STOCKPORT has been named as having the third highest number of people upping sticks in favour of a new life abroad.
A report from the Office of National Statistics reveals that over the past five years no less than 8,500 residents emigrated from Stockport in search of sunnier climes.
Nevertheless Council Leader, Councillor Dave Goddard, insists Stockport is a ‘fantastic’ place to live and attracts more residents year on year.
He said: "Stockport is a tremendous place to live and work, and we are a victim of our own success.
"Stockport is a vibrant community with mobile, self-reliant and qualified people, and home to thousands of small businesses.
"Successful people are attracted here and many move on as they progress through their career. We have great infrastructure and transport links and we also have very low unemployment rates.
"Residents feel safe in the borough, and the borough recorded one of the biggest falls in key crimes anywhere in England and Wales in 2007.
"The borough is 45 percent Green Belt and has superb leisure facilities. It really is a fantastic place to be."
But the trend to move abroad has been seen nationally and reached a record high in 2006 with an estimated 400,000 emigrating.
The main reasons people give for jetting off are property prices, tax and crime.
Paul Arthur, director of Cheshire-based migration specialists, The Emigration Group, said: "This is not just Stockport, the whole of Middle England is on the move.
"It’s the well-off commuter towns where people have gained a substantial amount of equity on their property and have decided they want something more.
"These people have done well in areas like Stockport but some now feel it’s time to move on.
"People are working longer hours and paying more tax so they expect more from public services but they just aren’t getting it. Crime is also an important factor as people are worried about bringing up their children.
"Everyone has different reasons for emigrating but are generally just looking for a better quality of life."
Wirral in Merseyside had the highest amount of emigration followed by Poole in Dorset.
We gauged opinion on the streets of Stockport to find out what local folk think about their town - see this week's Express to find out what they said.
Click on the video window for Channel M's report ...
Showing comments 1 to 9 and replies | View All
cazreg, stockport (13/02/2008 at 11:40)
Terry of Woodley (13/02/2008 at 12:29)
With the beautiful river Mersey running through the fantastic shopping and leisure facilites of the town centre I'd have thought at least 8,500 tourists would have chosen to stay permenently.
OK, we might not have the weather of the Costa Del Sol, but we have got plenty of tanning salons. Who needs the bright lights of Times Square when we've got our own Grand Central development with cinemas and bowling and laser quest! Forget the West End with it's flashy musicals, Jim Davidson was in Stockport last year - beat that London!
lyn parry (14/02/2008 at 00:31)
TH, Melbourne (14/02/2008 at 04:51)
Michael Stott, Stockport (15/02/2008 at 16:35)
The council need to undertake a complete re-development of the town centre and put some order into the chaotic traffic problems.
I can't blame the tsunami that are leaving - locally - the hapless work opportunities (restrictions to services jobs i.e. call centre advisors) and associated low wages in Stockport still, ironically, suited to the Marx and Engels era (The Condition of the Working Class?), nationally - uncontrolled immigration and all its horrors, the all year-round awful weather, cost of housing even in the slum areas, bad lifestyle of boozing on supermarket lager ogling at garbage on television. Mike, 25
bex89, stockport !!! (16/02/2008 at 16:07)
and the point about the stealing it must happen like once a month you was just unlucky it was you, it happens anywhere not just in stockport !!!
as for the scallies please there just kids with nothing to do instead of slating them all time the government should get there acts together and organise some communtiy clubs again to them all occupied !
stockport only looks rancid becuase of the way you all treat it too try not throwing ya rubbish on the floor of flicking your fag dips eveywhere you'd see a fast improvment!! its all self inflicted its not just the kids - those people that blame everything on teenagers need to take a long hard look at them selfs in the mirror before they go making stupid arsy comments!! it hard to belive they were kids themselves once !!!
lyn parry (17/02/2008 at 03:02)
A very central place to live.
Ray Keen, Kelowna, BC Canada (18/02/2008 at 05:12)
Going to the pub used to be fun, not anymore.
Where I live we can go shopping, go to the pub without the fear of violence, I was one block to the beach or 45 mins to the ski hill.
The UK has a whole has nothing going for it, if anyone wants advice on where to live in Canada, please contact me.
Will the last BRIT out turn off the light.
aimee stott (20/04/2009 at 20:02)
however i agree that stockport may have gone a little downhill.
By the way - micheal stott, is your mother named ann?
Aimee.