Half the council seats filled with protesters. Slow hand clap

Still clapping. Some labour councillors have joined in

Protestors have overflowed into main chamber. Lot’s of clapping & shouting. 30 mins until we start the meeting.

sorry that’s ‘avondale’! sorry!

Shouting and blowing whistles at stockport full council now – certainly adds to the excitement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYrHQ-DzEeM

they’re going to get tired if they keep this up… got nearly 20 mins til meeting a starts

@CllrIainRoberts It’s irrelevant what cuts Labour planned. You’re in power so justify your unnecessary cuts to the people of Stockport.

The protestors have made their point, I think. They want to save avondale leisure centre.

About 10 people are going to ask questions. Sheila bailey (lab) who’s organised the protestors trying to get chamber cleared so we can start

Some protestors threatening sit-in at chamber to stop mtg started. Others want the chance to ask their questions.

row breaks out between protesters

1,000 signatures have been collected against the closure

Protesters refusing to leave seats.

he says the decision has already been taken

Chief exec now explaining decision to close avondale has been taken by exec & will go to scrutiny to be examined.

I’m a bit nervous: what will the council do?

Protestors saying they have 1000 names on petition against closing avondale.

applause

@JenGWilliams Don’t be nervous jen – people have the right to have their say. The proper process will be followed.

"i must insist the councillors’ seats are vacated to enable the meeting to take place"

it’s a face off, stockport style

someone asks why the sports head honchos invited to last night’s public meeting in avondale didn’t come

Still seeing if we can get the meeting started. Protestors showing no sign of moving.

people don’t appear to be moving. stand off continues

protesters dispersing to the back of the chamber, councillors are filing in

police have been called

cops are talking to one of the protesters. want to make sure it’s going peacefully

protester james wallace is calling for calm during the meeting

@CllrIainRoberts hope you took your sleeping bag!!

nothing seems to be happening. protesters wants to know what the delay is

rev roger scoones invites use to think about whatever is true, noble, pure and admirable

the bit of the prayer that says ‘help us ti be good, councillors’ draws laughter from gallery

3 tweeters (at least) here tonight: me, fellow cllr @suzingy and @jengwilliams from stockport express.

Most of british lacrosse team come from stockport; came 4/29 in recent competition.

order of meeting will change to allow more time for public questions

mayor wins

presentation re: children in care. report is about how stockport council can be a good corporate parent

Stockport has 319 children in care inc. 10 disabled kids. A further 116 aged 18-23 formerly in care are being supported.

Cllrs being challenged to take interest in children in care in their areas – ask ‘what if this were my child?’

hard work of foster carers praised by counclilor june somekh

right. time for questions

petitions. against avondale baths closures: 126 names on one from cheadle heath and edgeley residents associations

3 petitions against the closure of two leisure centres. 37 questions in public question time!

37 public questions submitted!

@CllrIainRoberts She would be VERY happy to speak to you, they’ve really messed her about. I’ll get in touch.

Some good questions from the protestors, and good answers too from cllrs john smith, dave goddard.

public demanding why there hasn’t been any consultation

but the only option was closure

John Smith: "I am not lying."

Labour leader points out it still has to go to scrutiny. standing ovation

difficult to overstate the shouting at this point. mayor calls for calm

Sorry @jengwilliams, last tweet wasn’t aimed at you – should have been general comment.

peel moat user asks if heaton mersey councillors are fighting the peel moat closures

questions about what kids will do for swimming lessons as other pools are booked up

they shout at him: ‘They’re all full.’

John Smith says it hasn’t come in yet so he doesn’t know. Boos and jeers

Cllr john smith – grand central pool is less than a mile from avondale, other facilities will be available at stockport academy.

At Three Rivers’ Resources committee. No public here. Sounds a lot less busy than @CllrIainRoberts full Council meeting!

@CllrIainRoberts Isn’t that the new Godwin’s Law?

communities councillor helen foster grime asked why she wasn’t at the meeting where the decision was taken on the sports centres

john smith is being asked how he sleeps at night (exec member for leisure, in case you’ve forgotten)

Labour are giving him a kicking. wathc this space for his response

says funding of broadstone mill and the closure of avondale etc is separate

the answer you have all been waiting for: "yes, i do sleep very well at night"

labour says that it is full up

john smith says there will be consultation with users

wants to know what consultation took palce between PCT and health scrutiny committee

he is asked when exactly he found out about the closure plans.

Now at Stockport council – lib dem motion attacking cameron’s suggestions on changes to council housing tenure.

tories accuse lib dems of not toeing national party line by kicking off about threats to council house tenures – ’scaremongering’

Lab leader andy verdeille supports lib dem motion – I think the entire council is in shock.

(well it’s my interlude, not theirs. they’re rowing about thatcher

iain roberts has mints too…

adrian nottingham has galaxy minstrels. or possibly werthers originals, can’t quite see

@JenGWilliams I’ve no mints today *sob*

@JenGWilliams I’m food-less – you could try cadging a jelly baby from the ratepayers.

i think the independent ratepayers might have gummy bears too. they are seriously prepared

@JenGWilliams Peter Burns has learnt a lot in his years on the council; I’m just a beginner.

dave goddard says he supports the initiative and says the council is trying to give ‘the best facilities ti the most number of people’

familiar face sheila oliver asks when the council will stop spending money to feed councillors (£20k a year)

dave goddard says it won’t be stopped. he says it costs about £1 a day to feed councillors and it’s worth it

@JenGWilliams They were smints. Now just a sad, empty shell that once contained smints. Not mine either.

cllr paul porgess is calling for new houses to be built

this is one of the first times the lib dems have gone against con dem policy

they say they have the courage of their convictions, not scared to disagree with national party

martin candler, to labour: "it’ll be no good you filling the public gallery every time you have to do something of necessity."

tom mcgee, chair of health scrutiny, says stockport pct has a £8m deficit – and has to cut £12m more

much applauding of council houses by all

not a lot to report on the fashion front, dave goddard looking quite dapper in grey suit and black shirt

@IntravenusMP @jengwilliams all 3 parties in favour of council housing, I think.

@CllrIainRoberts I’ll come along to the next meeting, they sound fun

mick jones just about managed to vote with his group on council housing. think he’s falling asleep – has been stuck oin the m6 jam

@CllrIainRoberts That’s because they are wrong!

council passes motion: it is in favour of council-houses-for-life

@CllrIainRoberts you have to encourage ambition somehow, even in public housing. Thanks for the email BTW, I’ll come to the next meeting

Now a motion from stockport tories on council transparency – think they want more.

i assume he means people inventing conspiracy theories

tories want all the various transparency things to be together in one part of the website so people can hold it to account

@CllrIainRoberts ‘con dem’ doesn’t belong to labour. it’s not half handy for twitter thought

@JenGWilliams ‘con dem’ falls into the same category as ‘bliar’, ‘nu liabore’ etc. It’s used as an insult. Coalition as an alternative?