
Leadership changes at Cheshire West
Louise Gittins is set to take over as leader of Cheshire West & Chester Council after the ruling Labour group lost its majority at this month’s elections.
Louise Gittins is set to take over as leader of Cheshire West & Chester Council after the ruling Labour group lost its majority at this month’s elections.
Following local elections where the leading Conservative group lost control of the council for the first time in its history, Cllr Rachel Bailey has announced she will step down as leader in the coming weeks.
The council is finalising its move out of its headquarters overlooking Chester Racecourse with co-working brand Spaces set to take the remaining 37,000 sq ft in the building.
The city region was behind only London in completed Help to Buy property purchases, with Cheshire also among the top six, according to research based on statistics released by the Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government.
Mike Suarez, Cheshire East’s chief executive, has resigned from his post more than a year after he was first suspended by the council.
Cheshire West & Chester Council has appointed Andrew Lewis, currently managing director for the Tees Valley Combined Authority, as its new chief executive, replacing the retiring Gerald Meehan.
Lord Jim O’Neill, vice-chairman of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, has called on Government to conclude a devolution deal for Cheshire and Warrington this year, a move welcomed by local business leaders.
Cheshire East Council has approved a new housing strategy that sets out a requirement of 355 affordable homes each year until 2023.
The Northern Powerhouse Partnership has called on Government to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail by 2032/33, providing high-speed links between regional cities at the same time as HS2 reaches the north.
A High Court judge has dismissed a legal challenge to Cheshire East's Local Plan by Muller Strategic Projects, which was arguing that irregularities with the council's air quality data affected the selection of sites and distribution of development in the plan.