Agenda and minutes

No apologies were received.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests in any item on the agenda

Councillors G Walton and R Fletcher declared a personal interest in Item 4 – Review of Towns and Villages, as they were members of the Task and Finish Group.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relevant to the work of the meeting. Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers. Members of the public are not required to give notice to use this facility. However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours’ notice is encouraged.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide at least three clear working days’ notice in writing and should include the question with that notice. This will enable an informed answer to be given.

There were no members of the public present.

To consider the final report of a Task and Finish Group on its Review of Towns and Villages.

The Cabinet Member for Environmental Services considered the Task and Finish Group’s final report on its Review of Towns and Villages within Cheshire East.

Councillor George Walton, Chairman of the Task and Finish Group, was in attendance to present the report.

Following a request from the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, the Environment and Prosperity Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 8 June 2010 had agreed to set up a Task and Finish Group to rank the towns and villages within Cheshire East by a criteria suggested by the Cabinet Member.

The Task Group had considered socio economic factors and other factors such as facilities, retail, hospitality, business and travel for each of the towns and villages through a series of site visits and had marked these factors out of 10 against a set criterion.

The Task Group had then met to discuss their findings from the visits and mark the towns and villages out of ten against a set criterion and formulate the information into a table for presentation to the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services.

RESOLVED:   That

(1)               the rankings of towns and villages identified at Appendix B to the Report be approved;

(2)               any future decisions by the Portfolio Holder be made in line with the Cheshire East Council Parking Strategy; and

(3)               when car parking is reviewed in the future, consideration be given to the following observations:

?       That the parking charges on Thomas Street car park in Crewe be reviewed.

?       That the parking restrictions in Disley be enforced on a regular basis.

?       That the possibility of charging for parking in Disley be investigated.

?       That a solution to the parking problems on the Rams Head public house car park be sought.

?       That the possibility of the Borough Council managing the privately owned car parks in Handforth be investigated.

?       That the car park at the Paddock in Handforth have a maximum waiting time, which must be enforced.

?       That due to the size of the car parks Audlem, Haslington, Holmes Chapel and Middlewich, parking charges should not be implemented.

?       That the working arrangements for the Booths supermarket car park in Knutsford be used as an example of good practice.

?       That the legal issues regarding the car park in Poynton be investigated.

?       That action be taken to increase the usage and cleanliness of Spring Street car park in Wilmslow.