The Communities & Transport Scrutiny Committee met on 1 September 2025, to discuss the One Stockport Safety Partnership Plan, a review of women and girls' safety on public transport, changes to the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, and a new policy statement on advisory residential disabled bays. The committee agreed to recommend the proposed change in policy for advisory residential disabled bays for the Cabinet Member to approve.

Here's a more detailed look at the topics discussed:

One Stockport Safety Partnership (OSSP) Plan 2025-28

The committee reviewed and commented on the draft of the latest three-year iteration of the One Stockport Safety Partnership's (OSSP) Plan, covering 2025 to 2028. The OSSP is the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) for Stockport, a statutory body established by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, which requires CSPs to address crime, disorder and community safety concerns.

The plan outlines key issues and proposed actions for the next three years, focusing on three broad themes from the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Plan 2024-29:

1. Keeping people safe and supporting victims, including sub-themes such as domestic abuse and online safety.
2. Reducing harm and reoffending, including adult offending and youth justice.
3. Strengthening communities and tackling inequalities, including crime, antisocial behaviour, and community cohesion.

The plan was informed by data from various agencies, the quarterly GM Community Safety Surveys, and community engagement events compiled into a Strategic Needs Assessment. The final version of the OSSP Plan 2025-28 will be published on the council website.

GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee Report: A Review of the Safety of Women and Girls on Public Transport

The committee considered a report from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee on its review of the safety of women and girls on public transport. The report highlights that women and girls feel much less safe than males travelling on the Bee Network.

The report recognises that equality, culture, and building trust and confidence in policing and community safety are at the heart of GM's Police and Crime Plan for 2024-2029. It sets out findings and recommendations on how to improve safety, including:

• Clearly defining inappropriate behaviour.
• Securing long-term funding for safety measures.
• Ensuring political and organisational leadership.
• Developing a gender-informed design guide for public spaces.
• Prioritising reliability of public transport.
• Creating spaces for men and boys to learn positive behaviours.
• Amplifying the messaging of the #isthisok campaign.
• Increasing visibility of GMP's TravelSafe LiveChat service.
• Increasing staff presence on the network.
• Providing accurate real-time information.
• Calculating the economic loss from women and girls not accessing opportunities due to safety concerns.
• Using licensing training to promote safety messaging to taxi drivers.
• Ensuring continuous safety messaging across the Bee Network.

The report recommends short-term actions, medium-term goals, and longer-term ambitions to create a safer public transport system for women and girls.

Councillor Helen Hibbert, Stockport Councillor and Chair of the GMCA Overview & Scrutiny Committee, stated in the report:

Violence against women and girls is accepted.

We are tired of people in power making bold headlinegrabbing statements. We are tired of reading policy where the needs of women and girls are a footnote. We are tired of women and girls being last in the queue.

City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) Reprioritisation Strategy Report

The committee reviewed a report highlighting the implications of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) reprioritisation strategy to Stockport.

The report noted that Stockport has been awarded funding for two capital programmes within the CRSTS1 Reprioritisation fund: £5.5 million for the Town Centre West Access Package and £4.24 million for Stockport Railway Station Access and Platform works.

The Town Centre West Access Strategy involves access measures to secure sustainable access to the Mayoral Development Corporation regeneration area, including pedestrian and cycle links. The Stockport Rail Station Platforms and Access Proposal includes improved pedestrian connections on the west of the rail station and remodelling arrangements on the platforms.

The report also noted that the additional maintenance funding allocated through the CRSTS Reprioritisation process takes the 2025/26 Stockport allocation to £2.848 million, an increase of approximately £1 million since the 2025/26 capital programme was set.

Advisory Residential Disabled Bays - 2025 Policy Statement Report

The committee considered a report on the council's policy statement on the installation of advisory residential disabled bays and the new process for residents requesting a bay, including associated charges.

The report outlined that there has been an increase in the number of residents who hold a blue badge in Stockport, with 15,000 valid blue badge holders in 2024, an increase from 14,000 in 2023.

The new policy statement clarifies the application process, eligibility criteria, and conditions for disabled advisory bays. It introduces a dual-funding approach to ensure all eligible residents have access to a bay, regardless of ward funding availability. Under the revised process, residents can apply via the standard application form, and local ward councillors will be approached to confirm whether the installation can be funded from the ward budget. If ward funding is not available or not approved, the applicant will be contacted and informed that they will need to pay for the bay. The cost of the bay will be £261 to reflect both the assessment and installation of the bay.

The committee agreed to recommend the proposed change in policy for the Cabinet Member to approve.