Meetings to continue behind closed doors

By timesecholife on in All News, Community News

Last week we reported that Cheadle Town Council had agreed to request that meetings surrounding the future of their town were made public. The request being made to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council (SMDC) was regarding the meetings of the new Cheadle Town Centre Project Stakeholder Panel which includes a number of Cheadle town councillors themselves.

Last week we reported that Cheadle Town Council had agreed to request that meetings surrounding the future of their town were made public.

The request being made to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council (SMDC) was regarding the meetings of the new Cheadle Town Centre Project Stakeholder Panel which includes a number of Cheadle town councillors themselves.

SMDC has formed the Stakeholder Panel to help support a Delivery Board which will be overseeing the development and delivery of a Cheadle Town Centre Project.

Cheadle Town Council had agreed to make the request for the panel meetings to be made public at their virtual meeting on Monday, February 1.

The Times & Echo contacted SMDC straight after that Cheadle Town Council meeting to ask why the first Stakeholder Panel meeting had not been made public, and to also ask if they would accept the town council’s request to make future meetings public.

At the time of going to press last Tuesday (February 2) we had not received a response back from SMDC to print in last week’s article.

The district council has since responded stating that the Stakeholder Panel meetings will continue to be held behind closed doors.

A spokesperson for Staffordshire Moorlands District Council said: “We have received a request from the town council regarding making the panel meetings available online but it should be noted that this group is not a formal committee of the council but rather a working group of representatives from across the community and our partners as agreed by the district council.

“The panel is made up of invited attendees and the mechanisms for linking with the delivery board and the council are in place.
“People can be assured that the council is committed to transparency and open conversations and the minutes from the first meeting, which have been drafted for sign-off, will be published on both the district and town council websites shortly.

“We have already announced that a full public consultation on all options for the regeneration of the town centre will take place and the process to appoint consultants to undertake this work is now underway.

“We will release full details on when the consultation will happen and how people can get involved in due course.”

The Times & Echo contacted Cheadle Town Mayor Ian Plant, who is the chairman of the Stakeholder Panel, about the SMDC’s response to the town council’s request to make the meetings public.

Councillor Plant said: “The question has been asked by Cheadle Town Council and yes it’s a setback, but I can assure residents that information will be fed out to them and we shall be working towards the consultation when people will be asked to share their concerns.

“As a start I have already put together working groups who will make contact and also hopefully people will talk to them.”

Working groups set up to consult

Meanwhile, cllr Plant has drawn up a list of separate working groups, within the Stakeholder Panel members, which will each focus on different areas of the project.

Cllr Plant said: “I have drawn up working groups which will make connections with relevant groups to get their views and ideas.

“If there is anyone who wishes to make any comments about the different areas of the consultation, then they can get in touch with anyone listed below who has been allocated to that particular working group.

“People can also still take part in the forthcoming consultation. We just want to get feedback about what people want for Cheadle.”

LEISURE

Cllr Ian Plant, ian.plant@staffsmoorlands.gov.uk 07971 668720

Cllr Kate Martin, kate.martin@staffsmoorlands.gov.uk 07833 993773

Cllr Richard Alcock, richard.alcock@staffs.moorlands.gov.uk 01538 753086

SCHOOLS and YOUTH

Cllr Kate Martin, kate.martin@staffsmoorlands.gov.uk 07833 993773

Ian Atherton (Staffs Clubs for Young People) ian.atherton1@ntlworld.com

RESIDENTS/COMMUNITY/TOURISM

Cllr Gary Bentley, gary.bentley@staffsmoorlands.gov.uk 07812 111474

Cllr Phil Routledge, phil.routledge@staffsmoorlands.gov.uk 07722 472233

Ivan Wozniak (Team Cheadle) woznii@aol.com 07792 343331

DOCTORS, HOSPITAL, WELL-BEING

Cllr Paulette Upton, lette1@btinternet.com 07789 076663

Sharon Ball (Moorlands Home Link), office@moorlandshomelink.co.uk 01538 750511

Father Eric Kemball (Churches) stgiles.cheadle@rcaob.org.uk

BUSINESS

Cllr Hugh Black, hugh.black56@gmail.com 07967 475737

Natalie Hewitt (Chamber of Commerce), natalie.hewitt@hcarchitects.co.uk 01538 756888

Ivan Wozniak (Team Cheadle) woznii@aol.com 07792 343331

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