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.

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.

Neighbourhood Plan Referendum

NOTICE OF REFERENDUM

GAWSWORTH NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN AREA

Referendum on the adoption of the Gawsworth Neighbourhood Plan

1. A referendum will be held on Thursday 6 May 2021 to decide the question below:

“Do you want Cheshire East Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Gawsworth to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

• Applications to be included on the register of electors for this referendum must be received no later than Monday 19 April 2021.

• Electors and their proxies should take note that:

Any changes to, or cancellations of, existing postal or proxy vote records, and new applications to be treated as postal voters, must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, either by hand at the Elections Office,  Macclesfield Town Hall, Market Place, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 1EA, or by post at the Elections Office, Macclesfield Town Hall, c/o Municipal Buildings, Earle Street, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 2BJ by no later than 5.00pm on Tuesday 20 April 2021  if they are to be effective for this referendum.  You must allow sufficient time for posted applications to be received in the Elections Office by the deadline.

• All new applications for proxy voting arrangements must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, either by hand at the Elections Office, Macclesfield Town Hall, Market Place, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 1EA, or by post at the Elections Office, Macclesfield Town Hall, c/o Municipal Buildings, Earle Street, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 2BJ by no later than 5.00pm on Tuesday 27 April 2021, if they are to be effective for this referendum.  You must allow sufficient time for posted applications to be received in the Elections Office by the deadline.

• All applications to vote by emergency proxy at this election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, either by hand at the Elections Office, Macclesfield Town Hall, Market Place, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 1EA, or by post at the Elections Office, Macclesfield Town Hall, c/o Municipal Buildings, Earle Street, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 2BJ by 5.00pm on Thursday 6 May 2021 if they are to be effective for this referendum.  You must allow sufficient time for posted applications to be received in the Elections Office by the deadline.   

                                                                                                                                                COUNTING OFFICER

Dated: 29 March 2021                                           

Printed and Published by the COUNTING OFFICER, WESTFIELDS, MIDDLEWICH ROAD, SANDBACH, CHESHIRE, CW11 1HZ

Explanatory Note – regarding our office address:

Delivery of applications to register to vote, to vote by post or by proxy – These forms can be hand delivered to the Electoral Registration Officer, Ground Floor, Macclesfield Town Hall, Market Place, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 1EA.  If you choose to post these forms the address to which to post them is the Electoral Registration Officer, Macclesfield Town Hall, c/o Municipal Buildings, Earle Street, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 2BJ, but you must ensure that you allow sufficient time for posted applications to be received in the Elections Office by the relevant deadline for each type of application.

Gawsworth Trail of Christmas Cheer

The trail map is available to buy in Gawsworth Shop, the Harrington Arms or available to download here: Christmas Trail Map.

The map costs £3 with proceeds split between our three charities. Please donate via the PayPayl link below and where possible use ‘Friends and Family’ option so we don’t lose charitable funds on charges.

https://www.paypal.me/gawsworth

Remember to maintain social distancing during the trail and at Santa’s Grotto!

Enjoy our trail and Happy Christmas!

Notice of Conclusion of Audit

he audit of accounts for Gawsworth Parish Council for the year ended 31
March 2020 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 Knutsford
Town Council on application to:

Adam Keppel-Green (Clerk and RFO)
33 Manor Crescent, Knutsford, WA168 DL
clerk@gawsworthpc.org.uk

Between the hours of 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Copies will be provided to any person on payment of £0

Announcement made by Adam Keppel-Green

You can view the Annual Governance & Accountability Return here: www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/council/finance

Date of announcement: 27/11/2020