Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor R Bailey, J Bird, D Brown, C Chapman, T Dean, K Hague and L Smith.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests, other registerable interests, and non-registerable interests in any item on the agenda.

No declarations of interest were made.

To consider the recommendations from the Corporate Policy Committee.

Consideration was given individually to each of the recommendations of the Corporate Policy Committee in relation to the Review of Members’ Allowances.

At Council’s request, the Independent Remuneration Panel undertook a full review of member allowances during 2025 in preparation for the Council’s transition to a Leader and Cabinet model of governance in May 2026.

Once the Leader and Cabinet system had become established, it was proposed that the Panel be requested to carry out a targeted review to consider the special responsibility allowances within the member allowances’ scheme and also review whether payments should be made to the Cheshire East Members on the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority, and if the role of the Chair of the Cheshire Pension Fund Committee should be remunerated. 

The Leader of the Council undertook to write to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding the process for reviewing and approving member allowances in England and that it should also be the same as the adopted process in Scotland and Wales.

RESOLVED:  That Council

1        approve the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel, as set out in its report (Appendix 1 to the report).

2.       agree the uplifts for the financial years 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 (2.5% and 3.2% respectively) be applied to basic and special responsibility allowances within the 2023/2024 Scheme of Members’ Allowances, backdated to 1 April 2024.

3.       agree that a targeted review be conducted, as soon as possible, by the Independent Remuneration Panel to consider special responsibility allowances (SRA’s) for Cheshire East Council and those of its members appointed to the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority and Chair of the Cheshire Pension Fund Committee

To consider the recommendations of the Corporate Policy Committee.

Consideration was given to the recommendations from the Corporate Policy Committee in relation to the Senior Management Structure in Children’s Services.

Following feedback from the Children's Improvement and Impact Board, a review of capacity of the Children’s Services senior management structure had been undertaken in relation to the progress of the improvement and impact action plan. This had identified the need for an additional temporary director post to ensure an effective leadership structure.  It was therefore proposed to introduce a temporary post of Director of Corporate Parenting reporting to the Executive Director Children’s Services.  Under the Constitution, full Council must approve posts where the salary exceeds or is likely to exceed £100,000.

RESOLVED:  That Council

1.             agree the proposed change to the senior management staffing structure for Children’s Services.

2.             approve in principle a new temporary post, where the remuneration will be more than £100,000 per annum.

To consider the recommendation of the Finance Sub Committee.

Consideration was given to the recommendation from the Finance Sub Committee held on 27 April 2026 in relation to the approval of a supplementary capital estimate.

RESOLVED: 

That Council approve the Supplementary Capital Estimate over £1,000,000 as set out in Annex 1, Section 3, Table 5 to the report as follows:

Environment and Communities               £m

Capricorn Access Bridge                        2.280

To consider the recommendation from the Highways and Transport Committee.

Consideration was given to the recommendation from the Highways and Transport Committee held on 2 April 2026 in relation to the Local Transport Plan.

As a statutory Local Transport Authority, the Council was required to maintain an up-to-date Local Transport Plan (LPT).  The previous LTP (2019-2024) had now expired, and the development of a new LTP provided a robust and evidence-based framework for prioritising investment in the local transport network.

RESOLVED:

That Council approves that the Local Transport Plan be formally adopted as a corporate policy document of the Council to inform and influence wider Council investment programmes, including those relating to spatial planning, public health, regeneration, carbon reduction and environmental sustainability.

To consider the report seeking agreement of full Council for the approval, in principle, of one new temporary or interim post of Director of Planning.

Consideration was given to the report seeking approval for the temporary or interim post of Director of Planning.

The proposed Director of Planning would fulfil a vital role in three key areas: overseeing the development and delivery of the new Local Plan; negotiating and shaping the Spatial Development Strategy working closely with the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority and other Constituent Member Authorities and; responding to the immediate pressures within the Cheshire East planning system.

It was anticipated that the salary for this post may exceed £100,000 per annum.  Under the Constitution, full Council must approve posts where the salary exceeds or is likely to exceed £100,000.

RESOLVED:  That Council

1               agrees the proposed change to the senior management staffing structurefor the Place Directorate.

2               approves in principle a new temporary orinterim post, where the remuneration will be more than £100,000 per annum on a two-year fixed term basis.

3               delegates authority to the Interim Executive Director of Place, and theDirector of People to finalise the details, including the recruitment process and campaign, job description, job specifications and terms and conditions.

4               approves the use of Transformation and Improvement contingency budget in 2026/27 to fund the creation of the post.

5               notes that future years’ budgets will be considered during the budgetsetting process and will be subject to Full Council decision making at Budget Council.

6               notes that the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Planning is part of the interview panel(s) to recruit to this role.

To note the urgent decisions taken by the Chief Executive on behalf of Council.

Council received a schedule of urgent decisions taken by the Chief Executive on behalf of the Council, which was reported for information in accordance with the Council procedure rules.

RESOLVED:

That the schedule of urgent decisions be noted.