Cheshire East has backed changes to governance arrangements for the borough's town and parish councils – but only after a 'wrecking amendment' which would have delayed the process, failed.

The community governance review (CGR) looked at town and parish boundaries, numbers of town and parish councillors and grouping of parishes and warding and involved more than three years' work and a 12-week public consultation.

Many councillors were angry at Wednesday's (April 27) full council meeting when they were blind-sided by Chelford councillor Marc Asquith's (Con) motion requesting the CGR sub-committee look again at those few areas where objectors had spoken at council meetings against proposals for their parishes.

Parishes around Crewe would have been affected, including Minshull Vernon, Leighton, Shavington and Woolstanwood.

Parishes around Crewe fought to remain and were successful (Crewe Police).

Holding the 800-page document high in the air, Cllr Asquith said: "If you haven't read all 800 pages and don't understand it, I would invite you to consider whether or not you should actually be voting on this."

The councillor, who is a member of the CGR sub-committee, said the public speakers knew their local areas well and councillors being asked to make the decision didn't.

Because of that and 'just to spoil the day' he was putting forward his motion.

"There's only half a dozen of them [disputed areas], it won't take long," said Cllr Asquith.

"We can pass all the other uncontroversial ones today and community governance review can then just sort out those last few where it's contentious."

The meeting was adjourned for about 10 minutes while the legal officers checked the motion and councillors were then told it was not possible to approve part of the review – the whole process would have to be delayed.

Cllr Marc Asquith, Chelford, Conservative (Belinda Ryan).

Cllr Les Gilbert (Con), who seconded Cllr Asquith's motion, and had spoken at three meetings about the proposals for Holmes Chapel area, said there were only seven areas with unresolved issues.

"In my view, it's more important to get it right than to make an immediate decision," he said.

Other councillors were clearly angry at the 11th hour motion.

Crewe councillor Steve Hogben (Lab) said it was a 'wrecking amendment'.

"We've only had three and a half years to consider all this," he said, adding with more than 110 parish and town councils it was inevitable not all would be happy.

Middlewich councillor Mike Hunter (Lab) said: "If this amendment is passed, it is not just seven areas that are affected. If the seven areas in question are altered and the parishes change in size, it has knock-on effects to the parishes that surround those areas."

He said if those parishes then came back, it would be a 'never-ending story'.

Crewe councillor Joy Bratherton (Lab), who chaired the CGR sub-committee, said: "We have heard nothing from Cllr Asquith in the three and a half years to even give us any inkling that he was not content with the decisions we made."

Cllr Joy Bratherton, Crewe East, Labour (Belinda Ryan).

She added: "And on his first comment, I have to take exception to the fact that he raised the fact that some of us may not have read all our papers.…

"I am confident that everyone in this room understands exactly what we have done for three and a half years and I defy anybody to say that is not the case."

She was applauded by the majority in the room at Macclesfield Leisure Centre.

Nantwich councillor Arthur Moran (Ind) said the motion had been put forward 'to wreck the whole scheme'.

"I do echo what Cllr Bratherton has said about Cllr Asquith – a member of the working group, been working at it for three and a half years and leaves it to today to actually put this amendment in," he said.

The free-standing motion proposed by Cllr Asquith was defeated.

An amendment concerning proposals for Congleton, which had been submitted in advance, also failed.

An ammendment affacted Congleton failed. (Congleton Town Council).

The recommendations originally put forward to accept the community governance arrangements proposed were accepted.

Details of the changes and maps showing boundary alterations can be viewed HERE.

READ MORE: New South Cheshire food festival will support charities in need.

READ MORE: Government pothole grant represents just 3% of cash needed for repair in Cheshire East.

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Crewe Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

Please consider following Crewe Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.

(Ryan Parker and Belinda Ryan, Local Democracy Reporter)