Council taking action for secure future

WHEN we think of the impacts of austerity, we often think of the effects on our emergency services, particularly our NHS.

However, as we look forward to local elections, it is important to remember that local authorities also administer these vital services, including Children’s Services and Adult Social Care, as well as road maintenance and bin collections.

Austerity has hit local authorities hard with disproportionate cuts from central government meaning that by 2020/21 councils will need to plug a funding gap of over £5.8billion.

Despite this, Stockport’s Labour-run council is showing how Labour principles and leadership can still make a difference in difficult times.

Stockport is in the middle of a two-year budget, a budget that includes a £30m cut from central government on top of having to find an additional £40m by 2020/21. To do so, Stockport has made ambitious investments to regenerate the local economy.

Investing today to save and reform for tomorrow - to protect rather than cut frontline services.

We can see the effect of some of these measures on Stockport’s skyline.

Significant regeneration is taking place; from the new Redrock development to Stockport Exchange, as well as infrastructure improvements making it easier to get into and around the town.

Action has also been taken to support the historic Market Place with a market management team brought in, new anchor tenancies secured and a successful £1.8m Heritage Lottery bid adding to the £7m already being invested in the Market and Underbanks area.

These will soon be joined by an ambitious project to build an integrated transport interchange and remodel the councilowned Merseyway fit for the 21st century.

These measures recognise the crucial role that town centres play in the life of the borough - but it doesn’t stop there.

Less visible service reforms include an award-winning programme to make services ‘digital by design,’ integration of health and social care services, ethical care policies, exempting care leavers from council tax and investment in libraries, leisure centres and school buildings.

Stockport is also directly building affordable housing through a new council-owned housing partnership, Viaduct.

It’s fair to say it has been a busy couple of years for council leader, Alex Ganotis and his team.

This record shows the difference Labour can make in power, even in the toughest of circumstances.

Just imagine what they could do if this Tory government was prepared to properly fund public services.