Andrew Stunell

Andrew Stunell
Name	Andrew Stunell
Birth date	1944-07-17
Birth place	Chester
Party	Liberal Democrats
Office	Member of Parliament for Hazel Grove
Term start	1997
Term end	2015
Spouse	Angela Stunell
Alma mater	University of Liverpool

Andrew Stunell

Andrew Stunell is a British politician who represented Hazel Grove in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2015 as a member of the Liberal Democrats. A former business owner and local councillor, he served in ministerial roles during the Coalition government and contributed to legislation and policy on planning and local government. He was awarded a life peerage and other honours after leaving the House of Commons.

Early life and education

Born in Chester, Stunell attended local schools before reading for a degree at the University of Liverpool, where he studied architecture and town planning alongside contemporaries who pursued careers in urban planning and architecture. His training connected him with professional bodies such as the Royal Institute of British Architects and informed early interest in issues later raised in the Commons and in debates with members from Conservative Party, Labour Party and Plaid Cymru. During this period he engaged with civic initiatives in Greater Manchester and developed links to organisations including the Town and Country Planning Association and local chapters of the Federation of Small Businesses.

Business career and local politics

Stunell established and ran businesses in the Stockport area, operating in sectors that brought him into contact with trade groups like the Chamber of Commerce and regulatory bodies such as HM Revenue and Customs. His business background led to election to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council where he served as a councillor and participated in committees concerned with housing and transport, often collaborating with representatives from Greater Manchester Combined Authority-area authorities and civic societies. As a local politician he contested seats and built electoral networks that later supported campaigns against candidates from the Conservative and Labour at parliamentary elections, coordinating with regional activists and national figures from the Liberal Democrats such as Nick Clegg and Paddy Ashdown.

Parliamentary career

First elected to Parliament in the 1997 general election, he joined a parliamentary cohort that included MPs from Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Labour under the leadership of Charles Kennedy and later Menzies Campbell and Nick Clegg. In the Commons he served on select committees and frequently engaged with initiatives overseen by ministers from departments including the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport. He worked across party lines with MPs such as Sir Menzies Campbell, Nick Clegg, John Major, and Gordon Brown on constituency and national matters. Over successive parliaments he retained his seat against challengers from Conservative and Labour, participating in debates on planning reforms, local services, and constituency casework involving agencies such as Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service.

Ministerial roles and government service

Following the formation of the Coalition government he was appointed to ministerial office in the Communities and Local Government as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary and later as a Minister, working with Secretaries of State including Eric Pickles and coordinating with ministers from Treasury and the Ministry of Justice on cross-cutting dossiers. His ministerial remit included planning reform, neighbourhood planning and matters touching on the National Planning Policy Framework and the implementation of localism measures promoted by the coalition leadership of David Cameron and Nick Clegg. He represented ministerial positions in Commons debates, liaised with local authorities such as Manchester City Council and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, and engaged with stakeholders including the National Housing Federation and the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Political positions and legislative initiatives

Stunell advocated policies promoting decentralisation and local empowerment, aligning with Liberal Democrat platforms on neighbourhood decision-making and localism. He was instrumental in sponsoring and promoting private members' measures and government amendments related to planning procedures, town and neighbourhood plans, and community rights, working alongside cross-party supporters from Conservative and Labour benches. He took part in legislative scrutiny that intersected with acts and instruments debated in the House of Commons such as statutes implementing aspects of the National Planning Policy Framework and regulations affecting housing supply, often corresponding with campaign groups like Friends of the Earth and associations including the Local Government Association.

Later life and honours

After standing down at the 2015 general election he received recognition for his parliamentary service, accepting a life peerage that allowed him to sit in the House of Lords and continue engagement with policy debates involving peers from Conservative, Labour and Crossbenchers. He has been presented with local civic honours and has remained active in organisations connected to planning, housing and community development including links to the Royal Town Planning Institute and voluntary bodies in Greater Manchester. His post-parliamentary activities have included advisory roles, speaking engagements and contributions to discussions on the future of planning and regional governance.

Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies