Heald Green Ratepayers

ChairmanJohn Williams^[1]

SecretaryJamat Ali

Deputy ChairmanRichard Skitt

TreasurerClare Khetab

Heald Green and Long Lane Ratepayers Association
Chairman	John Williams[1]
Secretary	Jamat Ali
Deputy Chairman	Richard Skitt
Treasurer	Clare Khetab
Founded	December 1927; 98 years ago (1927-12)
Ideology	Ratepayer interests
Local government	3 / 19,698
Website
healdgreenratepayers.org.uk
Politics of the United Kingdom Political parties Elections

The Heald Green and Long Lane Ratepayers’ Association was established in 1927.  Ratepayers’ associations were originally common in this area of Stockport, but they gradually declined in the latter half of the 20^th century.

The Heald Green and Long Lane Ratepayers’ Association is an active group run by a committee which meets regularly, and has a wider membership made up of residents who live in the Heald Green ward who pay a subscription to become members, it operates now as a residents association.  The AGM is held every September.

The aims of the association include:

• Helping improve the appearance of the local area through organising litter picks as well as providing and planting flower tubs, they work with the "Friends of" Group for the two local parks.  The association’s "Heald Green Team" brings together volunteers who clear and tidy up neglected and overgrown areas in the ward.
• Ensuring council services are working as effectively as they can in Heald Green
• Helping to create thriving local schools through representation on the governing bodies of local schools
• Working with Greater Manchester Police Force’s local officers on law and order issues, the association manage a CCTV scheme within the centre of Heald Green
• Providing representation for Heald Green residents through membership of the Manchester Airport Consultative Committee
• Promoting community spirit through organising events such as the Summer Festival and the Remembrance Day Service at the local cenotaph.
• The association is also seeking to develop and improve the Bruckshaw Meadow area south of Queensway as a green space that is accessible for residents.

The association sponsors candidates, the ‘Independent Ratepayers,’ in local elections to help fulfil its aim of looking after the interests of the ward. Its representatives must live in the ward to qualify for selection.^[2]  The Independent Ratepayers are unique in having won every seat in every local election in the ward since it was formed in 1929.^[3][4] The association has also supplied three mayors and two deputy mayors since the ward became a part of Stockport in 1974.^[5]

The association is not political as its representatives do not register as a political party, meaning there is no logo accompanying their candidates’ names on the ballot paper for local elections.  The Independent Ratepayers do not to have an election manifesto, instead their approach is captured by their motto is “Watching over the interests of Heald Green ward” and their commitment to the “smooth running of Stockport Council” in the interests of local residents.  The Independent Ratepayer candidate’s approach was described in this 2024 pre election round up in a Manchester Evening News article.^[6]

As part of Stockport Council the Independent Ratepayer councillors approach is to not form coalitions or align with any political party; in a situation where there is no overall control the councillors will seek to support the smooth running of the council by supporting the political party with the largest number of councillors.

The symbol of the Heald Green and Long Lane Ratepayers Association is a representation of Mercury, messenger of the gods in Roman mythology.  This is because the original telephone exchange in Heald Green was called the Mercury Exchange, Heald Green had the location code “MER,” based on the letters around the old telephone dial. When the Mercury Exchange was built HEA was already in use for Heaton Moor and CHE was used for Cheetham. The abbreviation MER for Mercury was chosen for Heald Green as Hg is both the chemical symbol for Mercury and an abbreviation of Heald Green^[7] so Mercury has been associated with Heald Green ever since.

All of the councillors to represent the ward on Cheadle and Gatley Urban District Council and then Stockport Council are listed below^[8]