Midcheshire Independent Issue 189

MARCH 2026 2 Nopartofthispublicationmaybeusedorreproducedwithouttheexpresspermission ofthepublisher.Everyeffort ismadetoensurethatthearticlesandadvertisements thatarecarriedareauthentic,howeverthepublisheracceptsnoresponsibility for claimsmade. © Investors inPublishingLtd2025. Thisnewspaper ispublishedmonthlyby Investors inPublishing,PublishingHouse, 3 Bridgebank IndustrialEstate,TaylorStreet,Horwich,BoltonBL67PD. Tel.01204478812 EDITOR : Ged Henderson ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com ADVERTISING: Robin Atkins 07767 840274 robin@cheshireindependent.co.uk CONTACT: JayneMeadowcroft 01204 478812 or 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk CONTACT US PDQ LANDSCAPE & BUILDING SERVICES 07763 923005 01270 421405 From inside to outside, whatever you can imagine, we can make it come true. IF WE CAN’T DO IT NO ONE CAN! FREE QUOTE Call Steve sredmond24707825@aol.com SPRING will soon be in the air which means East Cheshire Hospice’s Starlight Walk is not far away. Organisers have revealed that Thurs- day April 16 is the date of this year’s popular event at Capesthorne Hall. And they are hard at work to deliver the much-anticipated walk’s festival atmosphere, with live entertainment, food and drink. Gates open at 6 pm with entertain- ment from 6.15 pm. The walk starts at 7.15 pm and the event ends at 9.45 pm. Walkers can complete multiple laps of the 2.5-kilometre course through scenic woodland if desired. The route has lighting, lanterns, fire pits, points of reflection and other fea- tures, including a floodlit lake. The hospice’s community and events fundraiser Claire Gorton said: “It’ll be an unforgettable evening as we cele- brate the lives of those who mean the most to us. “Starlight Walk is more than a walk – it’s a vibrant, uplifting experience filled with light, music and togetherness. “We encourage everyone to embrace the festival vibe.” CHESHIRE Fire Au t ho r i t y h a s approved a multi‑mil‑ lion‑pound invest‑ ment package but has revealed it will have to make savings of more than £1million. It says the package will complete the modern- isation of fire stations, upgrade frontline fire- fighting equipment and adopt new technology. The decision was con- firmed as members signed off a £61.7million budget to run Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2026/27. The service’s funding for the year will once again come from a blend of government grants and council tax. The authority has agreed to increase its share of council tax by the equivalent of £5 a year for a Band D property. This follows a public consul- tation on the proposed increase during January. Stef Nelson, who chairs the authority, said: “In spite of rising cost pres- sures and no real‑terms increase in central gov- ernment funding, I am pleased we have agreed a balanced budget that not only maintains our excellent fire and rescue provision but also ensures we can continue to make vital investments in our services. “To balance the budget, we will make around £1.1m in savings, pri- marily by bringing down utility costs, continuing to reduce staff absence and overtime, and introducing a new structure in our Protection Department. A further £448,000 from reserves will fund essen- tial one‑off costs.” She added: “We are CHESHIRE East Council has launched a new ‘call for sites’ as part of the early stages of prepar‑ ing its next Local Plan – the blue‑ print for how the borough grows and develops well into the 2040s. The plan will set out where and how future development should take place, including new homes, employment land, infrastructure and green spaces. The call for sites is a standard part of the plan‑making process. It invites landowners, developers, community groups, and residents to suggest land that could potentially be used for hous- ing, employment, minerals or waste uses in the future. Submitting a site is not the same as making a planning application and does not guarantee that it will be included in the Local Plan or receive planning permission at a later date. David Jefferay, who chairs the coun- cil’s environment and communities committee, said: “This builds on our last call for sites in 2024 and is an important step in understanding the options we have to plan for new homes and employment in Cheshire East. “By inviting site suggestions, we can build a Local Plan that reflects the needs of our communities and supports sustainable growth. “We want this process to be open, transparent, and shaped by local knowledge. Whether a site is large or small, for employment or homes, min- erals or waste, we encourage people to come forward and help us create a balanced and evidence‑based plan for the years ahead.” Submissions gathered through the call for sites will help the council understand what land may be avail- able and suitable to support the area’s long‑term needs. Any sites that are proposed for inclu- sion in a future new Local Plan will be subject to public consultation at key stages of the plan-making process. The call for sites will remain open until March 31. Fire authority signs off on £61m budget Modernisation: There are plans to complete upgrades to fire stations (Photo credit: Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service) grateful to everyone who responded to our public consultation. The £5 annual increase in council tax will support our work towards our vision of ‘a Cheshire with no deaths, injuries or damage from fire and other emergencies’.” Alongside approving the service’s budget for the next 12months, mem- bers also agreed a major multi‑year capital invest- ment programme to start from April. It will be funded from the authority’s reserves and around £2m of borrowing – far less borrowing than origi- nally planned owing to work to identify savings and efficiencies. The capital plan includes the refurbish- ment of fire stations at Malpas, Nantwich, Poyn- ton and Stockton Heath. All of Cheshire’s 28 fire stations will then have been newly built or com- pletely modernised over the last 10 years. It will also spend £1.6m to replace fire- fighters’ breathing appa- ratus in 2027/28 with state‑of‑the‑art light- weight equipment that uses digital technology to help commanders moni- tor firefighters’ location and vital signs during high‑risk incidents Planned improvements at its headquarters com- plex in Winsford includ- ing the creation of a new Occupational Health Unit, additional office space, a new on-site stores facility and modernised conference, training and meeting spaces. Helping shape the future A shining example of community care