Lisa Smart MP has detailed recent local campaign wins, including action on water pollution at Poise Brook, flood defence funding, the removal of abandoned vehicles at Marple Locks, and a change of bus on the 382 route. Writing in her latest column, the Liberal Democrat MP for Stockport said the progress shows what can be achieved when community champions work together as a team.
Poise Brook pollution checks under way
At Poise Brook in Torkington Park, a longstanding issue with pollution being released into the water is being tackled. United Utilities is currently running free checks for local residents and, where problems are found with household sewage entering local waterways instead of sewage works, the company is putting it right, according to Smart.
The MP acknowledged that it has taken time to get to the root of the problem but said the work is now progressing.
Flood defences and Marple Locks clean-up
Local councillors Jake Austin, Wendy Meikle and Frankie Singleton have been working to ensure that funding for local flood defences is put to work to prevent the flooding incidents seen in recent years, Smart said.
At Marple Locks, Smart said she has been working with the Canal and River Trust to get abandoned vehicles shifted, which she described as an eyesore at a national treasure. She regularly engages with the trust on national issues, such as securing World Heritage Site status for the area, and has raised this with the directors. Councillor Steve Gribbon and colleagues Megan Axon and Micheala Meikle kept up the pressure until action was taken.
Smaller bus for 382 route
In Bredbury and Woodley, Smart and local campaigners have been pushing Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) for changes to the 382 route. A large double-decker bus had been used to service a route with narrow streets and overlooking upstairs windows. Smart said they have recently persuaded TfGM of the importance of using a smaller bus on the route.
Smart said these changes, whether small or large, make a real difference to people in the local community. She added that taking persistence to achieve a breakthrough is what takes local councillors from being good to being great.
Smart encouraged people who want to make a difference for their community to get in touch, saying that community is one of the Liberal Democrats' core values.
