Annual Governance and Accountability Return 19/20
The Council’s AGAR Return and the Public Rights Notice explaining when and how electors of the Town can view records relating to the 19/20 accounts are now available on our Finance page. Click here to view the documents.
News
Face coverings will be mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England from 24 July.
Info: http://gov.uk/…/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-…
The South Cheshire Market Town Trail 2020 – now available as a download!
The Town Partnerships Forum is a partnership of Cheshire towns. The Forum was established to enable each member town to share good practice, provide information about what they are working on and explore projects which can be created in partnership for the benefit of residents and visitors to the Cheshire area. The not-for-profit group Middlewich Vision is a member of the Forum.
In 2019, the Forum members agreed to create an up-to-date new walking map which would cover the towns of Middlewich, Holmes Chapel, Sandbach, Congleton and Alsager. The map has been developed over a 12 month period and has been created in partnership with walking groups and volunteers. For the Middlewich section, huge thanks must go to local resident and volunteer Mike Walton who worked many hours to ensure the Middlewich route is accessible and interesting.
The walks can be achieved individually or if you are up to the challenge you can cover the full 40 miles across all five towns. The walking maps are free and can be found in local libraries, town council buildings and other public places (subject to any access restrictions in place)
During the current Covid-19 circumstances, we have had many requests for an online version and we are pleased to announce that the map is now available as a download. This has been made entirely possible thanks to the hard work of Peter Whiers from the Holmes Chapel Partnership. Peter has produced the entire map in a high res version to enable many more people to access the content. The map can now be downloaded in sections, as a whole or viewed on a smartphone.
Just go to https://www.hcpartnership.org.uk/south-cheshire-market-towns-trail-m
The South Cheshire Trail Map is an excellent example of how our partnerships work together to create projects that can be enjoyed by many people. The project itself was funded by the Cheshire East Council New Homes Bonus Scheme and a £500 contribution from each of the participating town partnerships.
Future Meeting Dates
Dates for your diaries for the next few months are:
July
External Committee – Thursday 2nd July
Full Council – Monday 20th July
August
Full Council – Monday 17th August
This meeting is a special meeting to approve the Annual Accounts, Internal Audit Report and AGAR before they are submitted to the External Auditor
September
External Committee – Thursday 3rd September
Internal Committee – Tuesday 8th September
Full Council – Monday 21st September
Notice of Vacancies
Further to the resignation of Cllrs Helen and Russell Watkinson, the Clerk has issued the Notice of Vacancy which is shown below.
Electors in the Cledford Ward have until 18th June 2020 to request an election by writing to the Returning Officer, whose address is in the notice.
Please note than in the case of an election being requested, this cannot take place until May 2021 in light of The Coronavirus Act. The Town Council will be responsible for the costs of any election.
If you have any queries please contact the Town Clerk on clerk@middlewich.org.uk or the Elections Office on 01270 685922.
Online Council Meetings start from 18th May
Council meetings will resume using the Zoom video conferencing platform on Monday 18th May 2020 with the Full Council meeting starting at 7.15pm.
There will be two ways to join in with the meeting as a member of public;
1. If you wish to ask a question in the public participation section of the meeting you can join the video conference using the details that will be contained on the meeting agenda. This agenda will be posted on our meetings page www.middlewich.org.uk at least three clear days before the meeting. You will be muted throughout the meeting other than in the public speaking section.
2. The meeting will also be streamed live on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/middlewich.towncouncil.3/ so if you don’t want to ask a question but simply watch the meeting you can use this option.
As always questions can be submitted in advance to be answered during the public participation section of the meeting. The details of how to do this and the deadline for submitting your question are our Public Questions Policy available here https://bit.ly/3chAAYD
Emergency funding available to respond to Coronavirus
Cheshire’s police and crime commissioner David Keane has launched a new fund to help community organisations, voluntary groups and those in the non-for-profit sector support communities through the Coronavirus crisis.
The fund is part of PCC David Keane’s Safer Communities Fund and will be funded by money taken from Cheshire criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Grants of up to £1,000 are available for projects which are working alongside Cheshire police and local authorities to support vulnerable people in the community.
As an example, this could be projects which deliver emergency food parcels, provide care to those self-isolating or host virtual activities to relieve the pressures of social distancing on our mental and physical health.
The grants will be processed as quickly as possible to get funds to communities at this critical time.
PCC David Keane said: “I am committed to ensuring that money taken from criminals is re-invested into our communities for the benefit of Cheshire residents.
“This is a particularly challenging time for people throughout Cheshire and I am doing everything I can to work with key partners to ensure there is support in place through Cheshire police, victims services and other support groups.
“But I also recognise that there are many people in our communities who want to help support their neighbours through this crisis and I want to empower them by giving them access to a fund which supports them to take action.
“At this difficult time when many of us are feeling isolated, have financial worries or are maybe even dealing with bereavement of a loved one we all need to work together to keep our communities motivated.”
The express funding is part of a wider review of the Commissioner’s Safer Communities Fund which will be launched in the coming weeks to support larger scale projects during the Coronavirus pandemic and beyond.
For more information about how you can apply for the express grant, please visit: https://www.cheshire-pcc.gov.uk/what-i-do/making-cheshire-safer/safer-communities-fund/
CWP Mental Health Crisis Line
We know that many people struggle with mental Heath; Stress, Anxiety and Depression.
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP), has launched a new mental health helpline for residents of Cheshire West, Cheshire East and Wirral.
Open 24 hours a day, seven-days a week, it is open to people of all ages including children and young people who need urgent mental health support, being available to support local people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
What to do if you need urgent mental health help:
Please 📞 0300 303 3972
our dedicated local NHS staff will support you to access the help you need;
The helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is open to people of all ages – including children and young people;
The helpline is now the first port of call for mental health help – it is operated by people in your local area who will know how best to support you.
If you call NHS111 you may have to wait longer for help and will be re-directed to this local service – so call 0300 303 3972;
Please note, 🏥A&E and 999 are not the best places to get help for the majority of mental health problems.
You should still call 999 or go to A&E if you have an immediate, life-threatening emergency requiring mental or physical health assistance;
For non-urgent help and general wellbeing advice, the CWP website contains information and links to resources to support people with anxiety, low mood, and worries relating to the current Covid-19 pandemic
For children and young people there is also a dedicated website
Town Clerk Appointed
Middlewich Town Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa Benskin as the Town Clerk. Lisa has been working at the Council as Interim Clerk since January 2020.
Cllr Carol Bulman, Chairman of the Recruitment Sub Committee said “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Lisa to the permanent position of Town Clerk. Her expertise in legal and financial matters have already proved invaluable to the Council in her role as Interim Clerk and we now look forward to benefiting from her rigorous approach to all our efforts. The decision to appoint Lisa was unanimous.’
Lisa, a Principal member of the Society of Local Council Clerks, qualified as a solicitor in 2006 specialising in Commercial Litigation and moved into the world of Clerking in 2014 when she took on the role of Deputy Town Clerk at Knutsford Town Council. Lisa is currently a non-practicing solicitor and believes her legal background is very useful for the role. She said “I am looking forward to getting to know Middlewich and its residents better, understanding what they want and need from their Town Council and implementing the decisions of the Council to achieve these aims. My long term goal is to help Middlewich achieve Gold Quality Council Status. The team of staff and Councillors have been really supportive and helped me settle in to life at the Council, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to continue working with them.”
Lisa notes that it has been a busy few months, from working with the Council to resolve the majority of the issues raised by the Internal Auditor to helping support and providing guidance to a 200 strong volunteer group set up to support the Town through the current Covid-19 crisis. Lisa added “the dedication of the Volunteers in the Town to help those residents who are vulnerable or self-isolating has been amazing. The fact that two residents set up the volunteer group themselves initially is really impressive and shows what a brilliant community Middlewich is”.
Covid 19 Response
To find out what the Council is doing to help Middlewich Residents through the current pandemic, as well as sources of information and advice, please visit our dedicated page here
Covid19 Operational Changes
Due to the recent Government advice the Council has taken the decision to close Victoria Hall, Victoria Buildings (the Council Offices) and Southway Public Toilets until further notice.
For more information, please read the full statement here 17.03.20 Press Release – Covid19
Middlewich Town Council sets Budget for 20/21
The members of Middlewich Town Council approved the Council budget for 2020/21 at a special meeting held on 13th January 2020.
The budget includes a precept request for a sum of £384,714 from Cheshire East Council. As the taxbase in Middlewich has increased from financial year 19/20 to 20/21, the amount requested results in an increase of 3.9% in the overall Council Tax Charge. This equates to an increase of £2.97 per year on a Band D property or 25p per month.
Middlewich Beat Meetings for 2020
Current Consultations
Public Consultation regarding the identification of Cledford Lane as a potential site for a transient traveller site.
Cheshire East Council has announced a public consultation regarding the identification of Cledford Lane as a potential site for a transient traveller site.
If you would like to register an objection, voice your support or offer any other feedback, please find below links to documents that summarise the relevant planning guidelines and regulations.
Link One Cledford Hall Farm – An Unsuitable Transit Site
Link Two Policies and Cledford Hall Farm
Feedback should be submitted to localplan@cheshireeast.gov.uk copying CllrJonathanParry@gmail.com before the consultation deadline of 30th September 2019
Middlewich
Situated in the centre of Cheshire, Middlewich is twinned with Holywell, Wales and has a Charter of Friendship with Venables, France”. We have good communications based upon the M6 motorway, which is only two and a half miles from the centre of the town, making Middlewich a great place to:
