Last year there was a long consultation on what should be done to Cheadle Green, including stalls set up by the Green to get the views of shoppers and passers-by.

The outcome was strong support for a plan to thin out the trees – removing some and cutting back others – to improve the overall feel and appearance of the Green.

This major tree work is scheduled to start on 13th February 2012.

Click on the image below to see the proposals for the Green. These may have changed slightly, so the work carried out may not be exactly what’s on this picture.

Following pressure from the Lib Dems, the section of dodgy pavement in front of the Co-op on Cheadle High Street will be repaired.

The pavement – immediately in front of the entrance to the Co-op and behind the bus stop – is dangerously uneven with one section pushed up and the next pressed down.

This should be sorted out in the next few weeks.

If you’ve been along Church Road in Gatley this week, you’ll have seen that work is underway to reflag one side, from the old Nat West along to the Horse and Farrier.

We’re very glad to see this, as something the Lib Dem team have worked towards. Hopefully the work itself will minimise the inconvenience but we’ll monitor progress. Do let us know if you spot any issues.

We were very concerned to hear of the Schools Hill accident on Wednesday evening. A 34 year old man was hit on the zebra crossing by an 79 year old male driver, and we understand the man is in a serious condition in hospital.

We don’t know if excessive speed played a part in this particular incident, but we know that it is a problem on Schools Hill and we are continuing the work to make the crossing safer and to slow down traffic on that section of the road.

The vehicle activated speed signs will be in place in the next two weeks – the Council ordered them a few weeks ago and we are now just waiting for the supplier to deliver them.

We are also looking at further options, including making the streetlights brighter along that section of road, ensuring any overgrowing branches are cut back to maximise visibility and painting additional “SLOW” signs on the road.

The bus stop near The Downs is being moved nearer to the junction, so cars park further away and visibility for cars coming out of The Downs is improved.

Council officers will be conducting a speed survey at the zebra crossing over the next couple of weeks and the Lib Dems will be pressing for further measures if they are needed.

View Cheadle and Gatley in a larger map

The Lib Dems in Government are leading the way in pushing for those on low and middle incomes to pay less tax, funded by those at the top paying a bit more.

As the Lib Dem website explains:

Imagine a mum who works 3 days a week as a teaching assistant – earning £10,000 a year or just over £190 a week. Under Labour she paid more than £1,000 in income tax and national insurance. Although she wanted to work more days a week she knew it was not financially worth it. Under Labour; once tax, tax credits and housing benefit has been deducted, for every extra pound she earned she was able to keep just 10.5p.
Under our plan she would see her income tax bill cut to zero making her £700 a year better off.

This is a Lib Dem policy, putting more money in the pockets of those who need it most, and it’s just one of a whole range of things the Lib Dems are doing in Government to make the system better and fairer:

As part of this Coalition, Liberal Democrats are calling time on our unfair and out-of-whack tax system.

• We’ve clamped down on tax avoiders – targeting an extra £7bn every year
• We’re taxing the banks by an extra £2.5bn every year
• We’ve stopped inheritance tax cuts for millionaires
• We’ve put up Capital Gains Tax
• We’re ending the scandal, under Labour, of a hedge-fund manager paying less tax on their shares than their cleaner paid on their wages
• We’ve reduced tax breaks on pension funds for the super-rich
• We have retained the 50p rate
• And our overall priority is freeing the lowest-paid from income tax altogether and cutting income tax for millions of ordinary workers

You might remember that, when Labour were in power, the Lib Dems run several “Save our post office” campaigns – sadly with limited success as Labour closed many post offices across the area. The Labour government were determined to close large chunks of the Post Office network.

Now the Lib Dems in Government are sticking up for Post Offices. Post Offices across Stockport have been saved by Liberal Democrat Business Minister, Ed Davey.

After ending Labour’s shameful Post Office closure programme, which saw more than 7,100 Post Offices disappear in their 13 years in office, Ed Davey has announce a ten-year deal between the Post Office and the Royal Mail has been reached.

The deal gives additional certainty to subpostmasters across the UK and covers the full range of Royal Mail products available at post offices such as first and second class post, parcels, air mail, recorded and special deliveries.

The deal adds to other recent progress for the Post Office, with extra Government cash kicking in, new national and local government contracts won, successful piloting of new models to transform many local post offices and improvements in financial services offered.

Post Offices are a vital part of our communities and are the lynchpin of our towns and villages. More than 20 million people visit a Post Office every week to send letters to loved ones, to manage their finances or to renew passports for holidays and hundreds of thousands of pensioners rely on them every day for their pensions.

Labour left Royal Mail in a terrible mess and it is Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government who have stopped closures and put Royal Mail and the Post Office on a secure footing. Lib Dem plans mean that we will never see the kind of planned closures that devastated local communities under the previous Government.

The 20 million people who use the Post Office every week don’t deserve anything less from us.

Ed Davey said:

“A year ago I set out a radical plan to transform Post Office’s future, with £1.34bn of Government support and investment but without any closure programmes.

“Since then the Post Office has made good progress to become more competitive, building on its strengths.

“While it will take several years to turn round the Post Office’s finances, it’s increasingly clear the reforms are beginning to work.

“The 10-year deal struck between Royal Mail and the Post Office will give subpostmasters and others greater confidence.

“The signs are extremely encouraging for the future of the Post Office.”

Update: The contractors were on site repairing the leak this afternoon – Friday 27th Jan 2012.

The Lib Dem team have reported a water leak at the Kingsway junction to United Utilities, so it should be seen to soon.

The water is bubbling up by the central reservation on the Gatley side of the junction and, without all the other rain around, it quite obvious this morning if you pass by.

If you see a water leak, you can report it to United Utilities by calling 0800 33 00 33 or filling in the online form.

Book your stall at The Teenage Market in Stockport’s Market Hall.

The event, on the afternoon of Sunday 1st April 2012, offers free stalls to young people and arts-based entrepreneurs who would like a platform to sell their products, promote their skills and engage with the local community.

Check out the video below and the Teenage Market website for more information.

The Teenage Market from Screen Stockport on Vimeo.

Dear resident,

First of all, a happy new year to you all! Welcome to my latest Notes from Westminster, which aims to keep you up to date with some of the work I’ve been doing, and interesting news announcements both locally and in Westminster.

•        Our campaign to see the A555 Relief Road completed has been successful! After much pressure from local residents and Stockport Council, Ministers have confirmed this long awaited project has been given the green light:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/536816/exciting-day-for-cheadle-as-coalition-approve-road-project-hunter

•        … I have since lead a delegation to top level talks with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander to push for work on the project to start as soon as possible:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/539077/hunter-set-for-top-level-talks-with-minister-on-a555-road

•        My top priority, and the Coalition Government’s top priority, is getting our fragile economy moving again through job creation and reducing the country’s record financial deficit. The “Youth Contract” is just one measure the Coalition is taking which will help to do just this:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/537387/tackling-youth-unemployment-in-cheadle-hunter

•        Thanks to a key Lib Dem policy, state pensions will see their largest ever cash increase – fantastic news for pensioners in these cash-strapped times:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/537381/hunter-welcomes-largest-ever-cash-increase-in-basic-state-pension

•        In November, I was fortunate enough to be able to take the opportunity of paying our troops in Afghanistan a visit. We should never forget the risks our service men and women take each and every day to protect our national security, and I was touched by their selfless commitment:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/534476/cheadle-mp-visits-troops-in-afghanistan

•        January 27th is Holocaust Memorial Day. I signed a special “Book of Commitment” in memory of those who died and to speak out against racism and prejudice:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2012/550913/local-mp-speaks-out-against-prejudice-by-signing-holocaust-memorial-day-book-of-commitment

•        The festive season across are area was busy as always – marked by a series of well organised local events:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/539096/christmas-celebrations-begin-across-cheadle

•        Around Christmas time, I always hold a special Christmas Card design competition in our local primary schools. The winning design is then printed and delivered by the local Lib Dem team to 40,000 homes across the area – congratulations to 9 year old Austin Douglas of Oakgrove School, Heald Green on his fantastic winning design!

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/542089/christmas-card-competition-winner

•        I welcomed the local Air Cadets (Cheadle and Gatley Squadron) to Parliament for a tour of the building, the chance to watch a debate and, of course, the opportunity to grill their local MP!

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2012/548742/local-air-cadets-visit-houses-of-parliament

•        I joined representatives of The Stroke Association at a special campaigns event in the House of Commons to promote awareness of how the risk of having a stroke can be minimised:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/542613/mark-urges-local-residents-to-know-their-risks-to-stop-a-stroke

•        I presented Simply Books, Bramhall, with a special parliamentary certificate of recognition. This well run local enterprise goes from strengths to strength and has already picked up a series of national awards:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/542143/national-recognition-for-simply-books-again

•        After seeing success in 2011 with my “save the cheque” campaign, I welcomed the announcement that the Coalition Government is introducing measures to clampdown on unfair bank charges:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/534556/liberal-democrats-clampdown-on-unexpected-bank-charges-hunter

•        Finally, 2012 is, of course, the year of the London Olympics. Let me start, therefore, with a story about how the Olympics will be coming to our area. I hope to see many of you at the celebrations – do get in touch for more info:

http://markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2011/537851/olympic-torch-is-coming-to-town

As always, if there is ever anything I can be of assistance with, please do not hesitate to contact me directly – I am always happy to try and help.

Best wishes,

Mark Hunter MP

p.s. If you are ever interested in visiting Parliament yourself please contact John Brooks in my Westminster office on 0207 219 3889 or brooksj@parliament.uk.

We were very pleased to see a strong turnout from residents of Marchbank Drive, Cheadle at Tuesday’s Area Committee.

Residents on this small road are concerned about the level of burglaries seen on the road over the last few years and the message to burglars is clear: residents are watching out for each other and watching for you, police have stepped up patrols and the community is working together to increase security. The move by neighbourhood police to the Police Post in Cheadle means officers are now just around the corner and able to respond faster when there’s a problem.

The Lib Dem team were concerned to discover an apparent discrepancy between the residents’ own experience of burglaries and the figures the Police had – we’re chasing this up as it’s important everyone shares a correct understanding of the scale of the issue if we’re to properly tackle it.

A further meeting with residents, police and councillors is planned to move the issue forwards.