News in Macclesfield

A planning bid to convert a former site of King's School, Macclesfield, into homes has today been deferred by Cheshire East councillors — for a second time.

The council's strategic planning board originally deferred the Cumberland Street application in January of this year, and decided to do so again over concerns on the proposal's housing mix and the retention of the school's cricket pavilion.

The head of a Macclesfield charity has paid tribute to a homeless man who died just the day before he was due to get the move-in date for his new home.

John Whyte, who was a well-known face in the town and often based himself on Mill Street, died on Sunday.

Cheshire East's health chief has welcomed the start of the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine to those most vulnerable.

Patients at 50 hospital hubs across England were some of the first in the world to receive the Pfizer jab after its approval last week.

A trade union has accused Macclesfield College of unfairly dismissing eight staff members without notice.

The University and College Union (UCU) said the college's actions have reduced teaching staff for over 100 students and put livelihoods at risk just before Christmas.

A 17-year-old boy has been charged after a machete and a lock knife were seized by officers following a stop and search in Macclesfield.

The teenager was arrested in Jordangate at around 6.30pm on Monday 7 December.

Cheshire East Council is sitting on more than £33 million of section 106 contributions from developers, with some money dating back from a planning application 28 years ago.

A freedom of information request by the LDRS has revealed that the authority currently has £33,428,764 in unspent section 106 funds, having collected £39.7 million of such contributions since 2010.

A number of Macclesfield car parks will have free parking on two days in the run-up to Christmas to encourage people to shop locally.

The town council announced that seven car parks will allow shoppers to park for free on Wednesday 16 and Saturday 19 December from 10am.

Cheshire East Council has voted to move to a committee system form of governance, replacing the current leader and cabinet model.

The new arrangements will take effect from May 2021 and will be legally binding for a period of five years.

Cheshire and Merseyside could soon have one clinical commissioning group (CCG) to provide NHS services in the region — despite four Cheshire CCGs merging just eight months ago.

The move could form part of the government's push to 'streamline commissioning arrangements', even though the county welcomed a new body in April 2020.

Cheshire East Council has become a member of The Mersey Forest partnership, who will be supporting the council to increase tree planting.

The council has a target of becoming carbon neutral by 2025, and influencing the wider borough to reduce their emissions. By partnering with The Mersey Forest, the council says it will have access to funding and expertise that can help Cheshire East to deliver on their carbon neutral ambitions.