Stockport Liberal Democrats

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.”

Overnight the latest version of the draft Local Plan was published ahead of council scrutiny and cabinet meetings.

Speaking after the papers were published, Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of the Council and of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport Town Hall said: “In July 2024, the Stockport Liberal Democrats published a local plan that delivered the right homes in the right places, using only brownfield sites. It was a plan that protected our greenbelt whilst revitalising tired, previously developed land- it was something I was proud to advocate for. Since that plan was published, the Labour Government have doubled the number of houses we must deliver and removed protections from a third of our Green Belt as they continue to remove the opportunity for local voices to have a say over their area.

“When I look at the nature across Stockport, I appreciate it’s beauty and the health benefits it brings, we do not walk through our Green Belt in awe of the legal classification it was given by Westminster. Repackaging our Green Belt so developers can make a profit says everything we need to know about this Labour Government, and residents will rightly be outraged.

“We vehemently oppose this Government’s Developers Charter they keep pursuing. However, they have imposed a legal duty upon the council to deliver it, as the alternative to our co-operation is a developer led free-for-all, which would remove any remaining protection or say we have in the future of our area. We have already received public letters from the Housing Minister forcing us to move forward with their agenda.

“To be clear, Stockport Liberal Democrats oppose the Government’s reckless targets and underhand classifications, changing our Green Belt by the back door. We further oppose the centralised way in which they have directed it. We are also frustrated by their lack of interest in building infrastructure to support the thousands of new homes these plans will see built.

“The Local Plan is due for its first stage of consultation from 6th November- 21st December 2025. It is published for scrutiny with a very heavy heart. We encourage residents to feedback through the consultation and have their say. It’s an opportunity to express concern or support for sites and policies, and to call on the Government to fund better infrastructure for existing and future residents, to fund the building of genuinely affordable homes, and to stop capitulating to corporate developer firms that lobby hard in Westminster.

“The fight for what is right for our communities continues. I will continue to make the argument to Government that their housing targets are too high for Stockport and that their disregard for Green Belt is not shared by our community. The Liberal Democrats will also continue to fight for the funding we need to be able to deliver the additional social housing we need in the right places, along with support for the infrastructure mass development will require, such as GPs, dentists, schools and roads.”

Further to the letter received last week from the housing minister, below is the formal response from Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of the Council and of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport Town Hall.

As Leader of Stockport Council, Cllr Mark Roberts received a letter from government last night advising him of their decision to intervene due to what they describe as “failing to progress” our Local Plan.

The letter can be read here. (This link takes you to the MHCLG website.)

Responding to this letter, Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of the Council and of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport Town Hall, said:

“The government’s intervention into our work on the Local Plan should ring alarm bells for all those who value the Green Belt.

“We are committed to building the right homes in the right places through sustainable development. Our administration published a draft Local Plan in 2024 that delivered exactly this across our brownfield sites, before this Labour government then threw the baby out with the bathwater, doubled our housing target and forced us to go back to the drawing board. At the same time they removed Green Belt protections by the back door and tied local councillors hands behind their backs in standing up against the big developers.

“Our officers have been working diligently to deliver a Local Plan, despite the delays and changes both the Conservative and Labour governments have thrown at us. This work will continue, but it is clear that the government has not just moved the goalposts but changed the game entirely. Having created a developers’ charter it is now forcing its agenda on Stockport to concrete over the Green Belt, no matter the consequences for our community. Residents should rightly be outraged by the Government. I certainly am.”

Cllr Jake Austin, Cabinet Member for Housing & Environment, added:

“We take our responsibility to deliver a Local Plan for Stockport seriously, and the timeline set by this government’s intervention falls in line with the work we have been undertaking over the last six months.

“As Liberal Democrats, our approach on the Local Plan has always been to deliver a balance of the housing we need in the borough, while protecting the Green Belt sites that our residents deeply care about. This government intervention makes it clear that Labour do not care about that balance.”

Stockport Council is calling on the Labour Government to reform the way local government is funded, to prevent councils up and down the country from succumbing to bankruptcy. The call comes as Stockport is reporting a forecasted budget deficit of £8.8 million this financial year, due predominantly to the growing pressures in adult social care and children’s services.

Cllr Jilly Julian, Deputy Leader of Stockport Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, said: “Work is well underway to resolve the outturn position, with no stone left unturned as we look to maximise controls on spending and find potential savings. The fact of the matter is, however, that funding from government is simply nowhere near enough to meet the rising costs of delivering essential care services for our residents.

“We are grateful that we are in a far more secure position than other local authorities, and we will continue to balance the books and live within our means. Stockport is a council that is well known in the sector for its robust financial management, and one that can make the tough decisions to ensure sustainability and resilience.

“We are consistently disappointed by government’s refusal to be bold and properly reform local government finance. For 17 years councils have been forced to provide more statutory services with less money – there comes a point where there are no more efficiencies to make. There are services that both legally and morally, we must provide, yet the financial position the government is putting us in is simply untenable.”

The Local Government Association’s (LGA) analysis indicates that councils face a £2.3 billion funding gap in 2025/26, which could rise to £3.9 billion in 2026/27. These pressures are driven by escalating costs in children’s and adults social care, with no sign of radical support or reform on the horizon. MHCLG cannot continue to lean on council tax-payers to fund statutory, demand-led services.

Cllr Julian added: “Despite rising financial pressures for councils across the country, government has provided Stockport with negligible extra funding, whilst inflation continues to rise. The new funding formulas have no consideration for what kind of support a heavily polarised borough like ours needs. We once again call on the government to show some ambition and meaningfully reform local government finance, taxation, and social care, before it is too late.”