Stockport Council & Other News

25th October 2025

For years we’ve been told that local politicians “understand our concerns” and are “fighting for affordable homes.” But when it comes to taking real action, it’s all talk and no walk.

Yes, we desperately need new housing — but not housing that prices locals out or destroys what makes our area special. Yet that’s exactly what’s happening as the Labour Government bulldozes through its so-called “local plan,” ignoring the people who actually live here. Stockport residents deserve a voice in shaping our future — not to be treated as an afterthought.

Take the W1 woodland-protected site at Padden Brook. A landowner has been trying to push through housing on this green space, and residents have been sounding the alarm for over 14 months. In all that time, our LibDem MP Lisa Smart and local councillors Clark, Roberts and Bresnahan have done nothing. Emails go unanswered, promises fade, and meanwhile, developers keep circling.

We don’t need another glossy press release or another staged photo in a high-vis jacket. We need genuine representation — leaders willing to stand up, say “no” to reckless development, and protect both our housing needs and our environment.

If you’re as frustrated as I am, make your voice count. Join the call for real accountability and proper local consultation. Our community deserves deeds, not empty slogans — and it’s time our politicians proved whose side they’re really on.

A W1 protected woodland site destroyed over 14 months and Smart hasn’t lifted a finger, despite her costing us circa 400k pounds per annum.

14th October 2025

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/stockport-council-told-progress-local-32498383

Stockport Council has received a formal warning from Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook over what he described as “repeated failure” to make progress on the borough’s local plan—a key document that shapes where new housing, infrastructure and development will take place. Stockport Nub News+2Place North West+2

What’s Going On

• The government has ordered the council to carry out an initial consultation on its updated local plan by Christmas Eve 2025, with the final plan to be submitted for examination by 30 November 2026. Place North West+1
• Since withdrawing from the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework in 2020, Stockport has not yet progressed to a formal consultation on its own plan—even though other boroughs across Greater Manchester have moved ahead and adopted a joint plan. Place North West+2Stockport Nub News+2
• Delays have been blamed partly on changes at national level—new policy frameworks, revised guidance, shifting targets—and political disagreements within the council. Place North West+2Stockport Nub News+2

Council’s Position

Council leader Mark Roberts and council representatives have pushed back on claims that nothing has been done. They say:

• A draft local plan was ready for consultation in spring 2024, but national events prevented that from going ahead. Place North West+1
• The council is committed to completing the revised timeline set out in July 2025. Place North West+1
• A Green Belt assessment only became possible once national guidance was published in early 2025. That, they say, has been a necessary but time-consuming step. Place North West+1

What This Means Locally

For residents of Romiley and elsewhere in Stockport, the signage of delay and uncertainty carries a number of practical implications:

• Housing growth & supply: Without an up-to-date local plan, there is risk of speculative development—where developers push for planning permission in places not properly planned for—and uncertainty over infrastructure delivery. Place North West+2Stockport Nub News+2
• Green Belt concerns: Some communities worry that gaps in planning leave green belt land more vulnerable. The council leadership insists it aims to balance protecting green belt with meeting housing needs. Stockport Nub News+1
• Political impact: The issue has become something of a flashpoint locally—tensions between political parties over responsibility for the delays, and between council ambitions and national rules. Place North West+1

What Happens Next

• The council must now deliver the consultation by 24 December 2025. Place North West+1
• Final submission of the plan is due by 30 November 2026. If the council misses these deadlines, the government could use its powers to intervene. Place North West+1
• Meanwhile, public consultation (Regulation 18) is expected to begin soon under the updated schedule. Place North West+1

What Romiley Residents Should Keep an Eye On

• Consultation opportunities: Once the council begins its consultation, local people will have a voice in shaping where housing goes, what green belt is preserved, and what infrastructure is planned.
• Transport, schools, services: New housing often means need for new or upgraded services—roads, schools, health care. The local plan should address them.
• Protection of green spaces: Maintaining green belt protections remains a major concern for many. Any changes will be watched closely.

Romiley, like many parts of Stockport, stands to be affected significantly depending on how quickly and how well the council moves forward. Residents will want reassurance not just of speed, but of careful planning that respects local character, infrastructure capacity, and environmental protection.

11th September 2025

If it is him he called the police to me with flashing lights, sirens, two police cars and a van (twice) for holding up an A4 paper sign saying: “Useless LibDem Councillors”, which they are. If it is him he should face prosecution for wasting police time. I shall get on to it right away.

24th August

Concerns are being raised over how Stockport Council are handling the Blackstone Fields redevelopment after it emerged that previously proposed developers — THI Riverside Ltd, with GB Building Solutions Ltd as guarantor — were financially incapable of covering the contamination remediation costs, leaving taxpayers potentially liable for £750,000.

The site, long known locally as a former tip, required significant remediation before any building could safely take place. However, company records show that THI Riverside was a tiny company with net assets of just around £5,000, while GB Building Solutions went into administration in 2015 and was later dissolved, leaving little or no financial backing.

Despite these red flags, the council had relied on them to manage remediation risks. When the clean-up costs reached three-quarters of a million pounds, it became clear that the public purse, not the developers, would cover the shortfall.

A local resident campaigning on the issue said:

“This was a completely foreseeable problem. The council should have carried out proper financial checks. These companies were never in a position to guarantee such huge costs.”

While the current developers are different and the council may have since put safeguards in place, the episode highlights what many see as a serious failure of due diligence.

The Gazette has asked Stockport Council for details on the checks carried out on THI Riverside and GB Building Solutions at the time, and what measures are now in place to ensure public funds are not exposed in similar situations.

Residents are calling for full transparency, and reassurance that lessons have been learned before any future phases of development proceed.

The story of the LibDem Stockport shenanigans over Padden Brook, Local Wildlife Site, protected amenity land is getting a lot of website views around the World, especially in California. Perhaps they will make a film. I have started casting it. Be prepared.

Imelda Staunton – Has an uncanny knack for playing sweet-seeming but ruthless characters. Councillor Angela Clark

Matt Berry channelling that smug, evasive local politician energy. Councillor Mark Roberts.

Beanie Feldstein who fits the role of a young, naïve, and wide-eyed local politician oblivious to the corruption around her. Councillor Rachel Bresnahan.

LibDem MP Lisa Smart would have to be Glenn Close.

Democratic Services – kind, principled people. How council officers should act.

Julia Roberts and John Krasinski

Approachable demeanour and warm expression, qualities that would suit a “decent local council officer” character.

Vicki Bates, Monitoring Officer – No idea who would play her.

Michael Cullen, Chief Executive. A character like Elizabeth, Captain Mainwaring’s wife, who never appears. No actor needed. He takes no part in the story – a bit like real life.

Liz Sykes, who apparently gets all of a dither at the mention of Padden Brook. Thelma Barlow? Mavis in Coronation Street.

Finally me. An old lady who muddles along and wins in the end. I suggest someone like Margaret Rutherford.