Have your say on council’s new objectives

Our Draft Vision

The vision is our overall objective, it’s the idea of what we are working towards.

In 2027, Gawsworth will be a tinder and better cared for parish than in 2022. The natural environment will have been enhanced as part of a community wide initiative to be a more environmentally aware parish and the built heritage of the parish will have been better understood and conserved by the community.

Gawsworth will be a healthy and resilient community with access to the affordable housing it needs. Active travel networks will have been improved and people will feel safer using roads and footpaths to travel and there will have been a focus on improving accessibility across the parish.

The Neighbourhood Plan will continue to be effective in ensuring appropriate development and there will be a welcoming rural feel across the entire parish. Any new residents from the LPS15 development will feel part of Gawsworth community.

The parish will have a strong civil society with an actively engaged community. There will be evidence strong partnership working across the various organisations operating in the parish.

Our Draft Priorities

We’ve drafted six strategic priorities which will help us meet the vision. Under each priority we then have a number of more specific objectives. Once these have been agreed we’ll develop specific actions under each to ensure we can deliver.

GPC1 – The Parish Council will work to enhance the natural environment, built heritage and open spaces within the parish.

• Complete a review of the Gawsworth Conservation Area
• Develop a Green Gawsworth Strategy
• Develop a business case to create a new public open space on the former depot at Maggoty Lane
• Continue to deliver on its park and woodland management plans

GPC2 – The Parish Council will work to deliver a strong and resilient civil society

• Develop stronger links between the parish council and community organisations
• Ensure that community groups have the support they need to be successful
• Support the development of organisations/networks to fill gaps
• Develop a communications strategy
• Develop a Community Resilience Plan
• Ensure a strong and skilled Parish Council

GPC3 – The Parish Council will play an active role in the planning system and protect the rural identity OF Gawsworth

• Uphold the policies of the Gawsworth Neighbourhood Plan
• Seek to influence local planning policy where appropriate
• Undertake a review of the Gawsworth Neighbourhood Plan
• Ensure access for Gawsworth residents to any affordable housing developed in the parish

GPC4 – The Parish Council will enhance accessibility and active travel across and outside the parish

• Undertake a survey of the PROW network to identify improvements
• Undertake an accessibility audit across the parish
• Identify and lobby for improvements to promote cycling to/from Macclesfield and Congleton
• Explore the creation of permissive path routes to enhance the PROW network
• Explore the submission of DMMO applications to register new PROW
• Ensure bus shelters and crossing points (etc) are well maintained

GPC5 – The Parish Council will improve the standards of maintenance across the parish

• Create a definitive list of the maintenance that needs to be undertaken across the parish
• Investigate employment/contracting of a parish ranger to deliver a parish maintenance plan
• Review the provision of litterbins

GPC6 – The Parish Council will maximise the use of IT and promote skill sharing the community

• Explore ways to take advantage of existing data
• Actively seek local community based partners when delivering projects
• Develop a community skill directory

What do you think?

We want to ensure that our new five year plan serves the needs of the community, so please let us know what you think. Have we missed anything? What is most important to you? How do you think we could meet these goals?

To provide feedback simply email: clerk@gawsworthpc.org.uk by 10th June.

John Upton Charity Draft Rules

The John Upton Charity is currently updating its Operating Rules and Financial Regulations to better meet the needs of the Gawsworth Community.

Here is a draft of the proposed regulations: Draft Operating Rules and Financial Regulations.

Please email Loraine at johnuptoncharity@gawsworthpc.org.uk with any comments or suggestions. Thank you.

Community Governance Review Consultation

Cheshire East Council is consulting on proposals to amend the boundary of Gawsworth and move the Gawsworth Moss area and a number of fields into Macclesfield Town.

The borough-wide Community Governance Review is looking at governance arrangements for the parishes across Cheshire East and can consider a range of matters including the boundaries of parishes, number of councillors and warding arrangements.

The proposals for Gawsworth are:

• To move the Gawsworth Moss area into Macclesfield Town Council
• To move a number of fields, including the LPS15 development, into Macclesfield Town Council
• To retain a total of nine parish councillors with no need for warding arrangements

The proposals also state that if the area is not transferred, warding arrangements could continue with three councillors for Moss and seven for village (an increase of one).

You can view a map of the proposed area to be removed from Gawsworth and the explanatory report here: Extract from Cheshire East Council Consultation Documents.

The proposals being consulted on go against the suggestions made by Gawsworth Parish Council in the early stages of this review. Gawsworth Parish Council proposed that the warding arrangement should be removed and should this not be possible that:

• The Moss Ward be extended to cover all of LPS15 and LPS19 which is currently in Village Ward
• Residents of Moss Ward should have opportunity to agree a new name for the ward which better fits that community
• The council should retain nine councillors but five should be assigned to Village and four to Moss.

The Parish Council had presented Cheshire East Council with survey data showing that the majority of respondents to a survey of Moss Ward residents want to remain in Gawsworth parish. This was dismissed by Cheshire East Council.

The Parish Council strongly urges residents in both Village and Moss wards to make their voice heard in this consultation. If there is not a strong voice from the residents of Moss ward then it is likely the proposals will go through.

To respond to the consultation you can:

• Complete the CEC Consultation Survey here: https://surveys.cheshireeast.gov.uk/s/CGReview2/
• Email your views to: communitygovernancereview@cheshireeast.gov.uk
• Write to Cheshire East Council, Community Governance Review Consultation, Westfields, Middlewich Road, Sandbach, CW11 1HZ

The consultation closes on 28th November.

Notice of conclusion of audit

The audit of accounts for Gawsworth Parish Council for the year ended
31 March 2021 has been completed and the accounts have been
published.

The Annual Governance & Accountability Return is available for
inspection by any local government elector of the area of Gawsworth
Parish Council on application to Adam Keppel-Green (Clerk), 33 Manor Crescent, Knutsford, WA16 8DL / clerk@gawsworthpc.org.uk.

Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Copies will be provided to any person on payment of £NIL for each
copy of the Annual Governance & Accountability Return.

Announcement made by Adam Keppel-Green (Clerk)

Date of Announcement: 16/09/2021

Completed AGAR 2020/21

LPS15 Development

On Tuesday 7th September, the Parish Council hosted a virtual community meeting with representatives of Redrow and Jones Homes concerning the LPS15 development application.

The application is now live on the Cheshire East Council website reference 21/4113M.

You can watch a stream of the meeting here:

At the meeting, the representatives of the developers undertook to provide answers to some questions that they couldn’t answer on the night.

Has the land been tested for leachates from the old tip?

When the Intrusive Investigations are completed the ground will be tested for a range of contaminants. The Phase 1 report forms the basis for the testing which would highlight any off site issues that need to be taken in to account. All the works will need to satisfy the Local Authority and NHBC in order to obtain the necessary certification for the properties to be sold and inhabited.

Did traffic assessment take account of the closure of Congleton tip?

The consultant  didn’t take account of the closure of Congleton tip.  Congleton tip has only just closed (5^th September) so the evidence of things being much busier is a limited.  In terms of the TA it looks at the morning and evening peak flows which are not busy times for a tip.  Indeed the evening peak is 17:00 to 18:00 and the tip is actually closed during this period.  This will only affect flows to and from the south west and in the context of the TA this is just the site access which has plenty of spare capacity.  Where capacity is tight to the northeast – Flower Pot junction and the Congleton Road junctions with Moss Lane and Thornton Avenue the closure of Congleton tip won’t have any impact on flows.

Did the TA take account of Covid?

They were done in May and June when traffic is less than normal due to Covid?  The TA authors were advised by Cheshire East officers to do counts as they were of the opinion that flows had returned to normal.  They had been doing survey work in other locations during the weeks before.  They did do some checks against old count data and information from the South Macc TA which showed the figures were not materially different.

Is there any information on comparing the traffic counts done against pre- covid conditions?

As Above

Has the effect of the opening of the Congleton Link road been included in the TA and the effect on the traffic cameras being put in on this stretch of road? 

The Congleton Road bypass was open at the time of the surveys so yes this has been taken account off.  The timing of the counts was carefully monitored to avoid the road works on Congleton Road.

What are the peat depths across the site?

 Below is an extract from the site investigation report showing the location of peat in the area. The depth ranges from 1m – 2.5m below ground level.

Vacancy for Parish Councillor

Due to the resignation of Cllr Lisa Tyrrell, there is a vacancy for a Councillor for the Village Ward of the Parish of Gawsworth.

An election to fill the vacancy will be held if ten electors for the said Electoral area give notice to the Returning Officer requesting such an election within 14 days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a Bank Holiday) of the date of this notice.

The address of the Returning Officer is:

The Returning Officer
Cheshire East Council
Westfields
Middlewich Road
Sandbach
CW11 1HZ

If no such notice is given the Parish Council will fill the vacancy by co-option.

Rebrand for Gawsworth Shop

During the coming months you will see some exciting changes in our community facility.

We will rebrand our Community Shop and Hub under a new banner

Why are we making this change?

Today, thanks to the dedication of our volunteers, both past and presents, and with the support of the whole community, we are more than a successful community shop.  

Gawsworth Hub “Serving our community” was chosen as our new name and strap line as we felt that it encapsulates who we are and what we stand for.

Gawsworth Hub is situated in the heart of the village, and it offers a wide range of activities owned, and run, by the community for the community.

Gawsworth Hub includes a

• Successful community shop, wherever possible, offering local-sourced products and always giving friendly service 
• New warm and welcoming space for us to
• meet, and/or make new, friends
• take refreshments (pick up a Drinks Loyalty Card)
• join champion-led activities and services, e.g. “Chit & Chat”, assist residents to order items/services on-line, etc.
• attend pop-up surgeries, e.g. PCSO, Parish Council, etc.
• take part in fun events or mark special days
• support local charities’ initiatives
• etc., etc,  

• Accessible toilet and baby changing facility
• Free WiFi

Community Shop Chairman to stand down

9 July 2021 – Ray Shaw, the longstanding and acclaimed Chairman of Gawsworth Community Shop, is to step down from his role. A new chairperson will be appointed later this year and the recruitment process to find Ray’s successor is now underway.

In the interim period, Ray will assist the Board to implement a new IT infrastructure comprising electronic point of sale hardware and software and a modern website to help the shop run more effectively. Ray’s wife, Val Shaw, will also relinquish her director’s position on the community shop’s Board as the pair prepare to enjoy retirement following their outstanding contribution for the people of Gawsworth parish.

“I have achieved everything that I set out to do five years ago and feel that now is the right time to handover to a new chairperson to deliver the Board’s vision for the next phase. I look forward to working with them to ensure a smooth transition”, said Ray Shaw.

Following a background in IT consultancy Ray Shaw has given ten years of dedicated volunteer service to Gawsworth Shop fulfilling several roles, including Company Secretary and Deputy Manager shortly after the shop opened in March 2011. In 2016, Ray became Chairman and has played a leading role in preserving the future of the last remaining shop in the Gawsworth community.

Under Ray’s guidance, Gawsworth Community Shop celebrated its tenth anniversary in March. More recently, the shop has been transformed into a community hub with a bright future ahead which will deliver a wide range of new benefits to the local community. The hub will formally be opened later this year.

“Transforming a village shop into a community hub has been a complex and hugely challenging project. It has also been an immensely rewarding one, not just for me personally, but because it provides facilities that many communities lack,” explained Ray Shaw.

“It has required an enormous team effort from the start. I want to thank all our volunteers, employees, directors, shareholders and funding organisations for their support, commitment and effort, as without them, it would not have turned out to be the success it has been,” continued Ray.

The search has begun to appoint a new chairperson for Gawsworth Community Shop by the end of this year. Interested candidates should email volunteering@gawsworthshop.co.uk with a covering letter outlining their suitability for this volunteer-based role, or contact HR coordinator Daryl Williams for an initial discussion on 07967 408865. The closing date for applications is 31 August.

Parish Council Audit and Accounts 2020/21

NOTICE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS AND PUBLICATION OF
UNAUDITED ANNUAL GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY RETURN

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2020

Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 Sections 26 and
27 The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/234)

1.Date of announcement Wednesday 30th June 2021

2. Each year the smaller authority’s Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) needs to be reviewed by an external auditor appointed by Smaller Authorities’ Audit Appointments Ltd. The unaudited AGAR has been published with this notice. As it has yet to be reviewed by the appointed auditor, it is subject to change as a result of that review.

Any person interested has the right to inspect and make copies of the accounting records for the financial year to which the audit relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those records must be made available for inspection by any person interested. For the year ended 31 March 2019, these documents will be available on reasonable notice by application to:

Adam Keppel-Green (Parish Clerk)
 33 Manor Crescent, Knutsford, WA16 8DL  – clerk@gawsworthpc.org.uk –  07584 057 228

commencing on Thursday 1st July and ending on Wednesday 11th August 2021

3.Local government electors and their representatives also have:


• The opportunity to question the appointed auditor about the accounting records; and
• The right to make an objection which concerns a matter in respect of which the appointed auditor could either make a public interest report or apply to the court for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful. Written notice of an objection must first be given to the auditor and a copy sent to the smaller authority.

The appointed auditor can be contacted at the address in paragraph 4 below for this purpose between the above dates only.

4.The smaller authority’s AGAR is subject to review by the appointed auditor under the provisions of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 and the NAO’s Code of Audit Practice 2015. The appointed auditor is:

PKF Littlejohn LLP (Ref: SBA Team)
1 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4HD
 sba@pkf-littlejohn.com

Nancy’s Wood Tree Works

The Parish Council has been contacted by a number of residents concerned about the extent of the tree works at Nancy’s Wood and we understand the concern.

The Parish Council commissions regular arboricultural reports on the trees under its care and programmes the required tree works. At the same time, the council has also put in place a management plan for Nancy’s Wood which will see it’s ecology improved over the coming years.

The latest tree survey identified a number of trees for felling due to a shortened life expectancy / poor form. These works have been undertaken and leave a large part of the woodland open. The Parish Council will be undertaking a comprehensive planting programme later this year to replace the trees, plant additional understory shrubs and to plant wildflowers too.

You can view the tree survey here: Gawsworth Tree Survey 2020

You can view the management plan for the wood here: Nancy’s Wood Management Plan.