Macclesfield Conservative Association is calling for the household waste and recycling centres in Bollington and Poynton to be reopened following their temporary closure in August 2024.

The demand comes as Cheshire East Council's Environment and Communities Committee is due to consider permanent closures of the two sites at its meeting on September 26 2024, as reported on by Macclesfield Nub News last week.

In a statement, Macclesfield Conservative Association wrote: "The Labour and Independent-run council is making a series of cuts to services in Macclesfield constituency, including to libraries and recycling centres.

"The proposed permanent closures means that two of the three recycling centres in the constituency would close, with only the Macclesfield centre on Gawsworth Road in south Macclesfield remaining open.

"Local Conservatives argue that the proposals – set out in the report to be considered by councillors – is fundamentally flawed because the Council failed to adequately and robustly evaluate a mobile recycling service that was put in place to alleviate pressure on the remaining recycling centre and has yet to agree what and how the mobile service would operate in the long term.

Poynton household waste recycling centre, pictured when it was open. (Image - Macclesfield Nub News)

"The Conservatives also argue that the proposals fail to take into account the environmental damage that will result from thousands of extra vehicle journeys as residents travel to the one remaining recycling centre, and the impact of this extra traffic on the Flowerpot Junction in Macclesfield. The junction is already at capacity and planned major road works to improve traffic movement at this busy junction are still on the drawing board."

A new mobile tip in Bollington has been set up, and the schedule for the Danes Moss tip in Macclesfield has changed as a result of the closures of Poynton tip (Anson Road) and Bollington tip (Albert Road).

Middlewich tip also faces a similar fate to the aforementioned two.

Dr Chris O'Leary, Cheshire East Conservatives councillor for Sutton Ward, said: "The planned closure of these sites is only on the table because the Labour and Independent-run council is massively overspent and on the brink of bankruptcy.

"The proposals are fundamentally flawed and will do untold damage if they go ahead, not least because flytipping will go up, as it did when the Congleton recycling centre was closed."

 "We call on Labour and the Independents to think again about these proposals, which will not only affect our villages and rural communities but will also add to traffic congestion going through Macclesfield."

The Council's environment and communities committee will meet at 10am on Thursday, September 26 at the Westfields offices in Sandbach. (Image - Macclesfield Nub News)

Macclesfield Nub News has contacted a press contact for the local Labour Party for comment.

Elsewhere, Cheshire East Council are toying with the idea to replace Alsager tip with a new tip at Congleton, which was a suboption question in a recent HWRC consultation. Congleton has not had a tip for two years, and the site of their old tip is now being turned into a Costa Coffee.

Last week, a Cheshire East Council press release said that "Bollington, Poynton and Middlewich HWRCs, which are currently under an emergency closure to ensure essential cost savings can be made in 2024/25. And "would not reopen." 

Cheshire East Council's environment and communities committee will meet at 10am on Thursday, September 26 at the Westfields offices in Sandbach.