Contrary to claims made by Stockport’s Lib Dems, the Labour leader of Stockport Council has vowed that all councillors will have the final say on the GMSF.

 

Lib Dem Cllr Smart believes the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) decision (here under item 12) to make the GMSF into a Mayoral SPS (Spatial Development Strategy) requiring unanimous agreement of GM Council Leaders, is a Labour ploy ‘give away’ Councillors’ say on the final plans.

 

Stockport Labour publicly committed to allowing the whole of Stockport Council Chamber to have the final say on the GMSF when we took over the administration in Stockport.  We have repeatedly asserted this position in the Council Chamber and outside of it. Furthermore, at all stages of the GMSF development from November 2014, the GMCA have made clear future plans might include the GMSF becoming a Spatial Development Strategy.

 

Stockport Labour’s position is unchanged. We believe all Stockport Councillors should have the final say, regardless of any formal requirement for this, and furthermore we have stated that if we are not happy with the final plans, we will seek to have them amended or vote them down ourselves.

 

Cllr Smart should be careful in the way she words her statements not to imply otherwise. This may give the appearance of seeking to deceive the people of Stockport over our Group position on this important matter.

 

The Stockport Liberal Democrats have wanted to take us out of the GMSF altogether, and attempted a motion to withdraw us from the GMSF in January 2017 (Click through ‘printed minutes’  under item 8). This would mean we would be less able to trade some of Stockport’s housing numbers with other boroughs. Rather than protecting the green belt, this risky Lib Dem proposal could allow developers greater freedom to build on the greenbelt.

 

We’re serious about meeting Stockport’s housing need and providing all the appropriate infrastructure like better public transport, schools, access to health care and open spaces. Stockport Lib Dems have proposed no material alternatives to date, offering only unworkable plans to remove us from GM co-operation.

 

By way of Contrast, we have directed huge amounts of work since the first GMSF draft to address public concerns, expanding capacity for the numbers of homes and infrastructure we can accommodate on non-green belt land in Stockport.  All of this has been achieved by working in partnership with our GM colleagues. We look forward to sharing that work when revised plans are released in October for public consultation.

 

Stockport Labour are committed to finding the best way to balance protecting the greenbelt with providing the homes, infrastructure and economic development needed for future generations and will work with our GMCA partners towards this.  And we should not forget that many of our cherished open spaces are not within the greenbelt; the GMSF is also an important tool in which to protect that land from development.  We continue to believe working with, and negotiating with, our Greater Manchester partners is the best way to achieve a plan for sustainable development.

 

Rather than quitting the process altogether as the Lib Dems would have us do, we will continue to stand up for Stockport and seek the best deal from the GMSF by working with our GM partners – and allow all the Councillors of Stockport to have the final say on these plans.