Full Council
Manage the strategic delivery of all of the council’s activities.
Dates
Mon 10th Mar 2025, 7:00pm
In Categories
Location
Macclesfield Town Council Full Council
Macclesfield Town Council Notice of Meeting
4th March 2025
To Chair Cllr Sandy Livingstone and Councillors James Barber, Sarah Bennett-Wake, David Edwardes, Emma Gilman, Sam Hale, Alift Harewood-Jones, Mike Hutchison, Ruth Thompson, Mick Warren, Chris Wilcock and Fiona Wilson
You are hereby summoned to attend a meeting of
Macclesfield Town Council’s Full Council meeting to be held at
Macclesfield Town Hall
on
10th March 2025
commencing at 7pm,
for the purpose of transacting the business shown on the attached agenda.
With thanks,
Laura Smith
Town Clerk
The agenda of the meeting to be held on the on 10th March 2025 at 7pm at Macclesfield Town Hall.
1 Apologies for Absence
To receive apologies and approval.
2 Declarations of Interest
To receive declarations of interests from members relevant to items under discussion at the meeting.
Public Questions
The meeting will be adjourned to invite comments and questions from the public.
The meeting will then be reconvened.
NOTE:
If you would like to speak during public session, please email
[email protected] by 5pm Thursday 6th March 2025. Every practicable effort will be made to try and arrange your inclusion.
If you would like to submit a written statement, please submit your statement for inclusion and circulation to the committee to [email protected] by 5pm Thursday 6th March 2025.
3 Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held 16th December 2024
3. Minutes Full Council 16th December 2024
Action: To approve the minutes.
4 Matters Arising from the Minutes
Action: To consider any matters arising from the minutes.
5 Planning Committee
5.1 Planning Committee Minutes 11th December 2024
5.1 MTC PC Minutes- 11th December 2024
5.2 Planning Committee Minutes 15th January 2025
5.2 MTC PC Minutes 15th January
5.3 Planning Committee Minutes 12th February 2025
5.3 MTC PC Minutes 12th February
To note the minutes above.
5.4 Matters arising from the Minutes
To consider any matters arising from the minutes.
6 Services Committee
6.1 Services Committee Minutes 27th January 2025
6.1 Services Committee Minutes 27th Jan 2025
To note the minutes above.
6.2 Matters arising from the Minutes
To consider any matters arising from the minutes.
7 Finance Committee
7.1 Finance Committee Minutes 3rd March 2025
7.1 Finance Committee Minutes 3rd March 2025
To note the minutes above.
7.2 Matters arising from the Minutes
To consider any matters arising from the minutes.
7.3 Action: To approve the spend to date of £723,375 as approved by the Finance Committee on 3rd March 2025
8 Community Delivery
8.1 Local Police Unit
Chief Inspector to brief the Council.
8.2 CAB
To receive and note the report.
8.3 CCTV
The CEC CCTV will be present at the meeting.
8.4 Silk Museum
To receive and note the report.
9 Governance Review
9.1 Retention Schedule
9.2 Access Control Policy
Action: To review the above policies.
10 Calendar of Meetings
10. Macclesfield Town Council Meeting schedule 2025-26
Action: To approve the calendar of meetings for 25/26
11 South Park Pavilion Update Report for Council
11. South Park Pavilion Update Report
Actions: To consider the proposals in the report
12 Town Centre Regeneration Working Group
12. Town Centre Regeneration Working Group
To note the report.
13 Parks and Play Areas
To note the report.
14 Date/Time and Place of Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Full Council will be held on 10th March 2024 at the Town Hall.
Macclesfield Town Council Full Council
Minutes
The minutes of the meeting held on the on 10th March 2025 at 7pm at Macclesfield Town Hall.
In Attendance:
- Cllr Sandy Livingstone
- Cllr Emma Gilman
- Cllr David Edwardes
- Cllr Mick Warren
- Cllr Chris Wilcock
- Cllr Alift Harewood
- Cllr James Barber
- Cllr Mike Hutchison
- Cllr Sarrah- Bennett-Wake
- Cllr Sam Hale
- Cllr Ruth Thompson
1 Apologies for Absence
Cllr Fiona Wilson
2 Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
Public Questions
The meeting was adjourned to invite comments and questions from the public.
There were no public speakers.
The meeting was then reconvened.
3 Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held 16th December 2024
Resolved: The minutes were approved.
4 Matters Arising from the Minutes
Resolved: There were no matters arising from the minutes.
5 Planning Committee
5.1 Planning Committee Minutes 11th December 2024
5.2 Planning Committee Minutes 15th January 2025
5.3 Planning Committee Minutes 12th February 2025
The minutes were noted.
5.4 Matters arising from the Minutes
There were no matters arising.
6 Services Committee
6.1 Services Committee Minutes 27th January 2025
The minutes were noted.
6.2 Matters arising from the Minutes
There were no matters arising.
7 Finance Committee
7.1 Finance Committee Minutes 3rd March 2025
The minutes were noted.
7.2 Matters arising from the Minutes
There were no matters arising.
7.3 Resolved:
The spend to date of £723,375 was approved by the Finance Committee on 3rd March 2025
8 Community Delivery
8.1 Local Police Unit
Chief Inspector Zoe Bowden attended from the Local Police Unit.
HMIC Inspection: She updated response times & performance as follows:
Cheshire as a whole non-emergency response time: 4 min 14 sec – improvement.
999 calls: 93% answered within 10 seconds (Macclesfield).
Grade 1 incidents: 93% attended within 15 mins (previously 88%-92%).
Grade 2 incidents: 90% attended within 60 mins (previously 88%).
20% of crimes in Macclesfield result in charges.
- Sexual offences charges are the 2nd highest charge rate nationally,
- Robbery charges are the 11th nationally.
- Racial crimes charges are 9th nationally.
They are in the top 5 for crimes being brought to justice.
Arrests have increased this quarter – 18,000 incidents (Oct-Dec 2024).
Incident Data is Grade 1 calls: 441 per month and Grade 2 calls: 437 per month.
Macclesfield Central make up 33% of reports.
Middlewich custody suite upgraded and prisoner booking now takes 4 minutes, which is much improved.
Upcoming:
- Roads Crime Units increasing focus on vehicle crime.
- Operation Fierce targeting burglars using footwear impressions as forensic evidence and they now have footwear scanners.
- Facial recognition is being expanded for shoplifting, vehicle stops, and CCTV – working well with Ring doorbells.
- Day of Action (June): Addressing resident concerns through community engagement.
- Operation Sidelines: Extra policing in hotspot areas which is government funded.
- Multi-agency Beat Managers Meetings taking place collaborating with statutory partners.
- Community cohesion groups are expanding into high schools.
Cllr Sarah Bennett-Wake asked about the numbers of domestic abuse crimes. CI Bowden did not have them to hand but can provide them.
Cllr David Edwardes asked if they could have the PCSO mobile phone numbers, CI Bowden replied yes and that the Cheshire Police Website: Includes team details. However this does need to be updated due to changes,
Cllr Edwardes asked if they could continue to receive local incident updates and continue to get the newsletter.
Cllr Edwardes also brought up concerns of the Silk Road Noise. CI Bowden said that the police provide speed and accident data to Highways and Cheshire East Council, who would ultimately make the changes,
Cllr Mike Hutchison asked about how shoplifting was dealt with, CI Bowden replied that first-time offenders may receive community resolution (apology & repayment), and repeat offenders are prosecuted.
They encouraged use of CCTV in shops but said quality remains an issue; facial recognition is being utilised to good effect.
Cllr Alift Harewood asked who the PCSO was on the Weston, CI Bowden said she would email the Councillor.
8.2 CAB
Chief Officer, Will McKellar attended to update on the Citizens Advice Bureau.
He said figures were down last quarter due to Christmas, but income gained for residents increased by £10,000. 80% of their contact with clients is face-to-face, unlike many other CABs this branch priorities in-person support as many clients struggle with self-help and online searches.
The top issues they have dealt with in the last quarter were debt, relationship issues and housing. This is rising and there are concerns this is due to lack of affordable social housing.
They have developed their service and increased their capacity to support families through partnerships with Children’s Hubs and the Local Authority.
They also now offer support at The Core in the Upton to improve accessibility.
Cllr Sandy Livingstone congratulated CAB on their success in income maximisation and quality of information.
Cllr Sarah Bennett-Wake thanked Will and emphasised that people should seek help rather than struggle. She highlighted the report’s indication of a greater need for social housing.
She also asked about switching utilities and the benefit of smart meters. Will said that the benefits of smart meters include monitoring and controlling usage, but CAB does not formally recommend them.
Cllr Edwardes asked about enquiries related to potholes and car issues and Will confirmed that only a small number of people seek advice on these matters.
8.3 CCTV
CCTV representatives did not turn up to the meeting.
8.4 Silk Museum
Emma Anderson, director of the Silk Museum Trust attended to give updates. She described the situation as positive but acknowledged ongoing challenges. Fundraising efforts continue with plans to convert the old café into a community hub. The museum also aims to offer more space for community use. Some resources have been allocated towards the Tunnicliffe Garden and Britain in Bloom, and they are currently awaiting a response from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The exhibition program remains active, providing a much-needed space for people to showcase their events. A US company has offered sponsorship to repair some of the looms, which will enable the museum to restore part of the site into a working mill.
Financially, there have been difficulties as some partner organisations have folded, including SUSO and IDST, both of which previously used rooms at the Heritage Centre. However, Pink College will be taking over the space. In response to these changes, the museum is looking to expand the availability of spaces for hire.
Emma announced that Chair John Varney is stepping down, with Hannah Williamson appointed as interim Chair and Cllr James Barber-Chadwick as Vice Chair. The museum is still seeking new trustees to support its work.
Cllr David Edwardes asked about potential collaboration with the Silk Road CIC and mentioned that two groups of Chinese schoolchildren would be visiting Macclesfield. Emma welcomed the idea and expressed enthusiasm for engaging with young visitors. Cllr Sarah Bennett-Wake raised the possibility of working with other museums in the region, particularly in partnership with educational institutions such as universities and colleges. She believed there was a valuable opportunity for long-term collaboration.
The Mayor concluded the discussion by publicly thanking John Varney for his dedication and service as Chair of the Trust.
9 Governance Review
9.1 Retention Schedule
9.2 Access Control Policy
Resolved: The above polices were approved.
10 Calendar of Meetings
Resolved: The calendar of meetings for 25/26 was approved.
11 South Park Pavilion Update Report for Council
Resolved: The proposal was approved.
12 Town Centre Regeneration Working Group
The report was noted.
13 Parks and Play Areas
The report was noted.
14 Library Funding
Resolved: The funding for the library and the VIC was approved.
15 Date/Time and Place of Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Full Council will be held on 19th May 2025 at the Town Hall.
Meeting closed: 8.35pm
Chair: Cllr Sandy Livingstone
Clerk: Laura Smith