27th November 2025
For residents living anywhere near the A555, the latest closure after Storm Claudia felt depressingly familiar. Another downpour, another blockage, another weekend of disruption. The road that was supposed to be a proud symbol of regional connectivity has become the North West’s most notorious case study in how not to build modern infrastructure.
This week, Cheadle MP Tom Morrison finally put into writing what many residents have been shouting for years: enough is enough.
His letter to Stockport Council calls for a multi-agency summit to drag the A555 out of the cycle of emergency repairs and into something resembling long-term stability. And he’s right to do so. But let’s not pretend the chaos started with a fallen tree or a recent storm.
The Roots of This Fiasco Go Back Years
When the A555 was pushed through its planning and approval stages, residents raised a litany of concerns — especially around drainage, flood mitigation and water-table impact. Those concerns were brushed aside.
Critics of the time still insist that the Liberal Democrat leadership of Stockport Council, who championed the scheme, repeatedly used heavy-handed planning tactics to accelerate approval. It’s also well-remembered locally that the project got its central government sign-off from Liberal Democrat Treasury minister Danny Alexander during the Coalition years. The symbolism is not lost on campaigners: a party that promised “better oversight” delivered a road that floods more often than a woodland footpath.
More troublingly, long-time opponents allege that reference to the lack of a full flood-risk assessment was sidelined or banned from some planning discussions — a claim they have been repeating for years. Whether or not officials agree with that characterisation, the fact that so many residents believe it speaks volumes about the trust deficit surrounding the entire project.
We’re Now Paying the Price
The original contractor’s collapse only deepened the mire. The result? A patchwork of fixes, quick wins, emergency call-outs and half-completed remedial works — all while the weather grows more extreme and the drainage system continues to buckle.
And now, after four closures in two years, residents find themselves right back where they were a decade ago: demanding clarity, accountability and honesty.
Morrison Is Right — But It Shouldn’t Have Come to This
Tom Morrison’s call for a roundtable meeting is not radical, it’s basic governance. His proposals — understanding remaining drainage failures, identifying overdue remediation, coordinating agencies, securing funding, and arranging a site visit — are the bare minimum required for a road of this scale.
The real question is why, so many years after the A555 opened, these conversations still need to happen at all.
Residents Deserve More Than Excuses
Local people don’t want another investigation, another “review of lessons learned,” or another round of political finger-pointing. They want a road that works, and leadership that admits when corners were cut.
This isn’t a freak weather story. It’s a political choices story. And voters have long memories.
If the A555 remains a monument to planning short-sightedness, the public will remember exactly who pushed it through, exactly who waved it into life from Whitehall — and exactly who ignored the warnings.
Danny Alexander
Lord Goddard
Shan Alexander – still a LibDem Executive councillor despite her involvement in the case of Mr Parnell
Sue Derbyshire, former LibDem Leader
John Smith – LibDem Executive Councillor and caught paedophile – involved also with the abuses against Mr Parnell.
Wendy Meikle – still a LibDem Executive Councillor – involved with the abuses against Mr Parnell, Offerton Precinct planning abuses.
Kevin Hogg
Iain Roberts – involved with the abuses of Mr Parnell and also the Vale View planning corruption.
Weldon – also involved with the Vale View planning corruption and the abuses against Mr Parnell
Tim Farron and Lisa Smart, who was very pro-bypass and wants to extend it, and had worked in Stunell’s office since 2012.
There is no respect for wildlife from the Stockport LibDems. 1200 Great Crested Newts had to be relocated to build the A555 road.
