News in Sandbach

A Sandbach town councillor has insisted he will not be apologising following allegations that he condoned racism.

Three activists from the local Black Lives Matter group addressed last Thursday's virtual meeting of the town council to "find out how much more this council can be doing to be actively anti-racist".

Cheshire East has been added to the government's coronavirus watchlist due to the increasing rate of infection across the borough, it has been announced.

Council leader, Sam Corcoran, said this does not mean additional measures would be put in place "at this time".

More than £1.3 million was spent on agency social workers by Cheshire East Council last year, data shows.

A Freedom of Information request to the council shows that officials sanctioned a £1,370,528 spend on agency social workers in the 2019/20 municipal term, with 18 staff being employed by the authority in adult services on August 1.

Cheshire East Council is adopting a new approach and launching a new long-term campaign to attract and recruit more people to become foster carers.

With more than 530 cared for children and young people in Cheshire East there is a need to find homes for children locally.

The latest plans for the future of development in Cheshire East are to be discussed by councillors this week.

A revised draft of the borough's Site Allocations and Development Policies Document (SADPD) is up for debate, which forms the second part of the council's 'local plan' — the blueprint for development in the borough.

Older people in Cheshire lost over £75,000 last year, according to new cybercrime data acquired by the charity Age UK.

A Freedom of Information request to Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting centre, found that Cheshire Constabulary received 91 reports of cybercrime, in England and Wales between April 2018 and March 2019, from people aged 55 and over.

The Cheshire East Council leader has said that "additional measures will be required" to stem the increasing rate of coronavirus in the borough.

Cllr Sam Corcoran said the council will "explore" what restrictions can be put in place across the borough in lockstep with Cheshire West and Chester.

A leading doctor in Sandbach has said it is more important than ever this year for people to get their free flu jab if they are entitled to it.

Dr Andrew Wilson, a GP at Ashfields Primary Care Centre in Sandbach and Clinical Chair of NHS Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group, stressed that flu kills around 11,000 people every year in England and hospitalised thousands more.

The MP for Crewe and Nantwich, Dr Kieran Mullan, has criticised the leader of Cheshire East Council over a social media video.

In the video CEC Labour leader Cllr Sam Corcoran, asked residents to "only go out when necessary", and act as if they were already under a lockdown.

Update 29/09/20: Sandra Almond has now been found safe and well. Police have thanked everyone who shared the appeal.

• ************