Stockport’s Lib Dem budget secures record investment and council tax freeze

Stockport Liberal Democrats last night secured their budget for 2015/16 which freezes council tax, protects key services and will see record investment in the borough. Neither Labour nor the Conservatives proposed any amendments.

Speaking after the Budget Council Meeting, Cllr Sue Derbyshire, Liberal Democrat Leader of the Council, said:

“I am delighted that we have been able to set a balanced budget for the year ahead and, unlike many councils, without closing any libraries or parks. We are transforming council services to ensure we achieve the best outcomes with the money available, a task started back in 2009 when the then-Labour government told us about the cuts that were coming.

“Again we have been able to deliver a Council Tax freeze while setting out the largest programme of capital investment the borough has ever seen. Continued redevelopment of Stockport Exchange and the new Redrock development at Bridgefield sit alongside significant investment in our roads and public transport.

“We continue to work hard to ensure Stockport is a place people choose to live, work
and set up business in.”

Cllr Iain Roberts, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, said:

“It was disappointing that no other party offered an alternative budget or anyamendment to the Liberal Democrat proposals. Tory members were keen to say they supported our budget, while telling us our proposals were flawed, yet they had no alternatives to offer.

“Labour just attacked having any budget cuts at all, even though Ed Balls is proposing even more cuts if Labour win in May. We can only speculate why Labour failed to present an alternative budget.”

A6 to Airport relief road a step closer

Stockport Council has been given confirmation it can begin work with Manchester and Cheshire East Councils on the long-planned A6 to Airport relief road.

Construction work is expected to begin soon, with some environmental works before the end of February and the main contract works commencing in March.

The work is expected to be open to traffic by autumn 2017.

Cllr Sue Derbyshire, Leader of Stockport Council said: “As part of our ‘Investing in Stockport’ initiative we are committed to continually developing Stockport so that it is a great place to live, work and visit for all. Key to this is ensuring that residents and businesses have easy access across the borough and that our transport links develop so that they can meet the demands of modern life.

“We are delighted that the Secretary of State has considered the Public Inquiry Inspector’s report and confirmed the Order, which will allow an early start on the construction of the road scheme to be undertaken.”

The proposed scheme will provide approximately 10km of dual carriageway, linking the A6 at Hazel Grove to the eastern end of the existing A555 at Woodford Road, Bramhall and from the western end of the existing A555 at Wilmslow Road, Handforth to Manchester Airport.

By improving access to south east Manchester and east Cheshire, the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road will benefit communities and the local economy, in particular assisting the potential growth of Manchester Airport and Airport City as well as areas of Stockport, Manchester and Cheshire East.

Pupil Premium & Apprentice success

On the 11th of December the Schools Minister David Laws congratulated children and teachers following news that primary school children are improving in every subject and that disadvantaged pupils continue to close the gap on their peers. This is in part testament to the Liberal Democrats’ £2.5 billion Pupil Premium, which helps the most disadvantaged pupils through extra funding.

In other good news for young people this week, Vince Cable proudly introduced our two millionth apprentice, Paige McConville. Vince explained: “One of my key priorities when I started as Business Secretary almost five years ago was for any young person to have two equally attractive routes to a rewarding career – by going to university or doing an apprenticeship. We’re now well on our way to achieving those ambitions, for which I thank all the businesses and colleges involved, and all those individuals like Paige who are taking control of their futures by becoming apprentices.”

Greater Manchester Agreement Over Devolution

Full article can be found at: http://www.stockport.gov.uk/newsroom/Greatermanchester

Greater Manchester Councils have agreed an historic devolution settlement with the Government.

The agreement, reached with the Chancellor who has called for a ‘Northern Powerhouse’ to maximise the economic potential of the north – and building on the work of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) established in 2011 – will give greater powers to the combined authority working in partnership with a directly-elected Mayor.

The agreement, which will need to be ratified by all ten Greater Manchester Councils in due course, signals a step change in the willingness of government to devolve power within England.

Greater Manchester has long been recognised as being at the forefront of the debate with government on devolution in England. This is the first such deal struck with a city region and this is a recognition of the fact that Greater Manchester has established better and stronger collaborative arrangements than any other city region within the UK.

These will open up new opportunities for increasing economic growth and improving the quality of life of Greater Manchester residents by replacing an over-centralised national model, imposing ‘one size fits all’ solutions – with greater local control over certain budgets and powers.

For example, they will unlock huge public transport improvements and help tens of thousands of Greater Manchester residents into work.

Councillor Sue Derbyshire, Leader of Stockport Council, said: “The agreement over devolution for Greater Manchester with the Government is a positive and historic step for the region. By devolving more power to a localised level it will allow us to better serve the people of Greater Manchester by basing decisions on local priorities.

“In Greater Manchester we have been fully aware for a long time that the over-centralised national system being operated was simply not delivering the best results for residents and businesses in the area. This agreement will give us the opportunity to show what a city region with greater freedoms can achieve and contribute to the growth of the country.”

Under the settlement, a directly-elected Mayor for Greater Manchester will be created. The first Greater Manchester Mayoral elections are expected to take place in 2017.

Some powers will only be devolved to Greater Manchester once the Mayor is in place but a significant number of initiatives will be taken, starting in the New Year, in advance of the election of the Mayor. These will include the establishment of a new funding deal which will enable Greater Manchester to invest in further extension and strengthening of the city regions transport infrastructure. The deal is worth £900 million over the next 30 years.

Powers to be devolved to Greater Manchester include:

Transport
Planning
Housing
Public Service Reform
Health and Social Care
Earn Back
Skills and Business support
Governance arrangements

The existing Police and Crime Commissioner’s role will also be merged with the Greater Manchester Mayor’s role.

For more information about the agreement visit the Greater Manchester Combined Authority webpages

Stockport LibDems AGM 2014

I am pleased to inform you that that the Stockport Liberal Democrat Annual General Meeting will take place on the 12th of November, 2014 at Stockport Town Hall. The meeting starts promptly at 7.30pm and finishes at approximately 9.00pm. If you require access to the meeting rooms please meet in the Town Hall foyer at 7.25pm.

All party members are very welcome to attend. Please let me know if you can attend

Best regards, J.C. Reid

More affordable housing to be delivered

Stockport Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that their strategy for Investing in Stockport has been acknowledged by central government as an extremely successful scheme. Stockport has been awarded £5.5 million for its affordable homes programme (a significantly higher amount than was expected. Cllr McAuley stated that, “There is a big demand for affordable homes in Stockport and of the 11 housing projects just completed 8 are 100% dedicated to affordable housing. I think this illustrates that the Liberal Democrats are serious about a fairer society.”