Stronge Reports

Dubbed, "Stockport's most successful businessman" the founder of Select Property Group and VITA Group is quickly earning himself a new title; Stockport County's Saving Grace. Unlike many of the wealthiest in this country, Mark Stott didn't inherit any family fortune.  Born in Hazel Grove and raised in nearby Poynton, the 49-year-old spent his formative years living on the Parklands estate. Despite not being one of the most deprived areas in the borough, Mark and his sister were not free of money issues, requiring food tokens whilst attending Poynton High School.  Stott's introduction to making his own money was working in the kitchen at the Strawberry Pig chip shop . Shortly after this Stott took a role, which he bills as his first career move, at the Stockport Express Advertiser selling newspaper advertising space to companies.  It was here, shuttling through Romiley in his Ford Escort, that Stott found his natural gift for selling, having, by his own admissi...

It was a troubled nine- month tenure for Simon Rusk. A turbulent time for Stockport County, which saw far more lows than it did highs. The Stopfordian faithful now look forward to a brighter future with a new man at the helm. It was a deflating 2-1 home defeat, at the hands of a struggling Barnet side, that delivered the final nail in the coffin of the 39-year-old's first venture into professional first team management. Rusk began his reign at the end of January this year, taking over from sacked club legend Jim Gannon, much to the bemusement of a large section of the Hatters' fanbase. There were fears that the former Brighton U23s manager didn't have the required relevant experience managing at the senior level, even less in the ultra-competitive National League.  Those fears were justified. Rusk consistently cut a reclusive figure in the dugout, and never managed to make a true connection to the fans, creating a damaging contrast between himself and the charismatic Gann...

Littered with an ever-changing cast of building sites, road closures and empty buildings, Stockport can occasionally feel a frustrating place to travel around. However, it in fact signals that exciting times lie ahead for the South Manchester town. Much of the work being carried out around the town centre is related to the Town Centre West regeneration programme, which is being put in place by Stockport's Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC).  An MDC is a statutory body created with the sole purpose regenerating a specific area, in this instance Town Centre West. Stockport is the first and currently the only MDC to have been created in Greater Manchester. This project is focused on six particular sites: Weir Mill, Mailbox, Stockport Exchange, Interchange, St Thomas Gardens and Royal George Village. Along with giving these once neglected sites a much needed facelift, the MDC intends to deliver 3500 new homes for 7000 residents. To serve both new and existing local tenants, a ...