News in Macclesfield

Cheshire East Council is among three local authorities to secure £5.4m in European funding to support young people and adults who need help to find work, training or further education across Cheshire.

Along with Warrington and Cheshire West and Chester councils, they have made a successful bid to the European Social Fund (ESF) that will bolster social intervention work across the three authority areas.

Cheshire East Council will be focusing on celebrating and raising awareness around the borough's estimated 40,000 unpaid and hidden carers, as part of national Carers Week, which starts today (Monday) and runs until Sunday (14 June).

The annual campaign highlights the challenges of having sole responsibility for looking after a vulnerable loved one.

Hundreds of people gathered in Macclesfield town centre this evening (5 June) in a socially distanced show of solidarity with protestors in the US and to highlight the continuing racial injustices closer to home.

Bollington photographer, Jade Tideswell, was there with her camera and caught some incredible shots of the demonstration (see gallery above).

Cheshire East Council has published street plans detailing the temporary closure of roads and installation of signage in Macclesfield town centre to aid social distancing.

The new plans form part of a range of measures being introduced by 15 June when non-essential retail will be able to reopen for the first time since the lockdown took effect in March.

Macclesfield residents paid their respect to George Floyd by silently kneeling in the town centre for 8 minutes and 47 seconds- the amount of time the police officer charged with his murder had his knee to his neck.

The demonstration concluded with a speech from Eliza Beresford, one of the organisers of today's event. She spoke of challenging racism in our own lives.

Cheshire East Council is set to introduce a range of measures in Macclesfield and Bollington to protect people and support local businesses as the lockdown is lifted.

The temporary measures will be in place by 15 June and have been informed by local ward members and town and parish councils.

Macclesfield residents living close to the Silk Road have complained about the noise from motorcyclists speeding down the road since the lockdown was eased.

Calls have been made for more to be done to reduce the level of speeding and the accompanying "anti-social" noise that can come with it.

A Black Lives Matter protest is taking place in Macclesfield town centre today (5 June) where participants will 'take the knee' in a show of solidarity with protestors in the US and to highlight racial injustices closer to home.

The event outside the town hall at 6pm may attract a large crowd as more than 200 people are marked as 'going' on the event Facebook page with more than 300 saying they're 'interested'.

Cheshire East Council will be lifting the number plate system that has dictated who could access the Macclesfield and Bollington tips since they reopened last month.

The changes will take effect tomorrow (5 June), meaning that people will no longer have to check whether their car number plates end in an odd or even number to go to the Household Waste Recycling Centres on a particular day.

The Big Mac has returned to Macclesfield today as McDonald's reopens its drive-thru after ceasing trade as the lockdown came into effect in March.

While the local branch, based at the Silk Retail Park, is busy this lunchtime with long queues, it does not appear to be causing major traffic disruption on Hulley Road; something that has occurred in other areas of the country as stores reopen.