Sandbach residents are furious Cheshire East is consulting on proposals to stop the upkeep of green spaces on their housing estate when the council will continue to maintain land owned by King Charles.

About 20 Sandbach residents packed into the small committee room at Westfields on Thursday to air their grievances as the environment and communities committee discussed proposals to stop maintaining some green spaces it doesn't own across the borough.

Cheshire East carried out of a review of sites after discovering last year it might be looking after hundreds which actually belong to private owners. Following the review, 40 of the 80 sites the council may stop maintaining are in Elworth.

During a heated meeting, which was peppered with angry outbursts from the public, council officers agreed to review their data before the public consultation is launched, amid concerns from residents and councillors that some of the information was 'flawed'.

Elworth councillor Nicola Cook (Ind), pictured below, speaking as a visiting member, said there are 480 sites not registered in Cheshire East Council ownership and, of these, maintenance would stop on 80.

"My understanding is, this is where the council can demonstrate that it doesn't have an interest or obligation," said Cllr Cook.

Cllr Nicola Cook (Photo: Cheshire East Council)

She said the council has maintained 40 plots of amenity land on the Grange Way Estate for over 50 years so 'to argue that CEC have no obligation to maintain after his period is simply ridiculous'.

She also pointed out the council had said it would continue to maintain some land because it said ownership wasn't known.

"This is a completely inaccurate statement and there are six examples in the Sandbach Town ward alone whereby the land in question is owned by His Majesty himself, through the Duchy of Lancaster, and confirmed by the land registry," said Cllr Cook.

"This is clearly an inequitable situation whereby the proposal condemns the residents in Elworth to unmaintained land which surrounds a primary school, footpaths and highways whilst the King himself continues to have his lands maintained at the expense of the taxpayer."

Poynton councillor Jos Saunders (Con) asked: "Does Cheshire East have a legal obligation to treat the Duchy of Lancaster land differently to that of the estate to which the residents referred to, because if we don't why are we treating it differently?"

The officers said they didn't know and would have to look into it.

An angry resident shouted out: "Answer the question!"

Cllr Stewart Gardiner (Knutsford, Con) said: "If there are flaws in the data that is in the consultation, surely that means that that consultation is more likely to be challenged through the courts or in other places."

He later moved an amendment that all data regarding land ownership be reviewed before the consultation took place and this was unanimously agreed.

Macclesfield councillor Ashley Farrall (Lab) said the council didn't want to make cuts to any services but it had no choice.

"In light of the financial pressures put on the council, we have to make savings or we face the situation that councils like Birmingham and many other councils are facing across the country now because the economic situation, nationally, has messed it up for everyone," he said.

Committee vice chair Judy Snowball (Lab) stressed it was important residents from across the whole borough take part in the consultation.

The committee agreed to go out to public consultation on the green space proposals – once the data had been reviewed – and then to make a decision on whether maintenance should be continued at a future meeting.