Stepping Hill (Stockport electoral ward)

Stepping Hill was an electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, England, created for the 2004 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election. It elected three councillors to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council using the first past the post electoral method, electing one councillor every year without election on the fourth. The ward was abolished in boundary changes before the 2023 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election and split up, with the largest part of it going to the new ward of Norbury & Woodsmoor. Parts of Great Moor and Little Moor within the ward were moved into the Offerton ward, and a small area into the Hazel Grove ward.

Stepping Hill
Electoral ward
Former boundaries of Stepping Hill within Stockport
Population	9,834 (2010[1])
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
UK Parliament	Cheadle
List of places UK England

The ward was bordered by Hazel Grove, Bramhall North, Davenport & Cale Green, Manor and Offerton, and included Stepping Hill Hospital.^[2] Together with Bramhall North, Bramhall South, Cheadle and Gatley, Cheadle Hulme North, Cheadle Hulme South, and Heald Green wards, it made up the Cheadle Parliamentary constituency.

Councillors

Stepping Hill electoral ward was represented in Westminster by the Member of Parliament for Cheadle.

The ward was represented on Stockport Council by three councillors, and throughout its history was represented by councillors from the Liberal Democrats, Conservative Party, and the Labour Party.

In the 2023 local elections, all three of the sitting councillors for the ward and two of its former councillors sought re-election in new wards.^[3]

• Grace Baynham was elected to represent the new ward of Norbury & Woodsmoor.
• Christine Carrigan was elected to represent Brinnington & Central.
• Rory Leonard was defeated in the election for Edgeley.
• Mark Weldon was defeated in the election for Offerton.
• John Wright was defeated in the election for Norbury & Woodsmoor.

Election	Councillor		Councillor		Councillor
2004		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)		Ben Alexander (Lib Dem)		Maggie Clay (Lib Dem)
2006		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)		Ben Alexander (Lib Dem)		Maggie Clay (Lib Dem)
2007		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)		Ben Alexander (Lib Dem)		Maggie Clay (Lib Dem)
2008		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)		Ben Alexander (Lib Dem)		Maggie Clay (Lib Dem)[4]
By-election 11 June 2009		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)		Ben Alexander (Lib Dem)		Wendy Orrell (Lib Dem)
2010		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)		Ben Alexander (Lib Dem)		Wendy Orrell (Lib Dem)
2011		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)		Ben Alexander (Lib Dem)		Wendy Orrell (Lib Dem)
2012		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)		Ben Alexander (Lib Dem)		Wendy Orrell (Lib Dem)
2014		John Wright (Con)		Ben Alexander (Lib Dem)		Wendy Orrell (Lib Dem)
2015		John Wright (Con)		Paul Hadfield (Con)		Wendy Orrell (Lib Dem)
2016		John Wright (Con)		Paul Hadfield (Con)		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)
2018		John Wright (Con)		Paul Hadfield (Con)		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)
2019		John Wright (Con)		Grace Baynham (Lib Dem)		Mark Weldon (Lib Dem)
2021		John Wright (Con)		Grace Baynham (Lib Dem)		Rory Leonard (Lab)
2022		Christine Carrigan (Lab)		Grace Baynham (Lib Dem)		Rory Leonard (Lab)

  indicates seat up for re-election.   indicates seat won in by-election.

Elections in the 2010s

May 2021

2021^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Rory Leonard	1,639	35	+9
	Conservative	Paul Robert Hadfield	1,532	32	+2
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Edward Weldon	1,337	26	−9
	Green	Ken George Pease	225	5%	−2
Majority			107
Turnout			4,733	46	+7
	Labour gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing

May 2019

2019^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Grace Baynham	1,452	37
	Conservative	Paul Robert Hadfield	1,165	30
	Labour	Drew Carswell	1,021	26
	Green	Ken George Pease	280	7
Majority			287
Turnout			3,918	39
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

May 2018

2018^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Wright	1,457	37
	Liberal Democrats	Grace Baynham	1,355	35
	Labour	Dena Ryness	960	24
	Green	Steve Torley	149	4
Majority			102
Turnout			4,128	42
	Conservative hold		Swing

May 2016

2016^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Weldon	1,592	39
	Conservative	Jon Shaw	1,221	30
	Labour	Dena Ryness	712	17
	UKIP	Izzy Bolton	387	9
	Green	Steve Torley	206	5
Majority			371
Turnout			4,128	42
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

May 2015

2015^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Paul Hadfield	2,284	32
	Liberal Democrats	Ben Alexander	2,121	30
	Labour	Janet Rothwell	1,596	22
	UKIP	Izzy Bolton	730	10
	Green	Stephen Torley	376	5
Majority			163
Turnout			7,107	71
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing

May 2014

2014^[10][11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Douglas Wright	1,316	33%	+6.76%
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Edward Weldon	1279	32%	−7.07%
	Labour	Janet Mary Rothwell	1054	26%	+3.61%
	Green	Ken Pease	381	9%	+2.88%
Majority			37	1%
Turnout			4030
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing

May 2012

2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Wendy Orrell	1,422	39.07	−14.40
	Conservative	John Wright	955	26.24	−10.34
	Labour	Janet Rothwell	815	22.39	+16.38
	UKIP	Izzy Bolton	229	6.29	N/A
	Green	Ken Pease	219	6.02	+2.07
Majority			467	12.83
Turnout			3,654	37.50
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

May 2011

2011

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Ben Alexander	1,786	39.2
	Conservative	John Wright	1,406	30.9
	Labour	Janet Rothwell	935	20.5
	Green	Ken Pease	155	3.4
	UKIP	Izzy Bolton	150	3.3
	BNP	Alan Carney	96	2.1
Majority			380
Turnout			4,552	46.33
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing