A town councillor believes that the recent public consultation on the borough's tips has "real danger" of becoming a "sham" after his request for information regarding new potential sites in Congleton was refused.

Nub News has previously reported that the lease is not being renewed for Congleton's household waste and recycling centre, off Barn Road, and a recent consultation highlighted Cheshire East's plans to close it.

However, Cllr Laura Crane, portfolio holder for highways and waste, has previously stated in response to questions about the public consultation on the borough's tips that there was an option for a recycling site at Congleton.

In February 2020, the full council approved and budgeted for the spending of a £4 million new purpose-built recycling site for Congleton.

Speaking at last Tuesday's Cheshire East Cabinet meeting, Congleton town councillor Robert Douglas, highlighted that £4million had been put aside for the new "purpose-built" household waste and recycling site for Congleton within the authority's four-year capital programme.

However, the Liberal Democrat councillor was "disappointed" that the "indispensable" project appeared only as an "addendum" scheme rather than a "committed" scheme.

On 15th November 2020, Cllr Douglas submitted a freedom of information request asking for specific details for the new recycling sites that Cheshire East were "seriously looking at" as being "suitable" to replace the existing Congleton site.

Cllr Douglas revealed that Cheshire East refused to provide that information on grounds of "commercial sensitivity".

The Congleton town councillor appealed that decision because in his appeal he only requested "bland" information on the number of sites being considered alongside details of the approximate acreage and distance from Congleton town centre.

Cllr Douglas said: "Despite enabling Cheshire East to respond without revealing commercial sensitivities, on 25th January 2021, Cheshire East advised me that they refused to provide any of this information."

In 2018, Cheshire East set aside £50,000 for consultants to look at the feasibility of other sites.

Cllr Douglas added: "So, what information in terms of number of sites, approximate size of sites, approximate distance from town centre regarding the new alternative sites are you willing to advise today?

"So that you can demonstrate to the people of Congleton that you are still seriously looking at new alternative sites, or is Cheshire East still going to refuse providing information which has the real danger of making the people of Congleton conclude that the recent public consultation exercise was just a sham."

Cllr Crane said that the authority was still considering the results of the recent consultation and they [results] would be discussed further at the borough's Environment and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Friday (12 February).

Cllr Crane added: "That will enable a cross party committee to pre-scrutinise any decisions that we might consider ahead of Cabinet next month."