News in Macclesfield

Cheshire East Council is set to distribute £880,000 worth of to help vulnerable families over the Christmas holidays and into the spring.

The vouchers came about following the government's compromise during the free school meals row.

A born-and-bred Macclesfield woman has celebrated her 100th birthday.

Along with many helpings of cake and bubbly, Nellie Beech (née Eardley), resident at care village Belong Macclesfield, has marked the milestone occasion with a special reading from her local church.

The coronavirus pandemic has escalated incidents of domestic abuse, with lockdown making it a difficult and worrying time for adults and children who live with it.

In 2020 from 1 April to 31 October there were 10,103 domestic abuse crimes recorded by Cheshire Police, compared with 9,533 over the same period in 2018.

Cheshire East Council has been given new enforcement powers against businesses flouting Coronavirus regulations.

Among the new measures will be the council's ability to issue fines of up to £4,000 and even close premises if they fail to adhere to the restrictions.

Cheshire Police chiefs have praised the public's, and their officers', approach to following and enforcing Covid-19 laws.

Superintendent Julie Westgate made the comments after a freedom of information request by the LDRS revealed that not a single £10,000 fine had been dished out by the force.

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.