At the last meeting of Stockport Council, the Liberal Democrats successfully called for urgent support for residents facing an unprecedented cost of living crisis.

Parliamentary Candidate for Cheadle Tom Morrison submitted the motion and thanks to the Liberal Democrat administration and others, it passed.

The Lib Dem motion called for measures including a reinstatement of the pensions triple lock and a windfall tax on electricity generators, as well as seeking to freeze council tax next year, and the creation of a “one stop shop” council service offering financial help and advice to those struggling.

Currently the government spends 50% more on the average resident in London than those living in the North and over 15,500 households across Stockport are in fuel poverty. Whilst 12% of children in Greater Manchester live in poverty.

“I’m relieved the council has chosen to back my motion. Families and pensioners are struggling across our borough; many are having to choose between basic necessities and saving what little money they can. Others are simply doing what they can to survive rather than live,” said Tom.

“Whilst the Conservative Party chooses to navel gaze and fight amongst itself as to who can offer the biggest tax cuts to multinational corporations, the Liberal Democrats will continue to stand up and fight for those who work hard and play by the rules.” He added.

Parliamentary Candidate, Tom Morrison today met with the new Leader of Stockport Council to discuss the challenges that many local people are having with securing an NHS dentist. 

Raising the issues of NHS contracts and the confusion around where responsibility lies for providing access to NHS dentistry across Cheadle Constituency, Tom pushed for Stockport Council to take a more active approach to getting action for local people. 

Cheadle Liberal Democrats have called on Mary Robinson and all Greater Manchester Conservative MPs to resign their Conservative Party whip and no longer vote in favour of the Government.

The calls follow Boris Johnson winning a no-confidence vote amongst his Conservative MPs. Johnson survived the vote 211-148 in favour.

More than 200 Conservative MPs voted in favour of keeping Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, meaning he will be safe in his position despite breaking the law and lying about it to the British people.

The Liberal Democrats will accuse Conservative MPs of propping up Boris Johnson as Prime Minister by not resigning their party’s whip and sitting as an Independent MP.

Thousands of patients across Stockport are being rushed through an appointment with their GP in less than 5 minutes, new research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Cheadle Liberal Democrats have blasted the “stark postcode lottery” facing people in the area, with 15,675 GP appointments in April clocking in at under 5 minutes. The party has raised fears that many patients are not being seen for long enough by their doctor to be properly assessed. 

The new figures show that 17.41% of GP appointments in Stockport in April lasted for under 5 minutes while 43.55% lasted for under 10 minutes.

Out of the 90,030 GP appointments across Stockport that month, a staggering 15,765 were under 5 minutes long and 23,529 came in at under 10 minutes.

NHS figures show that across England as a whole, around one in five (22%) of the 16.6 million GP appointments in April lasted five minutes or less. Only half of all appointments across the country lasted longer than 10 minutes.

The Lib Dems were the big winners across Cheadle in May’s local elections!

As well as winning across Bramhall, Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme, we also took control of Stockport Borough Council. 

I am delighted that Cllr Mark Hunter has been named the new Leader of Stockport Council, and pleased he has announced a review on the Council's decision to close Central Library as well as signalling his intent to freeze council tax next April. Many people have also told me how happy they are that under Mark's leadership, Stockport will prioritise protecting green spaces.

The Liberal Democrats won the popular vote across Cheadle Constituency with a clear lead over the Conservatives. Labour finished a distant 3rd place again.

We now hold a majority of the council seats across Cheadle for the first time since 2015. 

We are in a brilliant position for the General Election, which could be announced sooner than people expect. It is clear we CAN take Cheadle Constituency back from the Conservatives.

But to do that, we need help. If you would like to get involved in helping stop the Conservatives here in Cheadle Constituency, please use the button below and help us get a better deal for our area.

If you have any issues you would like me to support with, please do get in touch. But in the meantime, I hope you can help us win in Cheadle and end years of Conservative neglect.

Liberal Democrat Tom Morrison has today slammed Mary Robinson MP for voting against an emergency tax cut in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

 It comes as over 300 Conservative MPs voted against the measures put forward by the Liberal Democrats to cut VAT from 20% to 17.5%.

This proposal would be set to save families in our area an average of £600 each, and would also reduce inflation by keeping prices down in the shops. However, it was blocked after the Conservatives voted it down.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to immediately bring in an emergency tax cut to help families facing soaring inflation and rising prices. The party is also calling for a windfall tax on the massive profits of oil and gas companies, to fund extra support for the most vulnerable families.

Parliamentary Candidate for Cheadle Tom Morrison has slammed the local Conservative MP for voting against the tax cut.

Stockport Borough to be hit by £48,461,915 National Insurance bombshell as cost-of-living crisis bites

• Typical family in Stockport set to pay an extra £147.20 in national insurance contributions (NICs) this year as cost-of-living crunch hits.
• Local businesses are also set to feel the squeeze with £29,077,149 tax hit.
• Lib Dems demand emergency VAT tax cut to put money back in the pockets of struggling families.

Following the recent announcement that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have abandoned the ‘PoliceWorks’ part of their failed iOps computer system, Stockport Liberal Democrats have called on Andy Burnham to commission and publish a full report into the true cost and impact of this long drawn out experience.

Cllr Tom Morrison, Lib Dem representative on the GM Police, Fire and Crime Panel, said: “We knew for several years that the new computer system was failing.  At last the new Chief Constable has done what should have happened under his predecessor and abandoned this mission-critical system that was not fit for purpose.   As well as wasting around £70m of public money, Greater Manchester has had several years where residents have been unable to rely on their local police to correctly record and investigate crime, leading to a hidden explosion of criminality.

“I am calling on Andy Burnham and Bev Hughes, as the politicians responsible to our residents for holding the police to account, to commission and publish a report into the true cost and impact of this sorry episode.  How much has actually been spent in buying and trying to make this system work?  How much has been recovered from the supplier?  How much is the replacement system costing?  And what has been the additional cost of crime and the personal impact on residents in Stockport and elsewhere across Greater Manchester because our police force was unable to operate effectively during this time?”

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Lib Dems at Stockport Town Hall, added: “This has been a complete waste of public money on Andy Burnham’s watch.  He says it was procured before he became mayor but, by his own account, he failed to ensure the former Chief Constable and his team were effective in its implementation.  The problems with iOps were being reported in our local press, and being vehemently denied by the former Chief Constable, almost from day one back in 2019.  

“This is an utter shambles and our residents deserve to know exactly what this has cost both in terms of public money and in terms of unreported and additional crimes committed across the region.”

Residents across Cheadle & Cheadle Hulme are set to face another spike in the cost of living as energy bills and inflation continue to rise. National Insurance increases will make life even harder for working families, pensioners and young people.
Earlier this year, the energy giant BP announced profits of £9.5bn whilst the average UK household is expected to see its electricity and gas bills rise by £693 this April. That’s an eye-watering 54% increase.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, said: “It simply cannot be right these energy companies are making super profits while people are too scared to turn their radiators on and terrified there will be a cold snap.” The Government has ignored Ed Davey’s calls for a windfall tax on super profits to support families and pensioners.

You may be entitled to help with the cost of living:

• £150 council tax rebate in April
  Having adjusted the energy price cap, the government says all of those in England living in properties in council tax bands A to D will receive a £150 rebate in April. This will not need to be repaid.
• £200 energy credit loan in October
  All domestic electricity customers will receive a £200 credit on their energy bill in October 2022. The government will initially meet the cost of these payments, but you’ll have to pay them back.
• You may also be entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment or help through the Warm Homes Discount Scheme. Visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/grants-and-benefits-to-help-you-pay-your-energy-bills/

  Residents across Cheadle Hulme are set to face another spike in the cost of living as energy bills and inflation continue to rise. Additionally, National Insurance and Council Tax increases will make life even harder for working families.

  Earlier this year, the energy giant BP announced profits of $12.8bn while the average UK household is expected to see its electricity and gas bills rise by £693 this April. That’s a shameful rise of 54%.

  Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, said: “It simply cannot be right these energy companies are making super profits while people are too scared to turn their radiators on and terrified there will be a cold snap.” The Conservative government has ignored Ed Davey’s calls for a summit of energy bosses and a windfall tax.

  You may be entitled to help with the cost of living:

  • £150 council tax rebate in April
    Having adjusted the energy price cap, the government says all of those in England living in properties in council tax bands A to D will receive a £150 rebate in April. This will not need to be repaid.
  • £200 energy credit loan in October
    All domestic electricity customers will receive a £200 credit on their energy bill in October 2022. The government will initially meet the cost of these payments, but you’ll have to pay them back.
  • You may also be entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment or help through the Warm Homes Discount Scheme. Visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/grants-and-benefits-to-help-you-pay-your-energy-bills/

Tory MPs vote against plans to “name and shame” water companies killing animals with sewage

• New “name and shame” law would have led to annual figures on animals killed by sewage dumps 
  
  

• Liberal Democrat proposal to take new action against water companies blocked by Conservative MPs
  
  

• Otters across England and Wales found to have been poisoned in rivers
  

Last week, Conservative MPs voted against a new law which would have forced water companies to report on the number of animals killed by sewage dumps.  283 Conservative MPs voted against the plans, versus 179 opposition MPs including Liberal Democrats who voted for.

The vote follows toxic substances known as “forever chemicals”, being detected in otters across England and Wales. 

The Liberal Democrats tabled an amendment to the new Animal Sentients Bill which would have led to:

• Water companies forced to produce reports on the number of animals killed by toxic and sewage waste dumped in rivers.
  
  

• The Government being required to publish an annual report into the number of animals killed by poor water quality in rivers
  
  

• The naming and shaming of water companies found to dump sewage in rivers which leads to animals being killed

The Liberal Democrats have demanded an end to sewage dumping in rivers to prevent wildlife being killed and the environment being irreparably damaged.

Cllr Tom Morrison Parliamentary Candidate for Cheadle commented on the vote:

“Greater Manchester Conservative MPs have again refused to take action against water companies. 

“People around here are furious at how badly United Utilities treats our local environment. It is outrageous to think wildlife in our local rivers is being poisoned by disgusting raw sewage. 

“It is time these water companies stopped polluting our rivers and pay for the mess they have made.”

Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

“Conservative MPs should hang their heads in shame. Yet again they have let water companies off the hook whilst our precious rivers are pumped full of raw sewage. 

“Enough is enough, we need to name and shame water companies which are being found to destroy precious wildlife habitat.  It is scandalous that animals are swimming in filth and seeing their habitats become sewage traps. 

“This is a national scandal. Time and time again Conservative MPs refuse to take tough action on water companies. When will they finally listen to the public and do the right thing before our rivers are damaged beyond repair?”