Labour councillors in Stockport are set to vote against a long-stalled plan for a relief road connecting the A555 to the M60, calling for the scheme to be "consigned to the dustbin of history" after years of delays.
Plans for the road, which would allow traffic to travel from the A555 to the M60, have been floated since 2001. However, the project has never got off the ground due to a lack of government funding and not enough support locally.
Plan revived in transport policy
The plan has long been touted as a solution to the 'horrendous' amount of cars and 'gridlock' traffic on the A6. However, it has faced opposition, with late councillor Sheila Bailey at the time reportedly calling it "environmental vandalism on a spectacular scale" that should be "consigned to the dustbin of history".
Labour councillors in Stockport are worried the plan is being revived. Earlier this year, a draft Stockport transport policy said the council would continue to prevent development that would stop the scheme going ahead and 'continues to recognise the potential strategic benefit'.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) also lists the scheme as one of several to explore and develop between now and 2050. Actual delivery would still be dependent on government support, with a past price tag of £500m and the scheme likely to now cost much more.
Labour motion against the road
Despite support at a regional level, Labour councillors in the borough are set to vote against the scheme moving ahead and are calling on other parties to support them. They said evidence shows new relief roads create more traffic than less.
A motion by Couns Jon Byrne and Rachel Wise said: "A scheme of this scale, cost and permanence should not re-enter this Council's plans by administrative route after members have voted it down. It should be settled by councillors, on the record, in public."
They added: "Relief from a road through the Goyt Valley would be temporary. The loss of the valley would be permanent."
Other motions at full council
The opposition party have called on the council to withdraw support, inform the GMCA of this, and later explore opportunities to use the land for a possible bus way, light rail, tram, or other options. This includes using the extension of the Metrolink to tackle congestion.
The motion is not the only one brought forward at the full council meeting on October 1. Edgeley Community Association councillors Matt Wynne and Asa Caton are calling for a review of Totally Local Company, the firm that operates Stockport's bin services.
This comes off the back of a summer of controversy over an operational decision across the borough. A failure to communicate new enforcement of rules around not collecting bins where the lid is open led to hundreds of bins not being collected and widespread criticism.
However, the opposition councillors claim that before this, there were 'growing concerns regarding the responsiveness and reliability of some public realm services, including increasingly reported concerns and delays'.
Pointing to Cheshire East and Peterborough City councils which brought services in house, the motion said: "These examples demonstrate that direct Council delivery remains an option actively considered by local authorities when determining the most appropriate arrangements for frontline environmental and public realm services."
Other motions have also been put forward. The ruling Liberal Democrats have called for further support for firefighters following this summer's moorland wildfires as well as urging the government to properly fund councils to cover budget black holes left by rising demand for social services.
The Green Party have put forward motions on climate change and rent controls. Labour have also submitted a second motion around affordable housing.
