Stockport Council best in the North West for recycling rate

New Government data released today shows that Liberal Democrat-led councils are the best in the country for recycling, with Stockport Council achieving a 59.5% recycling rate, the highest in the north west of England.

The annual figures for 2024-25 published this week by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), reveal that councils run by the Liberal Democrats are amongst the 14 of the top 20 councils. 

The Lib Dem-led Stockport Council has been ranked 9th in councils in England, and 1st in the North West, with the national average being 43%.

Commenting on the figures, Cllr Jake Austin, Cabinet Member for Housing & Environment said:

“These figures prove what we have known for a long time: when Liberal Democrats run your local services, we deliver a cleaner and greener environment.

“Lib Dem councils are paving the way by making it easier for residents to recycle and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill. 

“Even with the national challenges of the last year, we have maintained a recycling rate of 59.5% and committed to a more sustainable future. We aren’t stopping here; we will continue to innovate to ensure Stockport stays at the forefront of recycling in the UK. 

The official Government statistics on recycling rates in England can be found here.

“Every Raindrop Triggers Fear” Stockport Council Demands Government Action on Flooding Crisis

Last Thursday, Stockport Council passed a Liberal Democrat motion demanding Government funding for flood defences and relief, after ministers ruled the New Year’s Day 2025 floods were not “catastrophic enough” to warrant support.

The Flood Recovery Framework is financial support that the Government can provide to families via local authorities that have suffered flood damage. It is at the government’s discretion if they release the funding on a case-by-case basis.

Deputy Leader of Stockport Council, and Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources, Cllr Jilly Julian, had planned to share the testimony of Liz, a neighbour in Cheadle and founder of the Cheadle Flood Alliance, at the council meeting, but the motion passed without debate.

Liz’s testimony included:

“New Year’s Day 2025 was anything but a celebration. I watched families bail water out of their homes — exhaustion, disbelief and heartbreak on their faces. For many, this wasn’t the first time.”

“Every weather warning becomes a source of anxiety. Every raindrop on the roof triggers fear.”

“A person’s home should be a place of safety. To lose that is to lose a sense of self.”

Cllr Julian said:

“The Government must act. We cannot have families forced to live in fear while ministers debate what counts as a disaster and refuse to recognise that flood risk is a much broader concern than it used to be. Whilst Stockport Council is doing great work to protect residents from flooding, we cannot do it alone. The lack of funding the council receives from central government is highly concerning, and despite lobbying to ministers across Government, we are yet to find one who seems to care.”

“Stockport will receive £52 million less next year than the average for councils of its kind, and 75% of our budget is spent on providing support to vulnerable children, adults, and families. Yet the Government seems intent on shifting responsibility away from itself onto overburdened councils. They expect us to find the capital funding and have contingency set aside whilst also forcing us to run down reserves.”

Stockport Council is calling on the Government to increase capital investment in flood defences and urgently review the thresholds that leave flood-hit communities without support.

Stockport Liberal Democrats mark International Women’s Day 2026

Sunday, 8th March 2026 will mark the 115th International Women’s Day, with this year’s theme being ‘Give to Gain’, a reminder that collaboration is key to overcoming gender inequality.

Deputy Leader of Stockport Council, Cllr Jilly Julian, said

“In keeping with the theme of ‘Give to Gain’, we are delighted to see several events across our borough inspiring community and co-operation in Stockport. Notably, today there is a coworking event and workshop in Stockroom, encouraging collaboration amongst the amazing businesswomen in Stockport. There will also be a free to attend talk on Sunday by the incredible Professor Jackie Carter, who will be discussing the continuation of gender inequality, particularly in academia.”

“We’re all too aware of the difficulties women face when trying to strive in public life and Sunday is a good day to mark both the achievements that have been made, whilst considering the barriers that remain. Women’s participation in all aspects of government and democracy is crucial, and we’re incredibly proud to have a majority of women serving in our cabinet, which means we can embed gender equality into the heart of everything we do.”

For more information on events run by Stockport Council, including monthly health, social and wellbeing activities, please follow the link here.

Stockport “left behind” by Labour Government

Stockport Council’s finance head says Labour government has “left Stockport behind” with its financial settlement whilst describing engagement with ministers as “staggering”.

Last evening, Stockport Councillors voted to pass through a balanced budget, which despite financial pressure protected leisure centres, libraries and care services for the most vulnerable.

Deputy Leader of the council, and Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, Cllr Jilly Julian, said

“We have been consistently let down by the government’s lack of clarity over funding, only to see their delayed finance settlement confirm that they intend to leave Stockport behind. We have once again been omitted from the recovery grant by 0.01%, meaning we have missed out on millions of pounds worth of support by a whisker, all while ministers have ignored our lobbying. It is staggering.”

“However, we are proud that we have published a responsible, balanced budget. It’s one that protects vital services such as social care, highways, libraries and our green spaces. We are especially happy that through collaborative local working, we have enabled upgrades and repairs to play equipment in parks across our borough.”

“While we have not received the funding that we need from central government, we will not shy away from making difficult decisions to ensure responsible financial management that continues our momentum. Despite all the challenges, Stockport is on the up and we’re proud to advocate for our borough.”

Success for Older and Disabled Persons’ Bus Passes

Further to the previous story, Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of the Council and of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport Town Hall, said: “Success! I am very pleased to say that we have been successful in getting a commitment to action from the Mayor to extended the older and disabled persons’ bus passes across Greater Manchester from 1st March so that buses can be used before 9.30am with the pass . This will help so many people and contribute to tackling congestion on our roads. Liberal Democrat national policy being put in place across Greater Manchester.”