Councillors in Stockport have clashed over how to solve the borough's urgent need for more housing.

The town hall is under no overall control but is led by a Lib Dem minority administration, which recently elected Cllr Mark Roberts as the new council leader.

Stockport's Labour opposition group also has a new leader in Cllr Christine Carrigan, and the two squared off over housing at a council meeting on 10 July.

Cllr Carrigan asked the council leader if his administration will do everything to build more social homes.

"We Liberal Democrats have always been in favour of housing, it's building in the right place, where we differ is about concreting over the green belt, that's where we push back," Cllr Roberts said.

"Delivering the right homes in the right places in a sustainable way, that's absolutely what we're about here in Stockport."

He added that 'government need to stick their hand in their pocket' to support the building of more social homes.

Councillors discussed the future of Stockport's housing in a town hall meeting on 10 July (Image - Nub News)

Stockport council has a brownfield-first approach to housing, and has shared plans to build around 8,000 homes as part of a regeneration boom in the town centre.

But some fear this will lead to a spike in apartments and a lack of family homes.

Cllr Carrigan said: "We have one hell of a big wide borough, [social housing] has to go everywhere."

She later added: "Realistically if we follow what you're suggesting, we cannot build those family homes in the town centre, you're right, it's already too dense, what you're going to keep putting there is flats, which doesn't do what we need."

The Labour group leader also said she has two children and fears they may not be able to live in Stockport in the future.

The council leader hit back, saying the town hall has looked across the borough for areas to build new homes, including in district centres around Stockport.

Housing has become a major issue in Stockport, where some face a 12-year wait for social housing and there are thousands of people on the housing register.

The council is preparing its local plan for housing, which will guide its decisions on new developments up until 2041.

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