Issue - meetings

In accordance the Council Procedure Rules, opportunity is provided for Members of the Council to ask the Mayor or the Chair of a Committee any question about a matter which the Council, or the Committee has powers, duties or responsibilities.

At Council meeting, there will be a maximum question time period of 30 minutes. A period of two minutes will be allowed for each Councillor wishing to ask a question.  The Mayor will have the discretion to vary this requirement where they consider it appropriate.

Cllr Arthur Moran asked if information could be provided on the grant which Cheshire East has received to plant a new woodland near Nantwich. 

Cllr Mick Warren, Chair of Environment and Communities Committee, responded that the Council had been awarded around £478,000 as part of Trees for Climate grant to plant two new woodlands near Nantwich and Cranage. This project would help the Council to beat its target to offset 37,500 tonnes of CO².

Cllr Chris Hilliard asked when the construction of the Handforth to Wilmslow Active Travel Route would commence and finish.

In response Cllr Mark Goldsmith, Chair of Highways and Transport Committee, stated that Active Travel England, who provided funding for this project, had agreed in principle to the plans for the scheme, from Handforth Train Station to Style Road in Wilmslow. The route would connect the two towns and integrate with wider cycle routes. The design would soon go out to public consultation.  Local cycling schemes and Town Councils had already been consulted and were supportive. Installation was being scheduled for the 2025 school summer holidays to limit disruption, with final works to complete in 2026.

Cllr Andrew Kolker referred to the prevalence of Bird Flu in Cheshire East and asked if the Public Health Team could issue a notice to all Councillors on what residents should do, and how to keep safe if they found a sick or dead bird.

Cllr Jill Rhodes, Chair of Adults and Health Committee, agreed to ask the Public Health Team to provide a written response.

Cllr Chris O’Leary stated that the B5470 Macclesfield Road had been closed for some time, and investigations were ongoing to identify what caused the road to collapse. In the meantime, several businesses along the road were being adversely affected as were local farmers and parents doing the school run. Cllr O’Leary sought assurance that once the Council knew what happened, that immediate action would be taken to repair and reopen the Macclesfield Road.

In response from Cllr Mark Goldsmith, Chair of Highways and Transport Committee, stated the dealing with the collapse of the road was technically complex, with 3 phases to resolving the issue - ground investigations,design and construction.  The Council was working hard to understand the causes of the failure and were currently undertaking ground investigations of the embankment and surrounding area. This would inform the design and delivery of the solution. A solution would be delivered as soon as it was practicable.  The Council had a web page dedicated to the issue, which would be updated with a programme of work as soon as a solution had been identified. 

Cllr Rod Fletcher asked if the Chair of the Highways and Transport Committee could provide information on how much income had been received from the Well Lane car park in Alsager between 2 December 2024 and 2 March 2025.

In response from Cllr Mark Goldsmith, Chair of Highways and Transport Committee stated he would provide a written response after  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91