Congleton Town Council rebuff accusations over towns household waste site

Congleton Town Council have hit back at Cheshire East Council after they were accused of not engaging over the future of the Town's household waste site.

The statement reads as follows:

Statement from Congleton Town Council re the Household Waste Site and rebuff of accusation from Cheshire East Council Leader that the Town Council failed to enagage.

Commenting on the recent accusations made by the Leader of Cheshire East Council, Cllr Sam Corcoran, Congleton Town Council would like to reassure residents that Congleton Town Council has always made it clear that it is keen to work with Cheshire East Council and wants to help find a positive solution to deliver a Household Waste Recycling site for Congleton.

The Town Council has spent many hours discussing the concerns caused by the imminent closure of the current site at Barn Road. Councillors and officers were, and still are, keen to discuss the matter with Cheshire East Council to seek a positive way forward so that this essential function can be delivered in the borough’s fourth largest town.

The Town Council cannot understand how the Cheshire East Council Leader formed the opinion that “he has not received a positive response from” Congleton Town Council.

Cllr Robert Douglas, Chair of the Town Council Finance and Policy Committee at the Town Council has been leading the campaign on behalf of the Town Council. Cllr Douglas said: “Councillor Corcoran asked whether Congleton Town Council would be willing to work with Cheshire East Council on this issue. Following a meeting at which 17 of our councillors attended, Councillor Corcoran was advised that all those councillors present at that meeting agreed that the issue of Congleton’s recycling site should be discussed at a meeting of our two councils, with some councillors and/or officers present. Unfortunately, our acceptance of the offer to have these discussions was not taken up by Cheshire East Council.

“Shortly, after our acceptance to holding these discussions, Cheshire East’s Environment and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee on March 15th 2021 recommended that a Task and Finish Group be set up to look at all alternative available options for a replacement site. We had expected that we would be closely involved with Cheshire East Council in the work carried out by this Task and Finish Group. We are extremely disappointed that Cheshire East Cabinet did not adopt the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recommendation to set up a Task and Finish Group.”

As a Town Council we believe that the growing town of Congleton needs a Household Waste Recycling Site and to not seek an alternative solution is a backward step for the community and environment. We were pleased that Cllr Crane said that there is a possibility of a site in Congleton in the future and if the only solution is a ‘pop-up’ site in the interim period before a permanent replacement site is available then the Town Council remains open to discussing this idea with Cheshire East.