Scandal-hit council being monitored by government
Former leader quits Tories
THE GOVERNMENT has confirmed it is ‘monitoring the situation’ at scandal-hit Cheshire East – and could step in if deemed necessary.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) made the statement after a string of controversies at the council.
The most recent was the alleged misrepresentation of air quality data, which police are investigating. Police are also investigating the allocation of £70,000 to Berkeley Academy in Crewe, and concerns about ‘land purchases’. A separate investigation looking into council contracts handed to Core Fit was launched in 2015.
There have since been calls for the government to send in commissioners to run the council, a situation known as special measures.
But a DCLG spokesman said it’s not at that point yet. They said: “We are aware of the situation in Cheshire East and are monitoring it closely.
“This is a local matter and it is paramount that the council continues to work to deliver quality services for residents.
“Removing control from those elected by their constituents is an extremely serious decision and we would only intervene if there was strong evidence of widespread, systemic and extremely serious failure.”
But Macclesfield politicians have warned special measures may be inevitable. Andrew Haldane, Macclesfield Liberal Democrats chairman, said the council is ‘spiralling out of control’, adding: “It’s time the government appointed com- missioners to take over.”
And Coun Stephen Carter, a Labour councillor representing Hurdsfield, said: “There must come a point in scandal ridden Cheshire East when the government will need to take over control.”
In a statement on behalf of a group of 10 independent councillors, Bollington town councillor James Nicholas said: “Either a new Cabinet or the instigation of a committee style council leadership are the options open to the leadership. Unless we see substantive progress towards this by the end of the municipal year, we will recommend that CEC be placed in special measures.”
But Labour councillor Nick Mannion, from Macclesfield West and Ivy, said special measures would not be favourable.
He said: “If there’s systemic failure in how the council is run then the government may have to step in. We need to be careful.
“The Labour group doesn’t want special measures yet because it would take control away from all councillors, but it might have to happen.” FORMER Cheshire East leader Michael Jones has resigned from the council’s Conservative group.
The former Tory group leader emailed all Conservatives on Cheshire East on Monday to announce his resignation from the group ‘with immediate effect’.
It comes less than a week after a meeting to consider suspending Coun Jones from the group was postponed.
In his email, which was leaked to our sister paper the Crewe Chronicle, Coun Jones said: “As I always said I do not support blue on blue attacks and therefore I tender my resignation from the [Cheshire East] group.”
He added that he had been the subject of personalised attacks. He said: “These attacks are now very personal and as such disappointing. The false allegations and personal attacks do a disservice to the party and to public life in general. Those making such wildly inaccurate comments need to stop as they are damaging the party and their constituents.”
Coun Jones added that he will ‘make further announcements shortly but in the meantime will try and complete deals for the good of the area and concentrate on [his] ward and to try and create positive actions, whilst remaining a member of the Conservative party’.
Coun Jones refused to say whether he would quit the council altogether. He said: “At the moment, I will be an Independent Conservative.”
A Conservative group meeting for ‘consideration of disciplinary action regarding Michael Jones’ was called by Cheshire East Leader and Conservative group leader Rachel Bailey last Tuesday (September 19). But an email sent to members said it had been postponed because ‘additional matters’ have arisen.