Cllrs Helen Foster-Grime and Mark Roberts attended an event at our town hall on Saturday to reaffirm our support for the people of Ukraine, after the illegal Russian invasion in 2022.
The event marked 3 years since the beginning of the war, and was organised by the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain. Cllrs Foster-Grime and Roberts were joined by a number of other councillors from across party lines.
Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Mark Roberts said,
“Our message on Saturday was one of unity and support with the Ukrainian people, who every day will see their loved ones and their homes put in appalling danger in the name of Russian expansionism.”
“The Liberal Democrats on a national level are very clear that the UK must stand up alongside our allies against Russia, to protect the self-determination of the Ukrainian people- especially given the worrying statements from the President of the United States. On a local level, there are hundreds of Ukrainian refugees that have been sponsored by families in Stockport since Putin’s invasion in 2022 and we are proud to have welcomed so many into our community.”
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Comment following Oldham Council’s decision to leave Places for Everyone
In response to a media enquiry following Oldham Council’s recent decision to leave Places for Everyone, the Greater Manchester spatial plan, and criticism levelled by Oldham Council of Stockport’s earlier decision to leave the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, Cllr Mark Hunter, Liberal Democrat Leader of Stockport Council, said: “We make no apology for trying our very best to protect valuable Green Belt for future generations. It is what our residents want and expect. Stockport has always been a target for developers, which is why we chose to leave the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework in the first place.
“In July, after many months of delay caused by the chaos of the last Tory government, we were able to publish a draft Local Plan that was ready for consultation and was a true ‘Brownfield-first’ approach, using previously developed land and involved minimal use of green field sites.
“The Labour government have now changed the rules, introducing a new, compulsory housing target that effectively doubles the number of new houses they require us to build. This will require extensive development on Green Belt sites, but we still await government guidance on how this has to be done, stalling our plan yet again. The councils within Places for Everyone face a similar increase and will have to release even more Green Belt to satisfy this centrally imposed target. Labour nationally are simply giving developers carte blanche to concrete over our countryside.
“We have always accepted the need for new homes, but they must be the right homes, in the right places and central government targets should not trump local decision making.
“You might have thought that Oldham Council faced enough challenges of its own without the need to lash out at its neighbours with baseless and disingenuous attacks.”
Stockport Council Deputy Leader on Stockport Homes review
Speaking in response to a press enquiry, Cllr Mark Roberts, Deputy Leader of the Council, said:
“Stockport Homes was formed in response to the Blair government’s move in the late 1990s to improve the quality of council housing after decades of underfunding by central government, resulting in very poor quality social housing nationally.
“Funds to bring properties up to the new “Decent Homes” standard were only accessible to Councils if they either transferred their housing stock into the hands of housing associations, signed up to complex private finance initiatives, or formed an arms-length management organisation (ALMO) such as Stockport Homes.
“Cllr Mark Hunter was Leader of the Council at that time and led an all-party delegation to Westminster to meet Geoff Rooker, the then Minister for Housing and Planning, along with members of the tenants federation. Following a ballot of all tenants, an agreement was reached that the best vehicle to access this desperately needed funding, which retained maximum control over the housing stock and housing policy within the council, was the ALMO route.
“As an organisation, Stockport Homes has always been high performing, and this has been reflected in the recent review that the Cabinet considered this week. It wins many accolades and awards and is considered one of the best housing organisations nationally.
“The main challenges seem to be around maintenance and availability of social housing.
“On the latter point, neither Stockport Homes nor the council can be blamed. There is currently a housing crisis, there are not sufficient funds available to councils to build enough social housing to meet need, and this can only be solved through central government intervention and funding.
“Funds for maintenance, repairs and capital works are also constrained. The last Conservative government invited housing providers to enter into so-called “self-funding” arrangements for their Housing Revenue Account (HRA) which were modelled upon rents increasing at a planned rate. Having entered into such an arrangement in good faith, the government then chose to make changes to rent increases which introduced huge shortfalls into the HRA. As with all areas of the public sector, social housing is suffering from underinvestment from previous governments and urgent need for injections of more funds.
“However, we do believe that Stockport Homes should and can deliver a better service for their tenants and have better liaison with local councillors. We believe that the measures set out in the report agreed this week will help with that. We need to ensure that there is the right level of control being exerted by the Cabinet to set the direction of travel for Stockport Homes, that there is the right level of information sharing with all councillors and of formal Scrutiny at both a central and an Area Committee level.
“We are at the start of a journey of improvement following this review. It will take time for the new structures to come into place, be tested and bed in. During this phase we need Members of all political Groups to do what we do best in Stockport, work constructively together in the best interests of the borough and its residents to deliver what we can within the constraints we face.
“Whilst that is happening it is imperative that Stockport Homes work hard with ward councillors to ensure that outstanding repairs and complaints are addressed, that progress is made with the large scale and long-standing issues such as Lancashire Hill, and that the faith some councillors have lost can be restored in short order.
“We are also very keen to keen to explore how we increase the accountability of all social housing providers across the borough.”
MPs challenge Government over Stepping Hill exclusion
The failure to include Stepping Hill Hospital on the New Hospitals Programme – despite the looming £130 million repair bill – has been challenged by local MPs Lisa Smart and Tom Morrison in a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
The New Hospitals programme has pushed back the delivery of urgently needed buildings across the UK. Despite a litany of incidents at Stepping Hill, with buildings demolished over safety concerns, doctors wading through flooded corridors, and light fittings crashing out of the ceiling in a delivery ward, Stepping Hill now seems to have been pushed even further down the pecking order by the Government.
Tom Morrison MP said:
“This is unacceptable. The so-called ‘New Hospital Programme’ has been riddled with delays, confusion, and broken promises – ignoring hospitals that desperately need investment. Stepping Hill deserves better.
“Patients are being treated in failing buildings, and staff are struggling under impossible conditions. I will not stop fighting until our community gets the healthcare it deserves.”
The MPs are still waiting for a response from Minister Karin Smyth for a formal meeting to discuss the issue. The MPs asked for a meeting in early November, and have chased a formal response.
Lisa Smart MP added:
“The legacy of the failed Tory Government hangs over this decision, but that is not an excuse for this taking so long. We are not getting enough answers from Ministers or clarity over future funding.”
“The solutions are clear. Patients deserve better than closed doors.”
Mark Hunter, the leader of Stockport Council, added:
“Parts of Stepping Hill Hospital are literally falling down, and the situation is totally unacceptable. We deserve better from central government, and I repeat my invitation to the Secretary of State to come and see for himself the dire circumstances which patients and our dedicated doctors and nurses are having to tolerate.”
Police officer injured in Cheadle incident
A 19 year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, after a GMP officer was seriously injured during an incident at a retail park on Wilmslow Road, Cheadle on Saturday.
According to GMP, they received a report of people acting suspiciously inside a vehicle in the car park. As the responding police officer walked towards the vehicle, she reported that the vehicle was driven at speed towards her, hitting her.
Leader of Stockport Council, Mark Hunter said
“All decent people will be appalled by this despicable attack on a Police officer just going about their normal duties over the weekend.
At moments like these, we are reminded of the excellent job done by GMP in looking after our community every day, often putting themselves in harm’s way on our behalf.
Our thoughts are with the injured officer and her family, we wish her a speedy recovery.”
Stockport Liberal Democrats commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day 2025
This week, Stockport Liberal Democrats will join others in marking Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, which marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The theme for 2025 is “For a Better Future” and encourages people across the world to learn from and about the past, and take actions to make a better future for all.
Stockport Council will mark the day with Leader of the Council, Mark Hunter, conducting a reading at a memorial event on Sunday 26th of January, which will remember the 6 million Jews, and many more millions of people murdered in the Holocaust, as well as those who fell victim to more recent genocides across the globe.
Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Sport, Helen Foster-Grime said
The Holocaust, and all genocides since, are grim examples of the worst of humanity. As we reach the 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, it is vital that each generation ensures that we continue to educate ourselves and never forget the horror of what happened.
In recent years, we have seen the pain and suffering of global events being felt not only abroad but also at home here in Stockport. While the massive scale of suffering across the world often feels very much larger than us, it’s important to remember the difference we can make with our own neighbours and in our communities.
We hope that in line with this year’s theme, people feel empowered to take the opportunity to stand up for compassion and tolerance within their local communities, to help secure a better future for all- where people do not suffer persecution due to their faith, ethnicity or any other characteristic.
Libraries across Stockport will be creating book displays with information on the Holocaust and will be displaying information to provide residents and visitors with information about Holocaust Memorial Day. People will also be able to access the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website www.hmd.org.uk – to learn more about the Holocaust and the Trust, via the free PCs available in every library.