News in Congleton

In England, 13 people kill themselves every day, that's one person every 90 minutes – the length of a football match.

Today (Thursday 10 September) is World Suicide Prevention Day, and to promote this Cheshire East Council are launching a new suicide prevention programme.

As the planned opening of the borough's largest major infrastructure project to date moves closer, council leaders have been given a further glimpse of how the Congleton Link Road is taking shape.

The link road will relieve the Cheshire East town of some of its historical traffic problems, create road space for cyclists and pedestrians and improve air quality for residents, while opening up new development opportunities for employment and housing.

Cheshire East Council is to have a new deputy cabinet member for adult social care and health, owing to the additional pressures created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cllr Marilyn Houston, ward member for Crewe West, is to support the present portfolio lead, Cllr Laura Jeuda, who represents Macclesfield South.

Leaders of Cheshire East have not ruled out axing bus subsidies in their next council budget.

Currently, the authority spends £1.7 million on subsidising 12 routes across the borough.

Congleton Town Council is appealing to local residents to write to Cheshire East Council and confirm that they want the borough to deliver the promised work on Congleton Leisure Centre.

A cross-party group consisting of Congleton town councillors and the chief officer, David McGifford, have arranged a meeting with senior officers and councillors at Cheshire East to discuss the issues regarding the leisure centre refurbishment, but warned that people not just councillor power is needed to make the difference.

Central government have asked all borough councils to implement measures that facilitate active travel, the tight time scale to implement these measures is why consultation about the schemes is happening whilst the measures are in place, and we welcome feedback, both positive and negative.

The emergency monies provided only allows us to achieve changes that are quick and easy to implement and sharing space in town centres creates safety for people to cycle around the town avoiding main roads, which with heavy vehicles and speed of traffic feels dangerous to cycle on and discourages people from cycling, especially for young and inexperienced people.

The second biennial Congleton Heritage & Antiques Festival is going ahead, despite the current restrictions, with an exciting virtual programme of over 40 items, starting on Saturday (12th September) and continuing for two weeks.

These pre-recorded items on the Our Events page can be viewed from the date on the listing; and are available throughout the festival fortnight (and many beyond that).

Cheshire East Council's cycling and walking champion sought assurances that the borough would not "buckle" and take out the active travel measures introduced before they were given a chance to become "effective".

The Congleton active travel trial scheme is part of eight across the borough as a first phase to improve walking and cycling and improve access to town centres, areas for employment and schools.

Cheshire East Council is working with schools to put additional measures in place to make school drop-off and home times safer for pupils, parents and teachers.

Schools in Cheshire East have seen a positive start to the autumn term, despite Covid-19. Attendance has been high and measures planned and put in place over the summer, to minimise the risks of Covid, have been largely successful so far.

Social gatherings of more than six people in Congleton and beyond will be banned from Monday (14 Sept) - with some exceptions - under a tightening of Government coronavirus restrictions.

The move comes after a spike in infections has prompted concerns over a second wave.