The Romiley Gazette

29th August 2026

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Governance Structure 2006–2009

During this period Stockport operated a classic Leader and Executive model (the body was called the “Executive”, not yet “Cabinet”). The Liberal Democrats held overall control throughout.

Political Control

• Liberal Democrat majority administration.
• After the May 2007 election: Liberal Democrats 36, Labour 15, Conservatives 9, Heald Green Ratepayers 3 (Lib Dem majority of 9).

Leader of the Council / Executive Leader

Cllr Goddard was the signatory of the 3 September 2009 letter to Mrs Sheila Oliver.

The Executive (2007 example – Annual Council 22 May 2007)

Typical composition (approx. 8–10 members):

• Executive Leader: Cllr Dave Goddard – overarching responsibility; authority to deputise for all other Executive Members.
• Deputy Executive Leader: Cllr Sue Derbyshire (Regeneration portfolio in 2007).
• Children & Young People: Cllr Mark Weldon (Children and Families, Social Services, Schools, Youth Service, Connexions).
  This is the portfolio most directly relevant to the Harcourt Street school project. Cllr Weldon is named in Mrs Oliver’s 2009 public question.
• Other portfolios typically included: Adults & Health, Regeneration / Economic Development, Environment, Communities, Leisure, Customer Focus / Corporate, Finance (sometimes combined with Deputy Leader).

Exact portfolio titles and holders shifted slightly year-to-year, but the Children & Young People portfolio remained a core Executive responsibility.

Officer Structure (Children & Young People’s Directorate)

This was the key directorate for the school project:

• Corporate Director, Children and Young People (statutory Director of Children’s Services): Andrew Webb.
  He is named on the footer of the 30 November 2006 Donna Sager letter and was the senior officer responsible for the service.
• Assistant Director (Strategy and Performance): Donna Sager.
  Author of the 30 November 2006 letter to Mrs Oliver confirming the multi-stream funding approach for the Harcourt Street school.

The Directorate sat under the Corporate Leadership Team and reported politically to the Executive Member for Children & Young People (Cllr Mark Weldon for much of the period).

Other Key Governance Bodies (2006–2009)

• Full Council – set budget and policy framework; appointed the Leader.
• Scrutiny Committees – including a Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee that could review Executive decisions and performance.
• Audit Committee – oversight of internal control, risk, internal audit and external audit (Audit Commission at the time).
• Area Committees – local input (the relevant one for Harcourt Street / North Reddish would have been the Heatons & Reddish or Tame Valley Area Committee).
• Planning & Highways Regulation Committee – determined planning applications (including the school).
• Standards Committee – member conduct.

Decision-making path for a major school capital project

1. Officers in Children & Young People’s Directorate (led by Andrew Webb / Donna Sager) develop proposals and funding package.
2. Project Board / internal officer governance (the 30 March 2007 pre-meeting agenda sits here).
3. Executive Member (Cllr Mark Weldon) and/or full Executive take the political decision.
4. Capital programme and budget implications go through Executive and Full Council.
5. Planning permission via Planning Committee.
6. Ongoing monitoring reported to Executive, Scrutiny and (for financial control) Audit Committee.
7. External assurance via the Audit Commission’s annual audit of the accounts and value-for-money conclusion.

Direct link to the three documents

• 30 Nov 2006 letter – Officer letter from Donna Sager (Assistant Director) on behalf of the Children & Young People’s Directorate, under Corporate Director Andrew Webb.
• 30 March 2007 agenda – Internal Project Board / officer-level working document within the same Directorate.
• 3 Sept 2009 letter – Formal response from the Leader of the Council (Cllr Dave Goddard) to a public question raised at an Executive meeting, referencing alleged procedural failures by himself and Cllr Weldon.

This structure remained broadly stable through 2009, with Dave Goddard as Leader and Andrew Webb as the long-serving Corporate Director for Children and Young People.