Running Stockport

[CTCREP]

Thanks Mark, I shall try to upload an image again. In the mean time I have thought of another way Stockport Council caters for Stockport Council rather than its residents and businesses. For years I have been trying to persuade Stockport Council to signpost routes from the end of the Middlewood Way at Rosehill to Marple, Compstall and Chadkirk. It may surprise some that people, mainly cyclists, come great distances just to ride on the Middlewood Way. In a brief survey I did there were people from Barnsley, Nantwich, Sandbach and Northwich. There was also one couple from Essex whose pastime was to try to ride all the cycle-paths in Britain. Practically all turned back once they reached the Council's Refuse Tip.  I am sure many wouldn't if they only knew cafes etc were just up the road, but the Council refuse to do anything claiming lack of money.  However, to my knowledge without any cyclists asking for it, Stockport Council are signposting a route from Stockport to the Airport. The Airport has just closed down its Cycle facility for its employees and travelers, and airlines are making it more difficult to take cycles on a flight. So who benefits?  No doubt Stockport Council has another box it can tick and claim it is doing well.

Here is a picture of what Stockport Council considers a perfectly satisfactory footpath between Compstall and Marple via Brabyns Park.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[admin]

CTCREP - you can't add an image in the way you have tried unless it is already hosted on an existing web site and you include the full url. However, you can use the Additional Options below the text entry box to upload a small image. Just click the plus sign and then browse to the file on your pc. You are welcome to have another go. (Recommend file names have no spaces. i.e. "photo_name.jpg", not "photo name.jpg")

[CTCREP]

The sort of issue I am writing about is providing useable footpaths. I live in Compstall. In order to walk to Marple the obvious way is through Brabyns Parks Park starting with Rollins Lane.  This is muddy and at times completely flooded .  To walk to Romiley we have to cross Cowlishaw Lane which has a grass triangle with no footpath - at times it is wet and pedestrians are effectively forced to walk in the road. Complaining to my local Councillor merely results in my being told the Council won't provide a footpath.

We have  a "Community Council" in Compstall which tries its best but this is simply one tier further away from the decision makers who appear to prefer promoting Stockport Council to catering for its residents.

[Lisa Oldham]

we could always follow Offerton and a few others.. and create a parish council again quite easy to do...

[Dave]

We vote for Councillors and several encounters with these have resulted in "Oh we can't do that the Council Officers won't let us"

I've heard a few excuses, but I've not had that one (yet).  What sort of issue was it?   

[CTCREP]

I don't really understand how politics works. We vote for Councillors and several encounters with these have resulted in "Oh we can't do that the Council Officers won't let us" which begs the question - Why do we need Councillors?  If the Councillors cannot decide what should happen in Stockport and the decisions are made by the Council Officers many of whom do not live in Stockport then there must be a conflict of interest - the improvement of Stockport, or the improvement in the Council Officer's promotion prospects. ----they are not necessarily the same. In France the local Mayor is elected by the residents and if the Mayor fails to cater for the town then a new Mayor is elected - we cannot remove Council Officers who fail to cater for Stockport's residents.

I have just come across the following http://www.citymayors.com/government/uk-elected-mayors-2010.html which claims Elected Mayors are doing rather well.  Perhaps we should be asking for the same.