News in Sandbach

This weekend, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have invited all to take part in their Big Garden Birdwatch.

Whether you are a keen bird watcher or not, now is your chance to get to know your local wildlife by spending an hour looking around your garden or out of your window to see what flies past. The birdwatch takes place from Friday (today) to Sunday (January 29-31).

Cheshire East planners have rejected an application to allow land in Moston to be used as a caravan site for "seven gypsy families".

The applicant, Billy Hearns, proposed to use land on Thimsworra Farm, Dragons Lane, as a site for the families and 16 caravans.

Cheshire East Council was found to have caused "injustice to complainants" via "maladministration" four times in two months last year.

The council received four "decision notices", issued by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, in September and October 2020.

Our local list is a free register of businesses in the Sandbach area.

We have lots of businesses on our site - but we want to sign even more businesses up for free advertising and promotion!

Cheshire's police and crime commissioner (PCC) has approved budget proposals that will see the policing precept rise by at least £15 per year.

David Keane said the rise was needed to deliver "a truly local community police service" across the county.

Discussions are ongoing between Cheshire East Council and the government over expanding community Covid-19 testing in the borough.

Prof Rod Thomson, who is a public health consultant for the council revealed that the authority has "an expression of interest with the Department for Health and Social Care to allow those individuals who have to leave home for work" more access to community testing.

Every "care home resident and carer" in Sandbach and the rest of Cheshire have been offered their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

That's according to Clare Watson, who is the Accountable Officer for the NHS organisation organising the county's vaccination programme.

A solar farm large enough to power 5,200 homes every year in Warmingham has been approved by councillors.

The 26 hectare site off Drury Lane, which will provide approximately 17 Megawatts (MWp) of electricity at its peak generation, was unanimously approved by Cheshire East's strategic planning board this afternoon (January 27).

Students in Sandbach are set to remain home until at least March after the government announced this afternoon "it will not be possible" to reopen schools in England after the half-term break next month.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a final decision would depend on meeting vaccination targets, and schools would get two weeks' notice before they are due to reopen.

Crucial Cheshire East budget plans were not shared with other councillors before going public, according to opposition leader Janet Clowes.

Yesterday (26 January), the council's Labour-Independent cabinet revealed its proposed medium-term financial strategy (MTFS), which outlines the authority's spending plans from 2021-25.