Offerton Park

Offerton Park is an estate and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England, situated to the south-east of Stockport town centre. The parish boundaries exclude the area of Offerton Green, further to the east. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,762.

Creation

The parish of Offerton Estate was created in 2001 from part of an unparished area. In 2006, the parish changed its name to Offerton Park.

Attempts at abolition

In April 2010 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council received two petitions from residents of the parish calling for its abolition. Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 the council was obliged to carry out a community governance review. Consultation showed that about 75% of the area's population favoured abolition, and in a poll held in July 2010 votes chose to abolish the parish council by 275 votes to 139. Stockport Council duly made an order abolishing the parish with effect from 31 March 2011.

The parish council initiated a judicial review, with the High Court ruling in September 2011 that the borough council had acted unlawfully as fewer than 17% of electors had voted so that it could be claimed that "the majority of residents held no strong view either way.." and that there was no way to know whether "the public generally, as opposed to a section of it, wished to see the parish council,or the parish abolished."

Stockport Council was forced to re-establish the parish and parish council, with elections held on 8 December 2011. All ten seats on the parish council were won by the "No More Parish No More Bills" Group, who are pledged to abolish the parish.

External links

• Offerton Park Parish Council