BIG PICTURE
WOOD PLAQUE IS A MYSTERY
THIS plaque (below) is in a small woodland near Dunham Massey. I can find no records about it, but I believe Patricia Birch was born in Macclesfield.
She worked for the BBC and appears to have settled in Sale, unmarried. Perhaps some family members still live in Macc.
Please can anyone with information help me find out more about her by emailing me at janturnbull@fastmail.fm? Janet Turnbull, via email
GYM NOW BACK TO HEALTH
MANY of your readers are members of the gym on Pickford Street, Macclesfield.
The owners, Dave Whelan Sports, were forced into liquidation by Covid-19.
Several thousand Macclesfield members thought their fitness regime and health would be compromised.
The administrators however negotiated a sale to the Fraser Group, and on behalf of the many members and hard working staff.
May I express our thanks to both parties. John Wright
Hope Street West, Macclesfield
SHORTFALL IS NOW £28M
COUNCILS across the UK have stepped up to the challenge of meeting the demands of coronavirus, which has inevitably come at a high financial cost.
Cheshire East leader Sam Corcoran, deputy Craig Browne and finance portfolio holder Amanda Stott have regularly issued press releases demanding these costs must be fully met by government.
In the early days of lockdown, they demanded members lobby MPs and government to meet a predicted £50m deficit.
By late May, Coun Stott stated that sum had risen to £60m, by June 30 she was demanding a further £10m as the predicted shortfall was now £70m.
Repeated requests from each of the crossparty scrutiny committees for access to the figures so that they could lobby government (with evidence to hand), were refused by the administration.
Eventually a Covid-19 finance report was provided on July 30. Members were finally able to interrogate the data, identifying anomalies and requesting information absent from the report.
Since July 30 there have been no more ‘escalating finance press releases’.
A revised and extended report is now published. It highlights the amazing work of council staff and partners since the start of the crisis and how that work will continue. Their commitment, dedication and courage are unquestioned.
But what about the money? Well of course there is still a potential shortfall and no-one under-estimates the challenge in presenting a balanced budget next March but suddenly, the projected £70m deficit is £28m.
Councillor Janet Clowes Cheshire East Conservative leader
I SERVED as a soldier for twelve years, so when I was asked to serve on the cabinet at Cheshire East Council in 2019, I was pleased to see that the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) was in my portfolio.
The AFC is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly and not disadvantaged through their service.
Although Cheshire East Council has been part of a community covenant under previous administrations, it had not signed up to the national scheme (AFC) or progressed at all with regards the Ministry of Defence employer recognition scheme.
This scheme encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the AFC.
Last week Cheshire East Council was awarded a bronze award for its work with the Armed Forces and veterans in the borough.
I have been leading this work along with Councillor Ashley Farrall, our Armed Forces champion and officers from the council.
The award shows a commitment to the covenant, which we intend to grow over the coming years, to improve the support and recognition we give our veterans and serving personnel.
My goal is that I want Cheshire East Council to have obtained the gold award within the next two years, by helping and supporting veterans and signposting them to essential services such as health, housing, benefits and education, as well as promoting and supporting social activities that deal with issues like mental health and social isolation like the Macclesfield
Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club.
This group meets every third Saturday of the month for light hearted banter and a cooked breakfast,
(contact details can be found on Facebook).