Parish Council News
The Parish Council publishes regular quarterly newsletters and, for your convenience, we publish the latest news updates on this page.
You can download newsletters in PDF format - for printing or to read offline - from the list on the right.
Changes at Holmes Chapel Library
We have learnt recently that Gaynor Wason, our Senior Library Assistant since 2001, is moving to Knutsford Library as Manager.
Gaynor has been working at the library since 1986 and, along with her staff, has introduced many initiatives to add to the very good service offered, which has benefited us all over the years. The facility of the Community Room has meant a greater involvement by many of us and the co-operation and helpfulness of Gaynor has been much appreciated, not only during the redevelopment of the Library, but also the organisation and availability of the Room to groups within Holmes Chapel. She will be greatly missed by existing staff and "borrowers."
We wish Gaynor well in her new role and hope she will 'pop in' to our Library and keep in touch in future.
The new arrangement is a post of Community Librarian which has been created to cover Holmes Chapel and Middlewich libraries. Jude Johnson has been appointed as Community Librarian and works at Holmes Chapel library a couple of days a week.
Winter Gritting
Now that winter is over, we can reflect on the exceptionally harsh conditions which stretched resources to the limit and prompted many complaints.
Cheshire East Council is responsible for gritting our roads and pavements and applies the priorities set out in its winter service policy. Not everywhere can be covered without allocating additional resources for which we would have to pay more in our Council Tax.
Cheshire East will sometimes supply grit bins for use by local residents on low priority routes such as those which have recently been placed at the junction of Portree Drive and Selkirk Drive and also further down Portree Drive. Residents are asked to use them responsibly for the benefit of local road users and not for treating private drives.
Public Conveniences in Holmes Chapel
At their recent meeting Members of Holmes Chapel Parish Council Amenities Committee received a statement from Phil Sherratt, Head of Environmental Services at Cheshire East Council, in which he said:
As part of the budget process, we are reviewing our approach to all public conveniences; therefore, we are not at a point where we can say a decision has been taken. Instead, we are continuing to explore options for provision in each location. In Holmes Chapel we are seeking to establish if a facility can be made available through partnering which is better located etc. and would substantially reduce the costs of ongoing maintenance e.g. Fire Station and perhaps Parish Council. As there is no immediate requirement for the capital investment we have accordingly released the resource to help manage more general pressures.
The Committee members reviewed the recent history of this matter recalling that the old Congleton Borough Council condemned the Holmes Chapel toilets as being the worst in the old Congleton Borough and promised to replace them. After a study a site was chosen behind the library. An original proposal for a portaloo was abandoned because of the running costs and the effect on the revenue budget. Subsequently one of the Architects in the Borough Property Department prepared plans and, after consultation, these were approved. After the creation of Cheshire East in April 2009, there was some delay until the budget provision was located but then the Parish Council were informed that the budget figure had been located and the design work could proceed to completion. The impression was given that the only problem was the need to allocate officer time to proceed with the scheme. The total loss of the budget item came as a great shock.
Following representations, Mr Sherratt has agreed to meet representatives of the Parish Council to discuss this issue.
Car Parking Charges
Whilst members of the Parish Council are delighted by the announcement that Cheshire East Council is not proceeding with the introduction of car parking charges in Holmes Chapel at the present time, this will not change the fact that there are a lot of problems associated with car parking in the village centre.
These include shortage of spaces for shoppers, issues about all day and long stay parking and the majority of parking spaces being in private ownership. The Parish Council had pressed the former Congleton Borough Council and, more recently, Cheshire East Council to carry out a study of the parking situation in the village to consider these problems.
The position will now be reviewed with a view to looking for longer term solutions. As a starter, Paul Burns, Parking Services Manager at Cheshire East has agreed to meet with representatives of the Parish Council.
Library Service
Following the recent staff changes announced at Holmes Chapel library, the Parish Council has heard of further proposals at a recent meeting called by Cheshire East Council and Parish and Town Councils of Holmes Chapel, Middlewich, Knutsford, Poynton, Alsager and Congleton.
The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss proposals for moving Information and Customer points into libraries. This does not affect Holmes Chapel in the same way, because the Information Centre has been based at the library for a number of years, following a joint initiative by the former Cheshire County and Congleton Borough Councils supported by the Parish Council. For other towns it will involve moving existing information points into their libraries and the impact will be much greater for them.
There is some gain for Holmes Chapel because it is likely to mean that the Customer Service point (which is presently open for 14 hours a week) will be open at all times the library is open - a total of 30 hours. In the future library staff will be operating the Customer Service point.
Another innovation is that the library service is also introducing new technology into five libraries in Macclesfield, Nantwich, Sandbach, Bollington and Holmes Chapel. This technology, due to be in place by April this year, will enable library users to issue and return books themselves; a better and more flexible service.
Finally, there is the possibilty that Cheshire East will introduce more flexibility in library opening hours. Discussions later in the year will include consideration of lunch time and more evening opening times.
Holmes Chapel Parish Council is proud of the library service in the village and was a major supporter of the improvements which took place about 5 years ago. We will be monitoring these proposals as they emerge.