The Coalition Government has announced a £770,280 boost for school sports across the Stockport Borough from September. Every state primary school in the area will receive funding for sports in 2013/14 and 2014/15, including approximately:

• £9,120 for Cheadle Primary School
• £9,795 for Gatley Primary School
• £8,620 for Outwood Primary School in Heald Green
• £9,705 for Hurstead Junior School in Bramhall
• £9,550 for Great Moor Primary School
• £8,810 for Ladybridge Primary School in Cheadle Hulme

Local MP Mark Hunter was the special guest at the recent opening of a new pharmacy in Heald Green. The pharmacy, at 208 Finney Lane, is an exciting new project which has been built into the newsagents already located on the site.

Mark had been invited by local businessmen Abid Anwar, Saeed Akhtar and Shuaib Ishaq to open their new independent store in Heald Green. The pharmacy, which also includes a newsagents, has created 8 new jobs for local residents and will be open in the evenings.

Cyclists in Cheadle are set to benefit from a £1.1 million investment in safer roads, it was announced today by Liberal Democrat Transport Minister, Norman Baker. Cheadle MP Mark Hunter has welcomed the news as "an exciting set of plans to support cyclists in our area".

The cycling boost is one of the biggest investments in the country as part of a £40m fund to improve dangerous routes and junctions and the Cheadle area is set to receive a huge package of improvements for cyclists around Kingsway in between Cheadle and Gatley.

The package aims to increase safe network connectivity for all cyclists: those commuting or wishing to commute by bike between Stockport and Manchester, and those who may make local trips by bike into the centre of Cheadle.

Commenting, Mark said:

"Promoting cycling is the right thing to do and I am delighted Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are taking action to improve road safety.

"It is absolutely essential people should be able to cycle to work or school in a safe environment. This £1.1 million funding boost in our area will go a long way to achieving this.

"Not only is cycling healthy and enjoyable but by getting more people out of their cars and on their bikes, we can ease congestion too and strengthen our local economy."

Local MP Mark Hunter has hailed the 6 April Income Tax cut as a giant leap towards the Liberal Democrat goal of a fairer tax system.

On 6 April 2013, the Personal Allowance will be raised to £9,440 - the largest rise in the Personal Allowance ever. This means that 100,030 basic rate taxpayers across the Stockport Borough will see their Income Tax cut for the third year in a row. That will bring the total Income Tax cut since Labour's time in government to £600.

Thanks to this rise in the point at which people start to pay Income Tax, the number of the lowest paid who have been lifted out of paying any Income Tax will reach 9,960.

Commenting, Mark said:

"This Income Tax cut is real help for ordinary people in these difficult times. It is evidence of how in the Coalition Government, the Liberal Democrat priority is to create a fairer society and a stronger economy, enabling everyone to get on in life.

"Labour increased taxes for lower paid workers by abolishing the 10p tax rate and now stand on the side-lines denying any responsibility for the economic mess they created. It shows how people still can't trust them to make the right decisions on the economy.

"At the same time, we know that you can't trust the Tories to deliver a fairer society. It is thanks to Liberal Democrats that 24m basic rate taxpayers are getting an Income Tax cut on 6 April. At the same time, Liberal Democrats in the Coalition are cracking down on tax avoidance and ensuring the wealthy pay their fair share.

Yesterday morning (Wednesday 27^th March 2013) Cheadle MP Mark Hunter joined other local residents at an Alzheimer's Society "drop-in cafe" event held at The Governor's House Pub, Ravenoak Road in Cheadle Hulme.

Mr Hunter attended after being invited by the national Alzheimer's Society campaign team who work with parliamentarians to promote the interests of people with Alzheimer's.

Last Friday 22^nd February local MP Mark Hunter joined with representatives from Age UK, Friends of the Earth and the Energy Bill Revolution on a panel for an "energy and the environment" Question Time event hosted by Cheadle Hulme Methodist Church.

The one-off event, which was organised by environmental group Friends of the Earth, took place on a blistery cold evening but was still well attended by local residents and environmentalists.

Last Wednesday 20 March local MP Mark Hunter welcomed the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and Age UK and older people's campaigner Baroness Joan Bakewell of Stockport at an event to celebrate the success of Senior Railcards.

The Railcard was launched in 1975, and more people than ever aged 60 or over, a record 1.1 million people, own the Railcard. The Railcard offers an third off the cost of most standard and first class train tickets on the National Rail network, and journeys made with the Railcard have risen by 74% over the past year. Around one third of the Railcard holders say they use it to visit friends and relatives and one out of 10 for a day out.

Last Friday 22^nd March, local MP Mark Hunter paid his latest visit to Stockport Grammar School after being invited to take part in a Q&A session with the sixth form debating society.

After outlining his day-to-day responsibilities in Parliament and his work as a constituency MP, pupils were given the opportunity to discuss Mark's role and his party's involvement in the coalition government. Fifth Year Pupils and Sixth Formers quizzed the MP for 45 minutes on a variety of topical issues and Mr Hunter discussed a range of subjects including the Cypriot financial crisis and the recent Budget.

Today's Budget announced that the Income Tax Personal Allowance will be raised to £10,000 in April 2014 - one year sooner than had been expected. This means 985,700 working people across Greater Manchester will get a further Income Tax cut, bringing the total tax cut to £700 a year since Liberal Democrats joined the Coalition Government.

Local MP Mark Hunter has welcomed the historic cross-party agreement to implement the Leveson report, saying that it "acknowledges the concerns of victims and guarantees that those mistreated by the press have access to fair recourse" while also "protecting the freedom of the press both now and in the future."