“We need to pull together”

By timesecholife on in All News, Community News

A community group has been set up to provide a platform for a town “to come together and work with each other.” The formation of 'Cheadle Future Together' has come off the back of the controversy surrounding the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council's Cheadle Town Centre Projects plans.

A community group has been set up to provide a platform for a town “to come together and work with each other.”

The formation of ‘Cheadle Future Together’ has come off the back of the controversy surrounding the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s Cheadle Town Centre Projects plans.

On it’s Facebook page the group states that it: “is a community action group set up to allow people and businesses in Cheadle to shape the future of Cheadle by ensuring the people of Cheadle’s views are heard during consultations and development of the town.”

Liz Haines is one of the founding members of the Cheadle Future Together. She told the Times & Echo: “Cheadle Future Together has been started off the back of this issue at the moment. We are very much in early stages of formation.

“We are aiming to provide a platform to come together and work with each other to inform and contribute to a positive change in our area.

“So we would really love it if members of the different groups campaigning could join the group.

“There is a danger with the options laid out as they are that the community could get pulled in different ways, when we need to pull together.

“I try to keep up with the different meetings and post up (on Facebook) about when the meetings are and what is happening as it is a complicated situation.

“In the future I see the group being a way of giving a voice to the community and somewhere people can post to ask for help to deliver surveys or support each other’s campaigns.

“Admins in the group are myself, Mike Haines and Debra Gratton. At the moment we have only 66 members so plenty of room to grow.”

Since its recent formation, the Cheadle Future Together group has carried out a short online survey surrounding the controversial Cabinet report.

Liz said: “Following the meeting there was an article printed in the Cheadle and Tean Times where Cllr Sybil Ralphs said that plans could continue without the involvement of our town council.

“I thought it was important residents of Cheadle had the opportunity to actually have the opportunity to say how they felt about the situation so far.

“This survey seemed like the right thing to do to try and get over to councillors how people in Cheadle felt before Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.

“It wasn’t perfect I know that but I think clear messages came through from the answers we had.

“The survey was posted not only on Cheadle Future Together Facebook group but also on Cheadle Forum, This is Cheadle, Team Cheadle and Cheadle Labour Party Facebook groups/pages and received 226 responses.”

The first question of the survey was: “Do you feel that the residents and town council are consulted about plans put forward for Cheadle?” to which 73 per cent said “No”, while 12.4 per cent said “Only town council”, and 8.4 per cent said “Haven’t got a clue.”

The second question was: “Should SMDC continue only with setting up a stakeholder panel and delivery board, removing the options included in the “Cheadle Town Projects Report?” to which 46 per cent said “No – scrap the whole thing”, while 34.1 per cent said “Don’t understand it all really”, and 15.5 per cent said “Yes – don’t mind that.”

The third question was: “Would you be happy for SMDC future plans for Cheadle to continue without consulting the town council?” to which 94.2 per cent said “No.”

And the final question was: “Do you want to see improvements in Cheadle?” to which 46.9 per cent said “yes”, while 51.3 per cent said “Only if residents of Cheadle are included in (the) decision.”

Liz explained that the survey results were emailed to the town councillors and the cabinet members of SMDC ahead of their meeting yesterday (Tuesday, December 1).

The full results of the survey have been posted on the ‘Cheadle Future Together’ Facebook page.

1 Comment

• I for one am against further residential development in Cheadle as the infrastructure is not in place to support it . The most need the town has is for its present facilities to be maintained and upgraded. The leisure centre being one such example . Crumbling buildings need to be renovated and bought back to use or demolished and redeveloped . For example the Royal oak and Talbot ...the row of shops that back onto Prince George blighted by the land slip...I really could go on ..
  Written by Gail Brown, December 9, 2020 - Reply

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