Cheshire East Council claims cost-cutting plans to become financially sustainable are being scuppered by central government's lack of decision-making, costing residents money.

In May, the Labour government issued the council with a non-statutory best value notice, warning it needs to improve at a quicker pace, amid concerns about its financial sustainability and governance.

But, at Thursday's (June 12) corporate policy committee at Crewe Municipal Buildings, councillors argued the government's indecision over funding, for projects such as new special schools and the Middlewich Eastern Bypass, was actually costing them money and frustrating their improvement plans.

In May, the Labour government issued Cheshire East with a non-statutory best value notice, warning it needs to improve at a quicker pace, amid concerns about its financial sustainability (Nub News).and governance

Cllr Jos Saunders (Poynton, Conservative), had asked at Monday's children and families (C&F) committee if the government had yet made a decision on plans to convert the council's former Westfields HQ at Sandbach into a special school.

When asked again following Wednesday's spending review, she was told it would probably not be clear until October.

Referring to the council's £112.1 million deficit in its special needs budget (DSG) and the seven-year plan to deal with this overspend, Cllr Saunders said: "The whole of the DSG, the mitigations, a lot of that's predicated on having those additional school places, so I'd just like to know what mitigations you've got in place."

C&F committee chair Laura Crane (Sandbach, Labour), said: "There is an options paper being developed looking into exactly that, what do we do? Because it is a long time to wait."

Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury, Conservative), referred to the best value notice, which requires the council to provide the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG ) with assurance it is improving at pace.

"Are MHCLG going to take their own delay in making decisions into account when they evaluate our transformation plans and our best value notice status?" she asked.

Cheshire East's new executive director of resources, Ashley Hughes, said: "I have only met with them once, this week, where I did express quite strongly to them that the sort of decisions that they take around local government do disproportionately impact Cheshire East.

Councillors argued the government's indecision over funding, for projects such the Middlewich Eastern Bypass, was actually costing them money and frustrating their improvement plans (CEC).

"But I would expect that, in the conversations that the executive director of place is having around, particularly Middlewich Bypass, that he will also be saying, your decisions are introducing delay and cost.

"Let's be real about this. The longer it takes, the more it's going to cost us, we need their clarity.

"And I will feedback to them quite strongly the next time I see them that their delays in decision-making are costing us and our residents money."

READ MORE: Work begins on new 210-pupil primary school in Nantwich.

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