Stockport Labour Group has increased its influence on the Council after last week’s local elections saw the gap between Labour and the Liberal Democrats narrow significantly, leaving no party in overall control.

Labour will now chair more Scrutiny Committees; something that will make the Lib Dem Executive more democratically accountable.

Labour Group Leader Councillor Alex Ganotis said, “These changes are going to lead to better policy making and I’m hoping that we will see a cross-party approach in the best interests of the people of Stockport. It’s always best if the people making the decisions aren’t then responsible for scrutinising them, and I’m pleased we’ve moved away from that.

“The Deputy Leader of the Council has even conceded that it’s ‘better on balance for the opposition to hold Scrutiny Chairs’ – I think that indicates the wide support there is for the move. The Local Government Association has been recommending this for some time and it brings us in line with national best practice.

“Labour polled 41,166 votes last Thursday in the local elections, significantly more than the 35,854 which the third-placed Liberal Democrats received. It is only fair that the will of these voters is respected and that our Group is able to influence decisions which affect local residents.”

The local elections on 7^th May saw further Liberal Democrat losses across the borough. Stockport Labour Group now has 21 Councillors and gained 2 new Councillors in Reddish North and Davenport and Cale Green.