The Labour Government has doubled the housing targets for Stockport, while weakening the protections for green belt. As a result, developers are targeting building on our green spaces first; this means that the houses are less affordable, less accessible, and in the wrong places for people struggling to get on the housing market.
On average, an “affordable house” in the villages outside Stockport, by the Government's definition, still costs £323,8231. The average cost of an affordable house in Stockport town centre is just £167,5132. Only one of those is within reach for the vast majority of first-time buyers.
That's why we're calling on the Government to change its approach and provide new housing that communities want. That means social and affordable housing. That means housing on brownfield sites first. And it means building the GPs, schools and transport links that make local people's lives better, not put an added strain on the system.
If you think that the UK should be building more truly affordable housing, with better schools and healthcare, and with the community being part of the process, sign our petition.
Do you believe the Government should give local residents more say in the planning process, to guarantee brownfield development first, and to ensure that schools and GPs must be an essential part of any large development?
The announcement of an immediate £86 rise in water bills, and a 32% increase over five years, has been criticised by Stockport MP Lisa Smart after it was revealed that the price rises would also fund increased dividends.
The failure to include Stepping Hill Hospital on the New Hospitals Programme – despite the looming £130 million repair bill – has been challenged by local MPs Lisa Smart and Tom Morrison in a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
Local MP Lisa Smart directly challenged Government Minister Andrew Western over the inequalities in adoption pay which leave self-employed people without the same support that biological parents or employed people get.
Lisa Smart MP leads a debate on creating a level playing field for self-employed adopters, so that they get the same adoption pay and leave as people who are employed as staff.
Local MP Lisa Smart’s call for equal pay for adoptive parents is gaining traction, with a debate in Westminster on the subject set for this week.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has been asked to make a statement to the House on the transport delays across the Northern network, following Lisa Smart MP’s recent question to the Commons.