Author: stockportlibdems

At the meeting of the Corporate Resource Management and Governance Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 14th July, the Labour Leader of the Council was questioned about the Council’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cllr Lisa Smart, Chair of the Committee and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, said afterwards: “45,000 people have died in the UK from coronavirus according to official figures, with over 350 of those deaths in Stockport.

“I was shocked when Cllr Wilson described dealing with a global pandemic as ‘an adventure’ twice during Tuesday’s scrutiny meeting.

“Our community has been working so hard to deal with lockdown and a global health crisis. So many have lost loved ones, others are battling the health effects of the virus and more still are seeing the impact on their livelihoods.

“Cllr Wilson should apologise for what she said to all our residents who have suffered a loss during this pandemic.”

The Liberal Democrats have called upon Stockport Council to formally recognise those volunteers and key workers that supported local communities throughout the COVID-19 lockdown.

Across Stockport, organisations such as Helping Hands, Cheadle FM, and Woodley & Bredbury COVID-19 Mutual Aid Group organised support for those residents who were isolated as shops and services closed down.

Councillor Tom Morrison, Shadow Cabinet Member for Inclusive Neighbourhoods led the motion which called for the Council’s Chief Executive to write an open letter of thanks and for the Council to organise a day in the Stockport calendar to commemorate those that supported their communities.

The motion which was moved by Tom Morrison and seconded by Stepping Hill councillor, Mark Weldon, attracted cross party support, with politicians from all sides backing the plans.

Councillor Morrison said, “The last few months have been the darkest in living memory. People across Stockport have suffered, with businesses being forced to close and of course the awful human impact of a growing death rate which has impacted hundreds of families locally.

“However, the way local residents have stood up and helped those in need has been nothing short of inspiring. It’s only right that Stockport celebrates those volunteers and key workers, those people that kept our borough afloat when the crisis hit.

“The word hero is used too often these days, but that’s what these people are. They deserve a huge thanks and I am delighted that this idea has gained cross party support.”

Councillor Mark Weldon said, “It was never in doubt that people across Stockport would come together like this. We live in such a brilliant area and the communities that shape them really come in their own when situations arise like this.”

The text of the motion can be found below. It was debated at the Full Council meeting on Thursday 9th July 2020 and received unanimous support.

The Liberal Democrats stand in solidarity with black communities in the UK, US and around the world.

Nationally, the Liberal Democrats have urged the Prime Minister to condemn in the strongest possible terms the language and actions of the US President in response to protests over racial injustice and police brutality since the murder of George Floyd.

Locally, Cllr Mark Hunter, leader of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport Town Hall, has joined the leaders of the other political groups, reaffirming our opposition to racism and prejudice.

The statement says:

Stockport Council stands together with people here and across the world who face racism and prejudice.

We believe discrimination and oppression have no place in our society and we stand united in solidarity with those who seek to tackle inequalities.

Tolerance, kindness and respect are at the heart of our communities in Stockport and these values underpin our inclusive approach to the way we live. Racism and discrimination have no place in our society and we must, as a community, continue to make a stand.

Tackling inequalities has always been, and will continue to be, our priority.

Speaking after signing the statement, Cllr Hunter said: “The Liberal Democrats exist to fight for justice, liberty and equality. This is especially important at a moment in history where our values are challenged and as liberals we stand on the side of social justice. We must stand in solidarity with black communities in the US, the UK and around the world.

“Whilst condemning what is happing in the US, we cannot forget that black people are suffering at the hands of institutions systematically biased against them here in the UK, as reported in the Lammy Review in 2017. It’s unjust, it’s unfair and it’s racist. The Liberal Democrats stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We fully support all black communities and stand with them against the injustice they face.”

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to ramp up mental health support for health and care staff across Stockport to ensure “world-class” support for those tackling the virus head on.

Highlighting the “deep scar” coronavirus will leave on health and care staff across Stockport, the local Liberal Democrats have put forward a package of mental health measures, including:

• 24/7 access to mental health support for health and social care workers, through a dedicated helpline
• Guarantees that health and care staff will no longer be penalised for time off due to mental or physical ill health, including when transitioning between roles
• Introduce an ‘occupational health passport’ so workers do not have to relive mental health traumas when they change jobs.
• Additional training to ensure there are mental health first-aiders in every health and care workforce
• Steps to standardise the quality and service offer to ensure that every health and social care worker can access the same, high standard of mental care support regardless of the where in Stockport they are based.

The Liberal Democrats want the roll out of these services to be for all staff, whether or not they are directly involved in patient treatment, in recognition of the wide scale of the impact of the COVID-19 across all teams.

If adopted, the proposals will improve access to mental health support for all those working in health and care settings.

Cllr Mark Hunter, Liberal Democrat Group Leader at Stockport Town Hall, said:

“As we all mark Mental Health Week we must recognise that COVID-19 will leave a deep scar on our health and care workforce, who have gone above and beyond to tackle this dreadful virus. Thousands have lost colleagues, endured serious illness, or faced significant trauma.

“Liberal Democrat proposals include a mental health support hotline, open to staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our hospitals and care services are staffed around the clock, so the support services staff need should be too. In addition, we propose measures to ensure NHS and care staff are not penalised for days off due to ill health.

“The UK mental health response to COVID-19 should be world-class. My Liberal Democrat colleagues in parliament are making the case for investing now to prepare for the challenges ahead.”

Cllr Keith Holloway, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health, said:

“The clap for our carers every Thursday evening is not just a gesture – people want to see those working on the frontline supported throughout the coronavirus crisis and beyond.

“We cannot underestimate the toll this crisis will have on our health and care staff across Stockport. There needs to be long term support to help all those who have risked so much to care for all those affected by the virus.

“Ministers must not stick their heads in the sand. It is essential they roll out these measures urgently, otherwise they are denying our health and care staff support when they need it most.”

The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to extend income support for self-employed workers after they declared victory in convincing the Government to extend furlough payments for employees, preventing redundancies.

Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey, who is asking the public to join his campaign to protect workers, warned “taxi drivers, hairdressers, cleaners, childcare providers and millions of other self-employed people are still not getting the help they need.”

The call comes after the Chancellor announced the Job Retention Scheme, currently covering nearly a quarter of UK jobs, will continue to October with employees receiving 80% of their monthly wages up to £2,500.

Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:

“The Furlough scheme has helped protect jobs and it is something the Liberal Democrats have campaigned to protect. So I am delighted the Government has done just that and adopted many of our ideas.”

Cllr Tom Morrison, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Member in Stockport, said:

“There are still millions of people that need significant help though, such as those that recently moved jobs or the self-employed. The Government must look out for these people, currently the system has forgotten them and it’s simply unfair.”

Cllr Lisa Smart, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Stockport, added:

“The Coronavirus crisis has left countless families facing financial hardship, with unemployment on the rise. We must protect families and our economy for the long term.

“The Liberal Democrats led the campaign for a Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, which finally opened this week. But the Government must extend this scheme too. Self-employed people have waited far too long for this support, and they must not see it snatched away too early.”

The Liberal Democrats are urging people to support the campaign here: https://www.libdems.org.uk/furlough

The Liberal Democrats have accused the Chair of Greater Manchester Transport Committee (GMTC) of deliberately blocking scrutiny and avoiding input from across the region.

The Chair of GMTC, Councillor Mark Aldred, has ignored multiple requests from Liberal Democrat members of the committee to constructively scrutinise how the region’s transport will begin to recover from the Coronavirus crisis once lockdown beings to ease.

Lib Dem representatives on GMTC, John Leech and Howard Sykes, accused Councillor Aldred of deliberately avoiding scrutiny and input from across the region and political divide.

The Liberal Democrats set out five points that GMTC must urgently answer in order to address concerns about how the region’s transport will begin to recover from the Coronavirus crisis:
1. How will social distancing be maintained at the same time as getting people back on public transport
2. Address the budget implications of far fewer passengers and how this will allow us to maintain subsidised bus services
3. The impact on infrastructure and cost of the Government and Council prioritising walking and cycling
4. Concerns raised by bus companies about Andy Burnham not delivering all the money promised to operators
5. How this crisis may affect decisions about franchising bus services

Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Manchester John Leech said:

“Everyone is under a lot of strain at the moment but the lack of transparency and communication from the Chair of GMTC with other Transport Committee members and public transport operators has been unacceptable.

“Transport has been one of the most affected areas as a result of the lockdown and the reintroduction needs to be a cross-party, collaborative plan with input from across the region.

“But Councillor Aldred is not learning lessons from last month’s mess and is deliberately keeping other Transport committee members in the dark to avoid scrutiny.”

Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Oldham Howard Sykes added:

“GMTC must get a grip of the crisis by allowing and inviting transparency and constructive scrutiny.

“Members from all political parties on the Greater Manchester Transport Committee must be involved in tackling this crisis to ensure the very best plans are put forward for our region.”

Councillors John Leech and Howard Sykes are the two Liberal Democrat representatives on the Greater Manchester Transport Committee.