Town suffering from ‘lack of investment’
MACCLESFIELD is suffering from years of under investment, town bosses have claimed, after a £19 million cinema and leisure scheme was scrapped.
The town council is calling on the Cheshire East to make a clear commitment to pulling in investment for Maccclesfield claiming we have only received a fraction of the capital funds that other towns have enjoyed.
The figures have led one councillor to described Macclesfield as the county’s ‘forgotten’ town.
It comes after Ask Retail announced they will not move ahead with plans to transform part of the town centre by creating a seven screen cinema as well as eight cafes, restaurants and bars on Churchill Way, as reported in last week’s Express.
A freedom of information request released by Macclesfield Town Council shows that between 2014 and 2020 Crewe will have received a total of £98m, while Macclesfield is due to have been given just £10m in capital funds.
According to the figures released, Crewe also received an additional £44m for the Green Roundabout Improvement scheme.
They say that this equates to £204 having been spent per head in Macclesfield compared to £2,932 in Congleton and £1,342 in Crewe, during that time.
A spokesperson said the town council was now calling on Cheshire East to work with it to secure investment into the town.
In a statement, he said: “Macclesfield Town Council, having communicated with Cheshire East Council on a number of occasions, must now express openly our concerns with regard to the lack of meaningful capital investment in Macclesfield infrastructure and regeneration. Macclesfield is now faced with the loss of another large-scale investment project in the form of the leisure-led development on Churchill Way.
“This may well not be fault of Cheshire East Council, reflecting national market trends, but it does compound the issue for Macclesfield of prolonged under investment.”
They added: “We now require a clear and measurable commitment from Cheshire East Council to redress this imbalance of investment and work with us in a meaningful way on local service delivery, identifying the means of proportionate investment in Macclesfield for the short, mid and long-term and a commitment to the deliverability of any such strategy.”
Councillors have slammed the council over the ‘shocking’ figures.
Laura Jeuda, Labour councillor for Macclesfield South, said: “It is absolutely shocking, I think we have been forgotten.”
Labour councillor Nick Mannion said the town needed to take control of its own future. He said: “It appears as though the town is not high on their list of priorities. And one of the worst things is that there isn’t any proposed investment, even in the future. And with the collapse of the regeneration plan we appear to have got the worst of both worlds; there is no external investment and there is none from Cheshire East.
“I think the town is going to have to sort itself out as it can’t rely on Cheshire East which has failed the town twice over the past 10 years regarding the town centre redevelopment. We have been badly short changed.”
Labour Macclesfield town councillor Neil Puttick told the Express that there is a lot of anger in the town.
He said: “Macclesfield is being left behind. From my point of view there has been a lot of anger and I have received a lot of questions around it.
“There is a lot of anger from people because Cheshire East keeps saying there is lots of investment but if you look at the figures it shows this is not the case at all.”
He added: “We need to have some explanation from the council and from [Cheshire East Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, Planning and Regeneration] Ainsley Arnold.”
Macclesfield MP David Rutley said he is urging the council leader to boost investment in Macclesfield. He said: “It is clear that more funding is required in Macclesfield, particularly, to assist with much-needed plans to regenerate Macclesfield town centre. That’s why I have been urging Cheshire East Council over recent years to boost investment in the public realm. I am pleased that the Council has pledged in its Budget to invest an additional £5million to provide further enhancements to the public space, in addition to the £1.4m already allocated for this purpose. This follows my meetings with Coun Ainsley Arnold.
“However, given the importance of revitalising our town centre, it is vital that further work is taken forward as a clear priority and, as a result, I am calling for an urgent roundtable meeting with Coun Rachel Bailey, Leader of Cheshire East Council, and key local stakeholders, to kick-start the development of up-to-date regeneration proposals.
“Local residents can be assured that I remain committed to this vital task. The plans for HS2 to come to Macclesfield give further emphasis and incentive to seize the opportunities before us.
“More must be done to invest in our economic potential and deliver a town centre that local residents deserve.”
Frank Jordon, executive director of Cheshire East Council spokesperson, described the figures as ‘over-simplistic’. He said: “Cheshire East Council has been incredibly successful in attracting funding for capital projects across the borough.
“Investment funding is allocated taking into account many factors and comparisons based on crude per capita and/or geographic bases are overly simplistic and not helpful. Ensuring value for money is also important and funding decisions we take include the ability for schemes to attract external funding. Additionally, some of the projects included in the council’s programme, affect and will benefit the whole borough.”
‘It is absolutely shocking, I think we have been forgotten’