Midcheshire Independent Issue 164

FEBRUARY2024 2 EDITOR ; GedHenderson ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com ADVERTISING RobinAtkins07767840274 robin@cheshireindependent.co.uk CLASSIFIED JayneMeadowcroft 01204478812or07703045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk CONTACTUS Nopartof thispublicationmaybeusedor reproducedwithout theexpresspermissionof thepublisher.Everyeffort ismade toensure that thearticlesandadvertisements thatare carriedareauthentic,however thepublisheracceptsno responsibility forclaimsmade. © Investors inPublishingLtd2024. Thisnewspaper ispublishedmonthlyby Investors inPublishing,PublishingHouse, 3Bridgebank IndustrialEstate,TaylorStreet,Horwich,BoltonBL67PD.01204478812 Di!cultdecisions:Council leaderSamCorcoran Hard choic CheshireEast is braced formore cash-saving cuts THE full extent of cash- strappedCheshireEast Council’s cost-cutting plans and the severe financial challenges it faceshave been laid out before thepublic. Theproposals comealong- side a 4.99 per cent planned rise in council tax and a range of cuts that have already beenmade as the local authority looks to bal- ance itsbooks. As reported in the last issueofThe Independent, the council is also facing finan- cialuncertainty following the government’sdecision toaxe theHS2high-speed rail link north ofBirmingham. Cheshire East has now put its proposals out for public consultation,with 29 potential actions to further cut costs, including reduc- tions in a range of services and subsidies. They include cutting staff costs, closing three waste recycling centres in Bollington,Middlewich and Poynton, and asking parish councils tocontribute towards leisureand library services. The largest savingswould bemade inadultsocialcare– witha£5.6msavingproposed – and children’s services, where thereareproposals to save£5.2m. In its corporate services operation, the council has listed proposals to save £4.8m. Thewide rangeof cost-cut- ting includes proposals to removed its school cater- ing subsidy and reduce discretionary post-16 travel support. The council is also look- ing at reducing the open- ing hours ofmain offices, cutting the cost of street cleansing,making highway maintenance savings and introducingannual carpark fee increases. The borough’s new gar- denwaste collection charge –which came into force this month at £56 – could also rise to £59.The authority is looking to save £750,000 by reducing thenumberofmain waste recycling sites to four, in Macclesfield, Alsager, CreweandKnutsford,ahead ofa fullreviewofwasteman- agement later thisyear. Other proposals include leaving senior leadership posts vacant and reducing spendingonagencyworkers. These come on top ofdeci- sions alreadymade,which have included agreeing to close the council office inSandba staff tootherexi in the borough ment freezes in Staff trainin beenput onhold a statutory requ Launching consultation for financialyear, c SamCorcoranw difficultdecisio tobemade. The council ernment fundi MANCHESTERAirportsaw itsbus- iestDecemberonrecordas itserved more than twomillionpassengers over the festiveseason. The total figure of2,022,905passen- gerswas the first time the airporthad servedmorethantwomillionpassengers in themonth. Decemberwas also the third consec- utivemonth that passenger numbers outstrippedpre-pandemic levelsof2019. Airportchiefssay thatover thecourse ofthemonth,service levelsremainedhigh with99.3percentofpassengersgettingto security in15minutesor less,andnobody waiting formore thanhalfanhour. The top three routes for themonth wereDublin,AmsterdamandDubai,all ofwhich sawmore than90,000passen- gers flying to them. FiveFinnishairportsalsosawbumper numberswithmore than30,000people heading to theScandinaviancountry. ChrisWoodroofe,managingdirectorof ManchesterAirport,said:“Morethantwo millionpeople flyingthroughtheairport duringDecember isarecord forusand it shows thatwe’regiving thepeopleof the regionwhat theywantviaourextensive routenetwork–offeringchoiceunrivalled outsideLondon. “This isbackedupbyservice levelsthat seethemajorityofpassengersnothaving toqueue toget tosecurity. Airportpassengernumbersare fl AFTER 40yearsofdedi- cated service to the com- munity,MoiraBeswickhas announcedherretirement as thechairof trusteesat Cheshirecharity theRos- sendaleTrust. Moirahas been in the role for12years,duringwhichshe utilisedhermanagerial and HRskillsacquiredduringher timeworking in seniorman- agementat ICI/AstraZeneca. Her commitment over the yearshasplayedasignificant role in rebuilding the trust to itscurrentpositionofstrength. Today the Sutton based organisation employsmore than 200 staff,who provide muchneededsupportandser- vices toadultswith learning disabilitiesand complex care needs in thearea. UnderMoira’s leadership, the Rossendale Trust has achieveda ‘Good’ rating from the CareQuality Commis- sion (CQC),with aspirations tonow reach the ‘Outstand- ing’milestone. MacclesfieldMPand trust patron David Rutley paid tribute toMoira’s service.He said: “Moirahasbeenpart of the fabric at theRossendale Trust fordecades. “Hercommitmentanddedi- catedservicewereeverpresent duringher 12 years serving as chair of trustees.Moira has always put theneeds of tenants first and she should be rightly proud of all that the teamhasachievedunder her leadership. “Weareallverygrateful for herhardworkovermanyyears andheramazingexample.” Moira’s successorhasbeen confirmedasAdamSchofield, a former town councillorand mayorofMacclesfield. In recognition ofMoira’s retirement, the trust’sboard, at itsAGM, grantedher the title of honorary president. ChiefexecutiveSteveNichols said: “Moira’s commitment to the trusthas beenunwa- vering and is a testament to hercharacter. “Moirahasvoluntarilygiven her time tosupportus topro- vide thebestpossible care for the peoplewho use our ser- vices. Ithas been apleasure toworkalongsideMoiradur- ingmytimeaschiefexecutive andeveryonehereatthetrust wishes her a fulfilling and well-deservedretirement.” Moira’s commitment to community serviceshasalso been honoured by theMac- clesfieldCastleRotaryClub, with theprestigious interna- tional award,ThePaulHar- risFellowship.Moira is also apast recipient of themayor ofMacclesfield’sPrideofMac- clesfieldAward. Moirastepsdownafter fourdecadesofservice Recognition:MoirawithSteveNichols, trustchiefexecutive “Hot on theheels of ourbest summer ever,wehavenow embarked onan epic 18months of continued improvement – culminatingwhen the secondphase of theManchesterAirport transformation programmecompletes in2025. “At this point, our brand-new, award-winningTerminal 2will serve themajorityofourpassengers. “Betweennow and then, though,we have awhole host of new announce- ments and developments for people to look forwardto; fromexcitin to the opening ofa stellar retailers,barsandrestaura The airport is alsoprep launchofanumberofnewr ingVirginAtlantic flying t makingManchester the o airport outsideLondon to America’sWestCoast. RoyalJordanian’swillsta vicetoJordan’scapitalAm airwillcommence flightsto

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