We're fresh out of the Local Elections and we now have our elected representatives for 2023-2027 across Cheshire East. But what many forget is that in those elections you also elected your Town Councillors (the green ballot paper!). Often, Macclesfield Town Council goes unnoticed and doesn't get the recognition it deserves because they're often conflated with Cheshire East. But what many don't know is that a lot of the day-to-day stuff you see in our town is provided by Macclesfield Town Council.

The bunting in the Town Centre to celebrate the Coronation? That was the Town Council. Free community-events such as the Christmas lights switch-on events and Park Fit to keep you active? That's the Town Council as well! New play equipment in Weston Park and Banbury Park? You get the picture. To put it simply, we get to do the community-focused stuff. Making our town look nice, keeping residents active and busy, raising awareness of the climate emergency and all sorts. 

But that's not all, because we have some pretty big projects as well. Firstly, it is a well-known problem that there are limited (at best) public toilet facilities in the Town Centre. So, the Town Council has put £110,000 towards new, accessible toilets to be situated in the Indoor Market. These are a game-changer and demonstrative of our commitment to our Town Centre Recovery, which involved the Town Council working with Cheshire East Council, CVS Cheshire East, Macclesfield Hospitality Action, Macclesfield Museums and Peaks and Plains Housing Trust in order to deliver new outdoor hospitality, art to improve the aesthetic side of the town and of course, through partnership working, the new toilets.

The Town Council has also worked on empowering our young people through tailored events such as sports activities on Becks Lane field, Banbury Close field and the Multi-Sports Area in South Park. These events proved to be hugely popular and engaged young people in professionally-run fitness activities, and as the first-ever (and now-former) Champion for Young People on Cheshire East Council, amplifying the voices of our young people and engaging with them is a key priority of mine on the Town Council. 

The different responsibilities of Macclesfield Town Council and Cheshire East Council

'What does the Town Council actually do for local organisations' was a question I was asked a few times on the campaign trail during the Elections, and luckily - they do a lot! In 2022/23 alone the Council gave out 27 community grants to organisations as varied as Just Drop-In and Macc Pride. These grants range from micro-grants (up to £100), small grants (up to £250) and large grants (up to £2000), and each applicant gets support in a bespoke package from CVSCE. Some of the ways the grants were spent in the last year were on welcoming Ukrainian refugees to the town, youth club equipment and an Eco-Hub at Scoops and Scales. If you are an organisation with a project that you need support with, get in touch with the Town Council! 

Ward Budgets are a key addition to the Town Council's work, with ward Councillors being given a budget to make a difference in their ward. Examples of last year's spend included supporting gritting in the Central ward, a free slow-cooker project in Hurdsfield and holding a Coronation Party in Broken Cross and Upton. These budgets are a great way for Councillors to have a feet-on-the-ground impact to help their communities.

Onto Planning, and it's safe to say that Macclesfield has been dealt a poor hand when it comes to irresponsible developments, with Weaver Green and Danes Moss being just two of the most controversial ones. Macclesfield Town Council is a statutory consultee on all planning applications in the parish, and this means our Planning Committee gets to scrutinise all applications relevant to the town. The Committee has closely scrutinised both the aforementioned developments and more - giving the community a greater voice and speaking at Cheshire East planning committees to input residents' views. As someone who was described as a 'trouble-causer' for the planning department on Cheshire East due to my opposition to the colloquially-titled 'Chelford Road Development' in Broken Cross and Upton, I'm looking forward to continuing my record of scrutinising developments through the Town Council so as to achieve the best outcomes for our communities. That doesn't mean blindly opposing all developments, but rather working to ensure that they are the right ones for our town.

And finally, have you ever come across a freshly cleaned street sign that you've been unable to read for years or a previously graffiti-covered wall that is now clear? Chances are that you're looking at the work of our Town Ranger service. Our brilliant Rangers are out during all hours of the day fixing problems, clearing weeds and leaves and working tirelessly to instil pride in the visual aesthetic side of our town. They're a massive asset to Macclesfield and, again, if you ever spot a job for them to do, let us know. 

What you get for your Town Council precept

So of course, we have to talk about money… Council Tax is the bane of many people's lives, but for all of the services above, and more, you're only paying £52.06 a year for a Band D property - equating to £4.34 a month which, if you go to one of our wonderful independent coffee shops, is roughly the price of two takeaway coffees!  

What do we not do? Well as a Town Council, we have limited powers in comparison to Cheshire East Council, which is the principal authority for the borough. For any matters around Highways and Waste, Licensing, Education, Health and Social Care, Libraries, Environmental Health, Council Tax and a variety of other issues, please contact Cheshire East Council.

So, given how much the Town Council does, I hope you will agree that we deliver value-for-money services. And we are always looking to explore new opportunities or ideas, so do get in touch with your local Councillor (whose contact details will be listed below) and speak to them. And if you fancy seeing local democracy on your doorstep, come along to one of our meetings in the Town Hall - a calendar of which can be found online at our website (https://www.macclesfield-tc.gov.uk/).

On a personal note, a huge thank you to the over 1000 residents who trusted me with your votes to become one of the new Town Councillors - it is a huge honour and I hope to be able to repay your faith in me!

And finally, a big thanks to all the staff and volunteers that work for and with the Town Council to make Macclesfield the best place to live, work and grow up in!

Your Macclesfield Town Councillors:

Broken Cross and Upton: Cllr Dr Ruth Thompson ([email protected])  & Cllr Chris Wilcock ([email protected])

Macclesfield Central: Cllr James Barber ([email protected]) & Cllr Sandy Livingstone ([email protected])

Macclesfield East: Cllr Mick Warren ([email protected])

Hurdsfield: Cllr Sarah Bennett-Wake ([email protected])

Macclesfield South: Cllr Neil Puttick ([email protected])  and Cllr Fiona Wilson ([email protected])

Tytherington: Cllr David Edwardes ([email protected]) and Cllr Emma Gilman ([email protected]) 

Macclesfield West and Ivy: Cllr Alift Harewood ([email protected])  and Cllr Mike Hutchinson ([email protected])

Nub your own news to Macclesfield Nub News on this link.