A storm is brewing with Cheshire East’s political world — but it will not make land until 2022 at the earliest, writes Ethan Davies.
Parish councils can conjure up images of sleepy English villages and steam locomotives pulling in to a quaint station, but any proposed changes to boundaries and names often lead to an impassioned debate over what you call where you live.
That’s the situation in Cheshire East after the publication of a borough-wide review on the future of parish council borders.
And, although no final decisions will be taken for another year, the issue is already sparking huge controversy within the corridors of power.
What has been proposed?
The headline proposal is the effective abolishment of Handforth Parish Council.
The review was started well before the infamous ‘Jackie Weaver’ clip went viral, but nevertheless Handforth is the twelfth most populous settlement in Cheshire East, according to the 2011 census.
Explaining the reason as to why Handforth is recommended to merge with Wilmslow and Chorley, the report said: “Cheshire East Council considers that there will be merit in merging the existing parish of Handforth with the parish of Wilmslow as, to all intents and purposes, they form a single community. It will be appropriate to consider whether there should be separate representation of the electors of Handforth on the merged parish council.”
Other major boundary changes could affect Crewe, Macclesfield, and Knutsford.
What has the response been?
As you might expect, it has not exactly been one of overwhelming support.
In Handforth, parish councillors have formally declared their opposition to the move at their last meeting.
“I will be campaigning vigorously to stay independent. We are not the poor relations of Wilmslow,” parish councillor Cynthia Samson said.
“We have an excellent community. Somebody has just looked at a map and saw we are an independent parish council.”
And, at a meeting of CEC’s constitution committee this week, other councillors and residents spoke up to defend the independence of their respective parishes like Rope in Crewe.
That meeting also provided the first major twist in the passage of the review.
What was supposed to be a rubber-stamping of the recommendations for the purposes of a 12-week public consultation was quickly taken as an opportunity to alter the way in which changes will be implemented.
Shavington ward councillor David Marren said that he believed the consultation was ‘discriminatory’ — and therefore tabled an amendment.
He argued: “As this consultation will be driven digitally, it is predictable that the number of responses will be relatively few and because people have to be legally clued up to ensure that they have complied with the legislation and guidance [on parish council reviews], the number of acceptable responses will be microscopic.
“I would argue that this is discriminatory. It discriminates against those who are not adept at using the latest technology. It discriminates on the grounds of age and economic health as people will not be responding digitally in the numbers we expect.”
Cllr Marren’s amendment, which was passed comfortably, now requires CEC to hold a household postal referendum in the areas where parish names and boundaries will change — at the request of the affected parish councils.
Furthermore, if residents vote to stay as they are, the amendment compels borough council bosses to abide by that result.
For example, should Handforth Parish Council make the request, residents will be polled on whether or not they are happy with merging with Wilmslow and Chorley.
If they vote against the idea, Cheshire East is bound to stick to that result — meaning Handforth would not be able to be altered, in this case.
An extra layer of complexity is that the CEC monitoring officer David Brown — the official responsible for ensuring the council operates within the scope of the law — cast doubt over the feasibility of the plans in practice.
His concerns were over the cost of conducting a referendum, as it would mean the proposals are no longer cost-neutral, as laid out in the original recommendations.
However, he did allow the Marren amendment to pass to full council for the time being.
What was the reaction to that and what happens next?
At the meeting, Labour councillor and cabinet member Laura Crane expressed her skepticism over the move.
She said: “We are talking about making the changes — we are talking about consulting on the changes.
“I just feel that amendment is jumping the gun.”
Conversely, Conservative member Liz Wardlaw says she welcomes the Marren amendment, as do her party colleagues.
In a letter, she wrote: “Consultation on the Cheshire East plans to amalgamate and/or absorb parishes into our towns is imminent. These proposals may well cost you more in council tax and will most certainly result in the loss of your local identity.
“Conservative councillors support the opportunity of local referendums to determine these changes and we will stand with our parish colleagues and residents but ask that you also step up and make your voice heard along with us.”
Whatever happens with the amendment, it will now go before a special full council meeting on April 19 at 11am.
Should councillors agree to the scheme laid out, it will then go to a public consultation for 12 weeks.
Even if that step goes smoothly, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that any final decisions will not be made for at least a year, such is the complexity and breadth of the changes on the table.
So, strap in folks, as parish councils will not leave the news for some time yet.
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