• Focus on Economic Recovery; Investment in Town centre development, affordable house building, school provision, walking and cycling schemes and a district centre covid recovery fund.

• Support for our Communities; Funding to enable digital inclusion, increasing Open+ provision in our libraries, funding for extra mental health support and reducing health inequalities, increase Youth Services capacity to tackle ASB and a proposal for a new Hopes Carr/Covid memorial.

• Tackling Climate Change; Funding for Solar PV installation, Electronic Vehicle infrastructure, orchards and tree planting and an investment in play areas, formal sports provision and maintenance.

Labour-led Stockport Council have today released the 2021/22 budget proposals, including a vital £160m capital programme, to help Stockport Build Back Better, deliver essential services for communities and tackle climate change.

Stockport Labour have retained the commitment to town centre regeneration, especially within the Mayoral Development Corporation, providing funding for Stockport Interchange, Stockport Exchange Phase 4 and Weir Mill and as well as further investment in Redrock, Merseyway and Underbanks.

District and local centres will also benefit through a £2m economic recovery fund to support local businesses, encourage social value and making sure residents feel like they have an active stake in the local economy.

We will continue to improve upon the 1300 affordable homes already delivered or being delivered under this Labour administration by allocating £10m to continue the building of affordable homes over the next 5 years.

We have set aside £4.9m for play areas, formal sports provision and maintenance and £8.8m in walking and cycling schemes to help residents live happy healthy lifestyles.

£1m has been set aside for the Solar PV scheme to helping residents buy solar panels and increase Solar PV and Solar Car ports across the borough.

The budget will also include £2m in one-off monies;

• £500k towards tackling climate change, including funding for Electric Vehicle charging points, increasing the number of community orchards and further tree planting.
• £500k to support Digital Inclusion and help overcome digital poverty.
• £300k for the roll out of Open + technology in more of our libraries.
• £150k to increase youth work capacity to target Anti-Social Behaviour.
• £100k to increase the mental health support offered during the pandemic.
• £100k to help tackle drug and alcohol addiction and further reduce health inequalities.
• £300k to commemorate Covid and Hopes Carr disaster with a new memorial or open space.
• £50k to develop a cultural support plan.

Cllr Elise Wilson, Leader of the Council, said;

“The Covid-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on our community, the like we haven’t

experienced for generations. It has exasperated many of the inequalities we face and placed even more pressure on an already pressurised public sector services.

“This budget takes the first steps towards our recovery from covid, offering support to our communities, investing in our economic regeneration and enhancing our natural environment.

“We are investing in our priorities, not just for now, but for the future as we carry on delivering on our bold ambition for Stockport.”

Cllr Tom McGee, Deputy Leader of the Council, said;

“We recognise that businesses, communities and individuals have been adversely affected by the covid-19 pandemic and that is why the council, along with our partners, have to start the path to recovery while also tackling some of our long term priorities.

“We have set out budget proposals to reflect the needs that residents suggest is necessary to start a recovery programme post Covid 19, focusing on our communities, businesses and health and wellbeing.”

Cllr Sheila Bailey, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport, said;

“Stockport Council has an ambitious Climate Change Strategy which includes the planting of thousands of trees, the installation of EV charging points, using our green spaces to provide grass and flower meadows and the planting of orchards across the Borough.

“In addition to funding allocated in this Budget, Stockport has received grant funding through the Nature for Climate Fund for the planting of 17,000 trees, creating new forests across Stockport. 

“Furthermore there is a £4.9m investment planned for play areas, formal sports provision and ongoing maintenance making sure that all commuted sums are allocated for the benefit of Stockport residents.”

Cllr Amanda Peers, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Neighbourhoods, said;

“The additional funding will be used to continue and extend our work to support and enable a robust third sector in Stockport, who have played such a vital role in supporting our most vulnerable communities during the pandemic.

“Going forward it’s important to enable further development in this sector to ensure codelivery on the priorities in the One Stockport Borough Plan. We will continue to distribute funding via The Stockport Local Fund alongside the creation of  new initiatives in collaboration with our communities and third sector organisations.

“One key piece of work will be to enable local communities to create their own memorial or commemoration to remember those that have lost their lives to Covid and also to recognise the amazing community effort made in response to the difficulties faced by our communities.

“Funding will be made available across the borough later this year. This is something that has been discussed at length in several meetings of a cross party working group, further details will follow in due course.”

Cllr Jude Wells, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, added;

“Investment in mental health support is a key part of our Covid recovery plan. We know that this is valued by our residents and that understandably the pandemic and its restrictions are having a negative impact on people’s health and well-being and is likely to be a long term issue across our communities.

“The additional funding will provide much-needed early intervention support to a wider group of people and will enhance and consolidate the current offer available to residents.

“Addiction Issues are a significant factor in health inequalities. We know that Covid has had a detrimental impact on people’s ability cope and that addictions like alcohol And drug dependency are on the increase.

“During lockdown many people have stopped accessing support services so there is latent and increased demand in many of our communities.

“An additional one off investment will support the development of a more proactive and targeted approach where we can work with individual communities to deliver a tailored  Model that will engage a wider cohort of people.”

Cllr Colin Foster, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, said;

“To increase detached youth work capacity alongside existing grant funded programmes with co-ordination through Target Youth Support, thus providing a more cohesive approach in reducing youth disorder and anti-social behaviour and achieving positive outcomes.”

Cllr Kate Butler, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focus and Engagement, said;

“COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated the digital divide everywhere. In Stockport we have been able to build on good work we have already done to remedy digital exclusion to meet this challenge head on.

“Through the Stockport Digital Inclusion Alliance (DigiKnow) and the Stockport Local Fund came the Device Lending Library which, coupled with a team of Digital Champions, brings skills, equipment and data to those in digital poverty. We want to further develop these relationships beyond the pandemic to make Stockport the most digitally inclusive place in GM and beyond.

“Our vision for Stockport’s library service puts it at the heart of our communities. Further roll out of Open+ technology enables more communities to access their library buildings during unstaffed hours whether that’s for private study, reading groups, groups doing useful work in their community, special interest groups, and so on. We’re committed to protecting and improving our library service across the borough to meet the 21st century needs of all communities.

“Stockport is rich in culture in all its forms. From council-run assets and events to a wealth of practitioners, participants and organisations, we all understand the value of a diverse cultural life whether that’s tackling the scourge of loneliness and social isolation, addressing mental health issues, or encouraging entrepreneurialism. We are bigger than the sum of our parts and by working together right across the borough we can help individuals and communities express themselves and explore their potential.”

Cllr David Meller, Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration, said;

“During this pandemic, we saw how vital our district and local centres are to communities: they helped get many through this period and were – and indeed are – literally at the centre of people’s lives. What is clear is people want their district and local centres to thrive.

“Therefore, we have setup a £2m COVID economic recovery fund, which will directly support our district and local centres and look to place social value and small and medium-sized Stockport businesses at its heart.

“Vibrant district and local centres will support independent businesses, help retain wealth – the so-called Stockport Pound – and begin to create a local economy where people have an active stake in it.

“As part of the recovery fund and through our Borough Plan, we will be engaging with local communities to find out what they want in their district and local centres so they are relevant for the long-term and immediately serve people’s needs.”

ENDS.