Stockport Liberal Democrats

New Home for a Family in Stockport

Sue Derbyshire's initiative to give empty homes a new life produces local results — Sue Derbyshire’s initiative to give empty homes a new life produces local results

A Stockport family will benefit from a new fully refurbished home as a result of the Greater Manchester ‘Empty to Plenty’ Scheme.

As Chair of the Housing and Planning Commission, Stockport’ Sue Derbyshire launched the empty homes initiative across the whole of Greater Manchester.

The house in Lark Hill Road, Stockport, had been empty for over seven years before it was purchased and fully refurbished using funding made from available by ‘Empty to Plenty.’

It will now be offered to a family currently on the waiting list for a property in Stockport.

Fifteen properties throughout the Borough have been purchased and repaired as part of the Scheme, and funding has been secured for a further seven.

Recycling: Stockport rated Best in whole North West

Stockport is now Britain's 6th best recycling authority — Stockport is now Britain’s 6th best recycling authority

Stockport Council is thanking green-minded residents for helping the borough be the best for recycling rates in the whole of the North West.

Stockport also thrashes all London boroughs, recycling more than any other metropolitan authority in the country. In the league table of all of Britain’s 354 council’s, Stockport comes 6th.

The recycling success means that not only are Stockport residents doing their bit for the environment, they are helping keep council tax down and saving money that can be spent on other services.

The cost of landfill means it costs £246 more per tonne to dispose of waste from the black bin compared to the blue and brown bins.

The Council’s ‘Right Thing Right Bin’ campaign continues to help residents to make sure their recycling efforts aren’t wasted. Materials sent for recycling are checked at the depot and it only takes a few households to have put the wrong items in their recycling bins for a lorry load to be rejected and sent to landfill, causing unnecessary environmental damage and costs.

“Two fingered salute” to Adswood’s metal thieves

Ann Smith and John Reid by the vandalised plaque in Adswood's Daisyfields estate — Ann Smith and John Reid by the vandalised plaque in Adswood’s Daisyfields estate

The Lib Dem team are campaigning to replace the plaque marking the opening of Adswood’s Daisyfields estate.

The brass plaque on a concrete base was erected in a quiet corner of the estate to mark the opening of the development back in 1991, with a government minister even attending the official opening.

Local residents contacted Ann about helping to trim the shrubs by the plaque. As Ann inspected the site it became apparent the plaque had been vandalised and the metal part stolen.

Now Ann is campaigning for a new plaque to be installed on the site. “The plaque commemorated a new beginning for the residents that moved into the area, many of whom are still here,” she said.

“We are exploring the possibility of replacing the plaque with a non metal version, as a two-fingered salute to the metal thieves operating in the area.”

Stockport: Best value Council in Greater Manchester

Lib Dem Stockport is top of the league for value

Treasury figures have been published showing Stockport to be the best value council in Greater Manchester.

A league table of council’s spending per-resident gives Lib Dem Stockport a lower figure than all other councils in the area, demonstrating the effectiveness of the balanced budget working Stockport Council has worked hard to maintain.

This compares favourably to both Conservative councils like Trafford, and Labour council’s like Oldham and Manchester – a Council which imposed savage cuts despite holding back more than £100 million in town hall coffers and faced national criticism for making “politically motivated cuts.”

The “excellent” financial management of the local authority since the Lib Dems took control of the borough means Stockport Lib Dems are able to propose a Council Tax freeze for 2014/15, something that will be debated by all Stockport councillors in what is expected to be a heated political debate at the Town Hall this Thursday.

Trixi Treat

John Reid with one of the trixi mirrors installed around Stockport

Cycle Safety Mirrors (also called Trixi mirrors) have been installed around our area, and are being put in at 50 junctions across Greater Manchester.

The mirrors help drivers of large vehicles like lorries or buses see cycles alongside them. Those sorts of vehicles have a very large blind spot and one of the most common ways for cyclists to be killed or seriously injured is being trapped to the left of a large vehicle turning left at a junction.

The team has also enlisted the support of our Lib Dem MEP, Chris Davies, who is a cyclist himself and wants European rules to improve cycle safety, as many of the lorries on UK roads originate in other European countries.

Another Council tax freeze for Stockport residents?

Stockport's Lib Dems propose a freeze in council tax for all local taxpayers — Stockport’s Lib Dems propose a freeze in council tax for all local taxpayers

Lib Dems are proposing to freeze Stockport’s Council tax for year 2014/15[/caption]Stockport’s Lib Dem councillors want to freeze Council Tax for Stockport taxpayers for the year 2014/15.

This will be the third council tax freeze the Lib Dems council has delivered in the past four years, despite the unprecedented financial challenges it continues to face.

Lib Dem councillors want to continue helping residents with the cost of living. Cllr Sue Derbyshire said: “We know local authority finances will get no easier, with almost £60m of savings made since 2010 and over £40m more savings needed between 2015 and 2017. However, we have taken the decision to accept the government’s freeze grant this year in the interests of residents, and I call on the other political groups in Stockport to back this freeze.”

The Liberal Democrat budget proposals will be debated and voted upon by all political groups at the Budget Council Meeting on 27th February.