Midcheshire Independent Issue 174

JANUARY 2025 2 No part of this publicationmay be used or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure that the articles and advertisements that are carried are authentic, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for claims made. © Investors in Publishing Ltd 2024. This newspaper is publishedmonthly by Investors in Publishing, Publishing House, 3 Bridgebank Industrial Estate,Taylor Street, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7PD. 01204 478812 EDITOR Ged Henderson ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com CONTACT JayneMeadowcroft 01204 478812 or 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk ADVERTISING Robin Atkins 07767 840274 robin@cheshireindependent.co.uk CONTACT US CHESHIRE East Coun- cil has embarked on a recruitment drive in a bid to improve its plan- ning and building con- trol service. The local authority pro- cesses a combined total of more than 6,000 applications and building inspections a year and has one of the busi- est planning departments in the country. The service is now looking for more people to work in the department after a recent restructure of the service it provides. Liz Braithwaite, vice chair of Cheshire East’s environ- ment and communities com- mittee, said: “The council faces significant financial challenges and as part of our ambitious transformation pro- gramme, we’re investing in planning and building control to make sure we can deliver an effective and financially efficient service that supports our local economy. “These services touch a lot of people’s lives – they’re high profile and a crucial part of the council’s responsibilities. “Delivering them to a high standard is essential to investment in the borough. After a period of review- ing our approach to how we achieve this, we’re now in a stronger position to deliver an improved service. “Our teams work hard to provide a high standard of customer service and it’s clear that we need to invest in our people to continue to do that. “By recruiting to vacancies we’ve been holding for some time, we’re ensuring we can successfully respond to the gov- ernment’s plans to delivermore homes across the country.” Cheshire East is recruiting for multiple roles including officers that ensure buildings are safe, teams that process planning applications and work on strategic policies such as the Local Plan and specialist staff that advise the council on heritage, design, landscape, trees and ecology. NEW f igures have revealed people in Chesh- ire have a high level of confidence in the service their police force provides. The latest statistics from The Crime Survey for Eng- land and Wales – Perceptions of Police cover the year to June 2024 and highlight that the Cheshire force ranks well above the national average. Of those who responded to the survey in Cheshire, 73.4 per cent of people said they had overall confidence in policing. That rated the constabulary the second highest in Eng- land and Wales, and above the national average of 65.3 per cent. A total of 58.9 per cent of people in Cheshire said police can be relied upon when needed. This was also the second highest level in England and Wales and well above the national average of 50.4 per cent. The force was also ranked third for people agreeing that police were doing a good/excel- lent job in their local area, with 58.7 per cent of people agreeing with the statement. The national average was 48.3 per cent And 84 per cent of people in Cheshire believing that the police will treat them with respect. Again, this figure was above the national aver- age of 79.8 per cent. Chief Constable Mark Rob- erts said: “These figures are testament to the hard work of our officers who build a strong relationship with the people we serve. “Not only do our officers and staff work tirelessly to catch offenders and prevent criminal behaviour in our county, but they also offer pub- lic reassurance and advice to residents and businesses, and always strive to help people feel safe in their communities. FLU hit hospitals in the North West hard in the run up to Christmas with a ‘tidal wave’ of infections leading to a 28 per cent increase in admissions across just seven days. The NHS was encourag- ing people eligible people to get vaccinated without delay if they haven’t done so already to avoid “festive flu” with 1,153 patients with flu in hospital in the first week of December – up from 825 in the previous week. Win- ter vaccinations were being offered at community centres, supermarkets and Christ- mas events as the NHS in Cheshire and Merseyside braced itself for a rise in winter viruses as Christ- mas approach. Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed flu cases highest among 5 to 14-year-olds, but adult cases were expected to rise significantly once schools and nurseries close for Christmas, as the NHS contends with a ‘quad-demic’. The effort to vaccinate as many eligible people as pos- sible came amid new fears of a ‘quad-demic’, with flu, RSV, Covid-19 and norovirus all reaching record levels for this time in the year, as the NHS braces for a long win- ter ahead. Flu season usually peaks in December and January and the vaccine provides vital protection to prevent people from developing seri- ous illnesses and ending up in hospital during the busy winter months. Professor Rowan Pritchard Jones, medical director at NHS Cheshire and Mer- seyside, said: “The increase in flu cases and other sea- sonal viruses creates addi- tional demand during an already very challenging winter period.” ASERIAL stalker has been recalled to prison after failing to comply with his license conditions. Grant Hodnett of Conis- ton Avenue, Winsford, will now serve the remainder of his sentence. In February 2024 he was given 18 months imprison- ment by a court for stalking a woman while also breach- ing a Restraining Order to protect a second woman he previously stalked. The 42-year-old former professional cricketer was released on license in Sep- tember after serving half of his sentence. As part of Hodnett’s strict license conditions he was required to inform his Pro- bation Officer of any develop- ing relationships. In late November Cheshire Police received notification from a neighbouring force that A CHESHIRE charity welcomed a royal guest to share in a very special day. The Duchess of Edinburgh opened David Lewis’s new college building in Alderley Edge and helped celebrate its 120th birthday. The new building will provide additional space for special education for young people with special educational needs. Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, who is mar- ried to Prince Edward, the King’s youngest brother, is patron of the charity. During her visit she met with a number of its key partners to hear how they support the work of the charity and to thank them for their efforts. (Photo credit: David Lewis) College’s special day is a royal celebration Signs of confidence “Over the past few years, the force has undertaken incredibly difficult investi- gations into some horren- dous crimes, ensuring those responsible were brought before the courts and dealt with accordingly. “We have also under- taken a number of proac- tive operations, targeting those who bring harm to our communities. “These have included Operation Crossbow, where we worked with neighbour- ing police forces as part of our efforts to disrupt those crossing the border to com- mit crime in Cheshire. These operations have been a huge success, with multiple arrests and items seized to make Cheshire a safer place for those who live and work here. “This is just a snapshot of what officers and staff have dealt with day in and day out over the past 12 months and will continue to deal with as ‘Tidal wave’ of flu hits hospitals Planning a recruitment drive Hodnett had started a rela- tionship with a woman he’d met via an online dating app. This triggered a response from the Harm Reduction Unit, Cheshire’s specialist stalking investigation and risk management unit which incorporates Probation Officers and NHS Mental Health professionals. Checks quickly confirmed that Hodnett had failed to inform the Probation Service of this relationship or his use of dating apps, despite hav- ing multiple opportunities to do so. This triggered an emer- gency recall on Thursday December 5, and Hodnett was arrested less than 24 hours later. Police Constable Keith Ter- rill, of the Harm Reduction Unit, said: “Hodnett’s actions have again shown he is either unable or unwilling to adhere to conditions placed upon him. “Thanks to swift informa- tion sharing and the integra- tion of the Harm Reduction Unit with the Probation Ser- vice, we were able to quickly identify the developing risk Hodnett posed and safeguard the public by recalling him to prison. “I hope that this demon- strates how Cheshire Police, and our partners, continue to monitor stalking perpetrators and serial domestic abuse per- petrators long after investi- gations and court cases have ended, and that we will use every tool and power availa- ble to us to protect the public from the risks they pose.” Serial stalker back in prison we enter the end of 2024 and into 2025. “These latest figures will redouble our efforts to further enhance our relationship with the people of Cheshire.”