Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Stockport Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority since 2011.
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Michael Cullen since 2024 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 63 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Joint committees | Greater Manchester Combined Authority Greater Manchester Police, Fire and Crime Panel |
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Town Hall, Wellington Road South, Stockport, SK1 3XE | |
| Website | |
| stockport | |
The council has been under no overall control since 2011. Since 2022 it has been led by a Liberal Democrat minority administration. The council meets at Stockport Town Hall and has additional offices in the adjoining Stopford House and Fred Perry House.
History
editThe town of Stockport was an ancient borough, having been made a borough during the reign of Henry III (reigned 1216–1272). The original borough was entirely south of the River Mersey in Cheshire.[3][4] The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, at which point the boundaries were enlarged, with some of the gained area being on the north side of the Mersey in Lancashire; after 1836 the borough therefore straddled the two counties. The municipal borough was governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Stockport', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.[5][6]
When elected county councils were established in 1889, Stockport was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it was made a county borough, independent from both Cheshire County Council and Lancashire County Council, whilst continuing to straddle the geographical counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. The borough boundaries were enlarged several times.[7][8][9]
The larger Metropolitan Borough of Stockport and its council were created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of ten metropolitan districts within the new metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. The first election was held in 1973. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's five outgoing authorities, being the borough council of Stockport and the urban district councils of Bredbury and Romiley, Cheadle and Gatley, Hazel Grove and Bramhall, and Marple. The new metropolitan district and its council formally came into being on 1 April 1974, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.[10]
The metropolitan district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Stockport's series of mayors.[11]
From 1974 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater Manchester County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to Greater Manchester's ten borough councils, including Stockport, with some services provided through joint committees.[12]
Since 2011 the council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. The combined authority provides strategic leadership and co-ordination for certain functions across Greater Manchester, notably regarding transport and town planning, but Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council continues to be responsible for most local government functions.[13][14]
Governance
editThe council provides metropolitan borough services. Some strategic functions in the area are provided by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority; the leader of Stockport Council sits on the combined authority as Stockport's representative.[15] There are no civil parishes in the borough.[16]
Political control
editStockport has been under no overall control since 2011. Following the 2022 election a Liberal Democrat minority administration formed to run the council,[17] remaining in post after both the 2023 and 2024 elections too.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:[18][19]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1975 | |
| Conservative | 1975–1983 | |
| No overall control | 1983–1999 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1999–2000 | |
| No overall control | 2000–2002 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2002–2011 | |
| No overall control | 2011–present | |
Leadership
editThe role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Stockport. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have included:[20][21]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Knight | Conservative | 1974 | 1977 | |
| John Howe | Conservative | 1977 | 1978 | |
| John Lloyd | Conservative | 1978 | 1986 | |
| (no leader) | 1986 | 1997 | ||
| Fred Ridley | Liberal Democrats | 1997 | 2002 | |
| Mark Hunter | Liberal Democrats | 2002 | 18 Aug 2005 | |
| Brian Millard | Liberal Democrats | 18 Aug 2005 | 22 May 2007 | |
| Dave Goddard | Liberal Democrats | 22 May 2007 | 6 May 2012 | |
| Sue Derbyshire | Liberal Democrats | 22 May 2012 | 8 May 2016 | |
| Alex Ganotis | Labour | 24 May 2016 | 5 May 2019 | |
| Elise Wilson | Labour | 21 May 2019 | 19 May 2022 | |
| Mark Hunter | Liberal Democrats | 19 May 2022 | ||
Composition
editFollowing the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:[22]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 31 | |
| Labour | 22 | |
| Green | 3 | |
| Edgeley Community Association | 3 | |
| Independent | 4 | |
| Total | 63 | |
Three of the four independent councillors sit together as the 'Independent Ratepayers Group'; those three are all sponsored by the Heald Green Ratepayers, which is not formally registered as a political party. The other independent does not belong to a group.[23] The next election is due in May 2026.
Elections
editSince the last boundary changes in 2023, the council has comprised 63 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.[24]
Wards and councillors
edit| Ward | Councillor | Party | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bramhall North | Mark Jones | Liberal Democrats | 2023–27 | |
| Suzanne Wyatt | Liberal Democrats | 2023–26 | ||
| Alex Wynne | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28 | ||
| Bramhall South and Woodford | Peter Crossen | Conservative | 2024–27[a] | |
| Dallas Jones | Liberal Democrats | 2023–26 | ||
| Jeremy Meal | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28 | ||
| Bredbury and Woodley | Joe Barratt | Labour | 2023–27 | |
| Sue Thorpe | Liberal Democrats | 2023–26 | ||
| Rosemary Barratt | Labour | 2024–28 | ||
| Bredbury Green and Romiley | Rachel Bresnahan | Liberal Democrats | 2024–27[a] | |
| Angie Clark | Liberal Democrats | 2023–26 | ||
| Mark Roberts | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28 | ||
| Brinnington and Stockport Central | Christine Carrigan | Labour Co-op | 2023–27 | |
| Kerry Waters | Labour | 2023–26 | ||
| Karl Wardlaw | Labour | 2024–28 | ||
| Cheadle East and Cheadle Hulme North | David Meller | Labour Co-op | 2023–27 | |
| Jilly Julian | Liberal Democrats | 2023–26 | ||
| Mike Newman | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28 | ||
| Cheadle Hulme South | Mark Hunter | Liberal Democrats | 2023–27 | |
| Helen Foster-Grime | Liberal Democrats | 2023–26 | ||
| Keith Holloway | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28 | ||
| Cheadle West and Gatley | Clive Greenhalgh | Liberal Democrats | 2023–27 | |
| Ian Hunter | Liberal Democrats | 2023–26 | ||
| Huma Khan | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28[a] | ||
| Davenport and Cale Green | Dickie Davies | Labour | 2023–27 | |
| Wendy Wild | Labour | 2023–26 | ||
| Paul Wright | Labour | 2024–28 | ||
| Edgeley | Matt Wynne | Community Association | 2023–27 | |
| Leah Taylor | Community Association | 2023–26 | ||
| Asa Caton | Community Association | 2024–28 | ||
| Hazel Grove | Jake Austin | Liberal Democrats | 2023–27 | |
| Wendy Meikle | Liberal Democrats | 2023–26 | ||
| Frankie Singleton | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28 | ||
| Heald Green | Carole McCann | Heald Green Ratepayers | 2023–27 | |
| Ana Charles-Jones | Heald Green Ratepayers | 2023–26 | ||
| Catherine Stuart | Heald Green Ratepayers | 2024–28 | ||
| Heatons North | David Sedgwick | Labour | 2023–27 | |
| John Taylor | Labour | 2023–26 | ||
| Dena Ryness | Labour Co-op | 2024–28 | ||
| Heatons South | Colin Foster | Labour | 2023–27 | |
| Dean Fitzpatrick | Labour | 2023–26 | ||
| Claire Vibert | Labour Co-op | 2024–28 | ||
| Manor | Laura Clingan | Labour | 2023–27 | |
| Sue Glithero | Labour | 2023–26 | ||
| Jon Byrne | Labour | 2024–28 | ||
| Marple North | Steve Gribbon | Liberal Democrats | 2023–27 | |
| Geoff Abell | Liberal Democrats | 2023–26 | ||
| Micheala Meikle | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28 | ||
| Marple South and High Lane | Shan Alexander | Liberal Democrats | 2023–27 | |
| Aron Thornley | Labour[b] | 2023–26 | ||
| Colin MacAlister | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28 | ||
| Norbury and Woodsmoor | Grace Baynham | Liberal Democrats | 2023–27 | |
| Dominic Hardwick | Liberal Democrats | 2023–26 | ||
| Pete West | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28 | ||
| Offerton | Will Dawson | Liberal Democrats | 2023–27 | |
| Helen Hibbert | Labour | 2023–26 | ||
| Dan Oliver | Liberal Democrats | 2024–28 | ||
| Reddish North | David Wilson | Labour | 2023–27 | |
| Holly McCormack | Labour | 2023–26 | ||
| Rachel Wise | Labour Co-op | 2024–28 | ||
| Reddish South | Liz Crix | Green | 2023–27 | |
| Gary Lawson | Green | 2023–26 | ||
| James Frizzell | Green | 2024–28 | ||
- ^ a b c Elected in a by-election.
- ^ Elected as a Liberal Democrat councillor but resigned to sit as an independent on 16 May 2023, subsequently joined the Labour Party in August 2024.
Structure
editThe council uses a leader and cabinet system. There are eight cabinet members, including the leader of the council; each has a separate portfolio containing responsibilities for different services and areas of the council. There are also six scrutiny committees which scrutinise decisions made by the cabinet. The cabinet of the consists of eight councillors:[25]
- Leader of the Council: Mark Hunter
- Children, Families and Education: Wendy Meikle
- Finance and Resources: Jilly Julian
- Climate Change and Environment: Mark Roberts (Deputy Cabinet Leader)
- Highways, Parks and Leisure Services: Grace Baynham
- Economy, Regeneration and Housing: Colin MacAlister
- Communities, Culture and Sport: Frankie Singleton
- Health and Adult Social Care: Keith Holloway
Premises
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Full council meetings are held at Stockport Town Hall on Wellington Road South, which had been completed in 1908 for the old Stockport Borough Council.[26] An additional office block called Stopford House was built on Piccadilly (backing onto the Town Hall) in 1975.[27] Another adjoining office building called Fred Perry House on Edward Street was completed in 2011, named after tennis player Fred Perry (1909–1995) who was from Stockport.[28][29]
References
edit- ^ Perry, Alasdair (21 May 2024). "Cllr Suzanne Wyatt elected as new mayor for Stockport". Stockport Nub News. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Statham, Nick (19 May 2022). "The full story of how the Lib Dems got back into power in Stockport after six years". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Lewis, S. (1848). A Topographical Dictionary of England. pp. 209–215. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Parliamentary Papers. 1838. p. 127. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Parliamentary Boundaries Act. 1832. p. 335. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Municipal Corporations Act. 1835. p. 458. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Stockport Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Kelly's Directory of Cheshire 1914. Kelly's Directories Ltd. pp. 583–586. OCLC 1131686510.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1), retrieved 30 May 2024
- ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ "The Greater Manchester Combined Authority Order 2011", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2011/908, retrieved 30 May 2024
- ^ "Understand how your council works". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "GMCA Members". Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Liberal Democrats lead Stockport Council after crunch vote". BBC News. 19 May 2022.
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ "Stockport". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
- ^ "Council minutes". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ "Past Leaders of the Council". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ "Local elections 2024: full mayoral and council results for England". The Guardian. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "Council report, 21 May 2024" (PDF). Stockport Council. p. 3. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "The Stockport (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2022/1135, retrieved 3 June 2024
- ^ "Cabinet 2022/23" (PDF). democracy.stockport.gov.uk. Stockport Council. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ Historic England. "Town Hall, Wellington Road South (Grade II*) (1067166)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Bagshaw, Emily (7 June 2023). "Brutalism meets beauty in SpaceInvader's refurbishment of Stopford House". Material Source. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Carillion hands over Fred Perry House". Place North West. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "How to find us". Stockport Council. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
