Reaction as Cllr Mark Hunter steps down as leader of the council
Mark Hunter has announced that he will step down as leader of Stockport council in May.
Cllr Hunter's 45-year career as a public servant began in 1980, when he was elected as a councillor in Tameside aged 22.
He was elected in Stockport for the first time in 1996, and went on to lead the council from 2002 to 2005, before being elected as MP in the 2005 Cheadle by-election.
After ten years in Parliament he lost his seat in the 2015 general election to Conservative Mary Robinson.
Mr Hunter then led Stockport Lib Dems to take control of the town hall in 2022 under a minority administration, after the council had been run by Labour for the previous six years.
Under his leadership, the group came within a whisker of winning a majority at the 2024 local elections, falling just one seat short of gaining total control of the council.
The outgoing council leader says he will remain a backbench councillor at the town hall representing the Cheadle Hulme South ward.
A new leader of the council will be decided at the annual council meeting on May 20.
Cllr Hunter told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the time felt right to pass on the role of leadership to the next generation.
"Serving the people of Stockport has been a great privilege. After careful consideration, I have decided that this is the right time for me to pass on responsibility for leading the Council to the next generation," he said.
"You can always make a case to say you should carry on a bit longer, especially when things are going so well for Stockport in the great scheme of things compared to many other boroughs.
"But I've got a long history of public service behind me so I just thought the time's right to hand on the baton to a fresh face and approach.
"I would like to thank colleagues across the council past and present, partners and councillors from all parties who work tirelessly to ensure our borough has such a well-run local authority."
His time in charge of the council has seen huge changes taking place around Stockport, particularly in the town centre.
He has campaigned to secure a Metrolink extension to Stockport town centre, where Transport for Greater Manchester has started the process of creating a business case for the potential work involved with this.
A £1bn regeneration project in the town centre is also gathering pace, and has already delivered projects such as the £135m transport interchange which opened last year.
There are also plans in the pipeline to expand the regeneration work, and build 8,000 town-centre homes over the next 15 years.
Cllr David Meller, leader of the opposition Labour group at Stockport council, paid tribute to Cllr Hunter for his "long period of public service at both a local and national level."
"Regardless of our political differences, there's no doubting his dedication to Stockport," he added. "Leadership brings with it many challenges, and we recognise the commitment and time he has given to our borough.
"We are sure he will still continue to make a real contribution to the council in whatever role he has."
Mark Hunter has also faced major challenges during his time as leader of Stockport council, in the face of huge budget pressures.
In February, Stockport set its annual budget and had to find £26m in savings.
This led to a controversial decision to introduce a £59 permit for households to continue weekly garden waste collections in their green bins, which led to backlash from some residents.
Cllr Hunter said: "20 years ago when I was first leader of the council, 2002 to 2005, we thought it was tough then, and there were never any easy or straightforward solutions, but my goodness me we're in a whole different world of pain these days.
"I do think there is an existential threat to local government as we know it now in this country."
Looking ahead to the future, the outgoing council leader said he plans to spend more time with his family, with two grandchildren and a third on the way.
He added: "I think I'll find it unusual to get used to the idea of being a backbencher again, but at the same time all things come to an end, it's time for me to make that move, and I hope it will be a good thing.
"A lot of people wait and then leave the council completely when they step down, but I'm not planning to do that.
"And who knows, after a lot of time commitment to public service there may be other ways in which I can help in the future, so I'm not closing the door on other opportunities.
"But there's nothing lined up, I'm perfectly content representing Cheadle Hulme South with my colleagues Cllr Keith Holloway and Cllr Helen Foster-Grime, that will more than keep me busy, I am quite confident about that."
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