The Liberal Democrats are set to take power in Stockport for a further year after Labour dropped its bid to run the town hall. The new Lib Dem administration will be confirmed at tomorrow’s annual council meeting, following an agreement between leader Mark Hunter and new Labour chief Coun David Meller, the Local Democracy Reporting Service, understands.
It comes after this year’s local elections again left the council under ‘no overall control’, with the Lib Dems just two seats shy of the majority needed to take the reins by right. There has been a minor complication since then, with Coun Aron Thornley - elected as a Lib Dem - making the surprise announcement he would now be sitting as an independent.
However, it became clear that was not symptomatic of any wider discontent within the group - which remains the largest on the council, boasting 29 members to Labour’s 25. Labour still had the option of rallying support from the three smaller groups - the Greens, Independent Ratepayersand Edgeley Community Association - with Coun Meller intitially indicating it was 'incumbent' on him to do so.
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