years after heavy rainfall events. The Liberal Democrat motion calls for local councillors to be given the means to work with residents and contribute to the solutions in dealing with both the causes and effects of climate change locally.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Cllr Mark Roberts said “We need ambitious, achievable interim goals and targets to monitor progress towards the goal of carbon zero by 2038, rather than finding in 17 years’ time that we have failed. We should be banging the drum and leading the fight locally on climate change as opposed to the current Labour administration’s ‘shake a tambourine’ approach. If we lead, residents and businesses will follow. We can and should do more for the sake of our children, our grandchildren and all future generations.”

Councillor Becky Senior said “The council should be planning and delivering an ambitious response to both our local causes and effects of climate change and any mitigation on public roads and services that is required. Unblocking many of the silted up gullies should be part of the response, but looking to hold water back and slow the flow off the hills is equally important for those residents who live in our flood zones. Climate change presents many challenges, and flooding is a very important issue for those affected.”

The text of the motion can be seen here: https://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=68163

The Liberal Democrats have published figures showing that 18,610 State Pensioners in Hazel Grove Constituency, 20,237 in Cheadle Constituency and 12,412 in Stockport Constituency are set to be impacted by the government breaking its manifesto promise and suspending the triple lock on pensions.

The state pension triple lock is a rule that means the state pension must rise each year in line with the highest of three possible figures, inflation, average earnings or 2.5%.

It follows a vote in Parliament on the issue on Monday in which Conservative MPs including William Wragg and Mary Robinson voted to suspend the triple lock. This is despite a Conservative manifesto commitment to keep the triple lock in place until 2024, and comes just weeks after Boris Johnson led his Conservative MPs to vote for a promise breaking tax hike on National Insurance. The Liberal Democrats have warned that the Conservatives are “turning their back on local elderly residents,” many of whom are living in poverty.

The figures, based on analysis by the House of Commons Library commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, show that 23.2% of people in Hazel Grove Constituency, 21.5% in Cheadle Constituency and 13.8% in Stockport Constituency will be hit by the government’s broken promise. They also show that 1,917, 1,634 and 2,194 pensioners in each area are benefiting from state Pension Credit, which is given to the poorest pensioners.

The Liberal Democrats tabled an amendment in Parliament to the Social Security Bill that called for additional support to address the impact of the pandemic on the two million pensioners currently living in poverty and making the uplift to Universal Credit permanent. Labour abstained on the vote, making the Liberal Democrats the only major UK-wide party to stand up for pensioners and oppose the government’s broken promise to them.

Commenting, Tom Morrison, Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson for Cheadle, said: “This is yet another broken promise from the Conservatives that will hit pensioners across Stockport borough hard in the pocket.

“The government is turning its back on local elderly residents, who risk no longer being able to heat their homes this winter as energy costs spiral.”

Lisa Smart, Lib Dem spokesperson on Finance and Resources on Stockport Council and a Councillor in Romiley, said: “Our pensioners deserve a fair deal. The triple lock was a cast iron guarantee that vulnerable elderly people were relying on and the Conservatives have failed them.

“Liberal Democrats are demanding that the government supports the many pensioners in our area living in poverty and ensure that we don’t return to the days of the 75p rise to the state pension.”

An announcement has been made by local Health chiefs that a bid is being prepared for a replacement for Stepping Hill Hospital through the government’s recently announced New Hospitals Programme.

Speaking after the announcement, Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport Town Hall, said: “We welcome this news as a great opportunity to bring much-needed, new health facilities into Stockport. It is an acknowledgement by our health partners that, despite the sterling efforts of our dedicated medical and support staff, Stepping Hill Hospital is no longer fit for purpose. A new hospital would provide state of the art facilities which are accessible and avoid the resource-drain of the current, aging buildings. I hope the government will prioritise Stockport’s bid.”

Cllr Helen Foster-Grime, Shadow Cabinet Member for all health matters, added: “This is a highly competitive process, with only eight hospitals to be built in this funding round. We have an urgent need to replace our current hospital buildings but there are no guarantees that this bid will be successful. There is of course no detailed information about the proposed new hospital as yet. We look forward to further clarification in due course.”

A Liberal Democrat investigation into the unexpected recent refurbishment of the Town Hall’s council chamber meeting room has revealed that £172,000 was splashed on redecorations, including an eye-watering £16,000 on carpets alone.

This is at a time when residents have been struggling with the financial impacts of Covid and when the council itself needs to find £23m of service cuts and other savings in the year ahead.

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Lib Dems at Stockport Town Hall, said: “I find it staggering that this Conservative-backed Labour administration think this non-essential expenditure is appropriate at a time when council funds are so stretched. They clearly knew this would be sensitive because the costs were hidden as part of an even larger amount agreed some time ago for improvements to the town centre civic complex.

“In the next couple of weeks we should see the first proposals for cuts and savings coming through our Scrutiny Committees as part of the process leading to setting the council’s budget next February. When we see what the proposed impact to frontline services will be, we will remind the current administration that almost £200,000 of council tax payers’ hard earned cash has been simply wasted on paint and carpets in a meeting room.”