Cheshire East Council will next week discuss what progress has been made on the proposal to convert its former Westfields HQ into a school for children with special needs.

The council closed the Middlewich Road building in Sandbach at the end of November to save money.

Staff were transferred to either Delamere House in Crewe, which has become the council's new HQ, and Macclesfield Town Hall.

The economy and growth committee is due to be given an update on the progress regarding Westfields at Tuesday's meeting (January 14th) – but this will be done behind closed doors with the press and public excluded.

Cllr Michael Gorman (Wilmslow, Ind), chair of the committee, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service this week: "We really welcome the additional SEND provision in the borough because it's desperately needed.

"We've obviously got a big demand to meet and this is part of our commitment to meeting that demand."

Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury, Con), who is a member of the committee, said: "The decision to close Westfields was taken at committee and ratified at full council last year.

"The intention is that it will be used for secondary SEND provision which is much needed across the borough and will help counter the costs associated with special needs education for Cheshire East Council and in addition it will help reduce the escalating transport costs associated with getting children to and from appropriate schools outside the borough.

"In terms of how quickly this is going to happen, certainly we are looking to progress this with the Department for Education and hope that this can be done in a speedy way so that we can move on and get this provision provided."

Cheshire East Council is desperately short of schools for children with special needs.

When Cheshire County Council was dissolved in 2009, 10 of the special schools went to the newly formed Cheshire West & Chester Council, with Cheshire East getting just four.

This has placed huge pressure on the Cheshire East finances with the council not only having to fund places at independent schools outside the borough for some children but also having to pay huge transport costs.

Many children with special needs also have to spend several hours a day travelling to and from school when they are educated miles away from their family and friends.