‘She was a titan’: Tributes flood in for ‘formidable’ Stockport councillor who ‘never stopped fighting’ to improve people’s lives

Tributes have flooded in for ‘formidable’ Stockport councillor Sheila Bailey, described by colleagues as as a ‘titan’ of local politics who ‘never stopped fighting’ for people. A Labour politician with a passion for ‘housing, parks and people’, Coun Bailey was first elected to represent Edgeley and Cheadle Heath in 1990, later serving as a cabinet member.

A lifelong Stockport resident, she was married to Philip Harding - also a long-serving councillor before his retirement in May - as well as being a devoted mother to Nikki and a grandmother. Her passing on Wednesday, aged 74, has been met with shock, sadness and disbelief by fellow councillors across the political spectrum.

Councillor Elise Wilson, leader of Stockport’s Labour group led the tributes to her late colleague in an emotional statement. She said: "Sheila Bailey was a life force, an incredible woman, a formidable politician and a supportive friend. An inspiration. I simply cannot believe she is no longer with us.

READ MORE : Stockport Council release statement after 'force to be reckoned with' councillor Sheila Bailey dies

"Her devotion to her family exceeded even that selfless dedication to the Labour Party. I can't begin to imagine the loss of their grandmother, their mother and the wife of our friend, Philip.”

The former council leader added that Coun Bailey had, for all her life, been a presence in the Stockport Labour ‘family’, ‘using her wisdom, her passion and her dedication in the true cause of civic duty’. "Sheila taught me the importance of finding a way to do the right thing, to do the work, to remember who you represent and never ever stop fighting for something if it will improve people's lives,” said Coun Wilson.

"On so many occasions in my life,