A Congleton town councillor has asked why Cheshire East didn't pursue S106 contributions of more than £800,000 from a developer who has since gone bust.

Cllr Robert Douglas said the money should have been received years ago.

And he demanded to know how much more money the council was owed by developers who had gone into administration.

Speaking at last week's meeting of the full council, Cllr Douglas said: "Residents living on the Thistle Way Estate, Padgbury Lane, Congleton, raised concerns that S106 monies for their estate had not been paid to Cheshire East."

He said the planning applications they were looking for, dating back a decade, are not on the planning portal and he wanted to know why.

Thistle Way, Congleton. (Google)

"The October 2024 schedule generated by Cheshire East of outstanding S106 monies confirms my residents' concerns," he said.

"It appears that about £540,000 of S106 monies due prior to first occupation of Thistle Way in around February 2019, almost six years ago, and a further £255,000 prior to 75 per cent occupation, which was about three years ago, have not been received.

"An additional £10,000 also not received.

"The developer, Stewart Milne, went into administration in January 2024.

"Why was this sum of over £800,000 not received years ago?"

He asked if the debt had been lodged with the administrators.

The Congleton town councillor has been looking into S106 money due to the council across the borough.

He told the meeting: "Working from Cheshire East's own figures, I estimate for sites within Congleton town's boundary, except Thistle Way and the bridge linking Astbury Place with Congleton Park, over £1m of S106 monies have not yet been received.

"How much of this, if any, is overdue?

He said, working from the council's own figures again, he estimated there is £575,000 of S106 monies within Congleton's boundary that has been received and is listed as available but not yet used.

"Some of these monies are under time constraints. When were these monies received, what plans are in place to utilise them and by what date?" he asked.

Cllr Mick Warren (Macclesfield, Ind), chair of the environment and communities committee, said Cllr Douglas had put forward several detailed questions and he would ask the council's officers to provide him with a detailed response in writing.