Dear resident,

Happy New Year!  I sincerely hope that 2014 is a year of health and prosperity for you and your family.  December was another busy month both here in the constituency and down in Westminster before the Christmas break.

9 year-old Lara Harding, a pupil at St Peter’s Catholic Primary School in Hazel Grove,won first prize in my annual Christmas card design competition.  Her design was made into over 40,000 cards and it was a pleasure to visit her school to award her with a special prize in recognition of her achievement.  I also visited The Kingsway School in Gatley again last month to meet with the new Head teacher.

I was pleased to make my annual early morning visit to the hardworking posties in the local Royal Mail delivery offices in Bramhall and Cheadle as they dealt with the increased Christmas workload.  It was good to have the opportunity to thank our postmen and women in person – they were in excellent spirits and had the job well in hand!

I also visited the Sainsbury’s store at Cheadle Royal to meet with their management and staff and also to hear more about their ‘Active Kids’ campaign which has donated a considerable amount of play and sports equipment to our schools, groups and clubs across the constituency.

There was good news for unemployed young people in Cheadle Constituency as the Coalition Government incentivised taking on new employees by abolishing employers’ National Insurance Contributions for under 21 year–olds.  The policy that will be implemented in April 2015 means that companies will not have to pay contributions for nearly 6,000 young workers in the Stockport area.

At the beginning of December I attended an important event hosted by Parkinson’s UK that highlights issues that have arisen with a new NHS funding package; the Government must ensure that vulnerable people and their families are given the support they are entitled to.

Having led the campaign locally, I was pleased to note that last month marked the five year anniversary since the defeat of Labour’s proposed Greater Manchester Congestion Charge.  It was a great victory for common sense after a concerted effort by local residents, councillors and MPs.

Following October’s news that Stockport Homes had been named in the country’s ‘Top Ten Landlords’ by a national housing magazine, I was delighted to learn that they had been placed runner-up after the ten finalists were put to the public vote.  This was a deserved recognition of the excellent service that Stockport Homes provides and I know that the local support they received was as much reward as the magazine’s accolade.

Indicators suggest that 2014 is looking bright for Greater Manchester’s economic prospects and this view is supported by some of our leading business experts.  There is absolutely no room for complacency when it comes to bringing business and investment to our area but I am confident that we have the foundations in place for a strong 2014.

Thank you once again for taking the time to keep up to date with what I am doing to represent our local area; as ever please do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything that you think I might be able to help with.  Here’s to a great 2014!

Yours sincerely,

Mark Hunter MP

   Leave a comment