MP backing the call for ‘issues to be addressed’

MACCLESFIELD MP David Rutley has backed calls for the council to fully address its issues amid calls for an external investigation.

Almost 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for an independent inquiry into Cheshire East Council.

The petition calls for the Secretary of State for Local Government Sajid Javid to launch an independent inquiry into the council relating to a ‘loss of confidence and belief’ in members and officers.

The petition refers to the fact that Cheshire East Council recently admitted that someone had deliberately falsified air quality data readings for three years, and the suspension of its chief executive Mike Suarez and head of legal services Bill Norman while an investigation into officer conduct is carried out.

The petition says the air quality scandal ‘has finally destroyed what remained of our confidence and belief in our council members and officers’.

Mr Rutley said the council must address these issues itself ‘as speedily as possible’ in order to continue with its key projects. He said: “Cheshire East Council is clearly facing a number of challenges, most of which, I understand, relate to issues that originated a couple of years ago. It is vital that these issues are fully addressed by the Council as speedily as possible, so that it can continue to keep its focus on the job of providing public services residents rely on and taking forward key projects, such as regenerating Macclesfield Town Centre. I will keep close to these important matters in the weeks and months ahead.”