Lower Withington Parish Council – Annual Report 2024/25

Lower Withington Parish Council

Annual Report – 2024/25

• Your Council

  • The composition of the council has remained the same during 2024/25, however, Hywel Lewis and Jackie Blackburn are leaving their roles as councillor which means we now have three vacancies for parish councillors. The Parish Council wish to thank Hywel and Jackie for their positive contributions to the Council and community during their time with us.

  • Elizabeth Maddock has remained in the role of Clerk (clerk@lowerwithington-pc.gov.uk) and we are grateful for the continued support of Councillor Smetham from Cheshire East Council, representing the Gawsworth Ward.
    

• Finance

  • During 2024/25 the Parish Council provided a grant of £3,000 to Lower Withington Parish Hall to support the excellent work to redecorate the main hall.

  • The Parish Council has also agreed to provide financial support to assist in the delivery of first aid training within the community.

  • A financial report is presented to each meeting of the Parish Council and is included within the published meeting papers on the village website.
    

• Parish Council Projects and Parish Matters

  • The newsletter continues to provide an opportunity to share local information with residents. Ideas and suggestions for content are always welcome.

  • Information received by the Parish Council from various organisations, including Cheshire East Council, Manchester Airport and others, continues to be shared on the website (www.lowerwithington-pc.gov.uk).

  • The Parish Council has upgraded the type of pads used in both defibrillators. The new pads include a device which measures the depth and frequency of CPR chest compressions so that the rescuer can ensure that they are delivering the most effective treatment. It is hoped that this will provide additional reassurance to any resident who faces a situation where they may need to use a defibrillator.

  • The annual litter pick took place earlier in May. The Parish Council would like to thank all volunteers for their time and contribution to the community.

  • Unfortunately, a few of the shrubs that were previously planted in the island at the Parish Hall car park entrance did not survive. The Parish Council has, therefore, replaced these shrubs in an effort to make the area attractive to residents and visitors.

  • Four fruit trees have been planted at the Village Green. These were funded by a grant from the Police and Crime Commissioner. Whilst the trees are quite small at present, it is hoped that in the future residents will be able to enjoy apples and pears.

  • The Council supported the annual Memorial Day by mounting of poppies around the village.

  • A new Christmas tree has been planted at the Parish Hall. The Parish Council has agreed to support the Parish Hall to install an external electricity supply to allow the tree to have improved festive lights for Christmas 2025.

  • The Parish Council has had positive engagement with Jodrell Bank regarding the currently unoccupied cottages. Manchester University is exploring options to bring these properties back into use and has agreed to share updates with us as discussions progress.

  • The Parish Council has been engaging with landowners and Cheshire East Council to deliver an upgrade to the footbridge along FP5. Unfortunately, Cheshire East Council has temporarily paused the project to enable them to deal with other matters relating to this footpath which may impact on the proposed upgrades. Once these issues have been resolved the Parish Council will resume efforts to upgrade the bridge.

  • Speeding is an issue for which the Parish Council receives many complaints from across the whole Parish area. A number of pieces of work are underway to address these issues including:

    • A speed survey has been commissioned for Trap Street to establish the magnitude of the speeding problem in order that appropriate measures can be taken to address concerns.

    • Village gateways and improved white lining are being pursued for Salters Lane to highlight the 30mph zone through the village.

    • Speeding along A535 has been referred to Cheshire Police’s Operation Caesar for inclusion in targeted monitoring to address speeding issues.

    • The Parish Council has submitted requests for the speed limits along A535 and Salters Lane to be reviewed.

    • Concerns relating to the impact of cycling and running events through the village have been raised with Cheshire East Council who will, in turn, feed this through to event organisers.

• Planning applications 2024/25

  • Applications considered by Parish Council: 22

  • Applications approved with conditions: 12

  • Applications approved (no conditions): 1

  • Applications receiving a positive certificate: 1

  • Applications deemed approved: 1

  • Applications refused: 4

  • Applications receiving a negative certificate: 2

  • Applications withdrawn: 1

  • Applications awaiting decision as at 31/03/25: 10

  • Planning appeals awaiting decision as at 31/03/25: 2