Crewe resident challenges council over consultation and cost of proposed Crewe scheme
A Crewe resident has slated Cheshire East for a poor highways consultation process - asking how it can justify £19m for 'a bus stop, lay by and 150 yards of cycle path.'
Members of the Cheshire East Council highways and transport committee voted unanimously on Thursday (June 16) to submit a constituency and a local transport authority levelling up bid.
This was for funding towards two Nantwich Road enhancement schemes around the station - aiming to improve accessibility.
The western enhancement scheme is estimated to cost approximately £19m, with eastern deck enhancement scheme, approximately £10m.
Before the committee had debated the matter, local resident Steve Bratt told councillors he wanted to withdraw his backing for the one scheme he had originally supported.
"I filled in the consultation questionnaire online which was very badly worded with one question which might have been copied by mistake from a different survey," he told the meeting at Macclesfield Town Hall.
"I was very opposed to the Eastern section of this scheme.
"I gave the Western scheme some support because it would also work with the previously published good ideas for the station.
"I now find, from your agenda documents, that the western section which gives us basically a bus stop, lay by and 150 yards of cycle path, is costed at £19m. This is ludicrous."
He also asked why officers had written the report which was presented to Thursday's committee before the public consultation had even ended.
And he said the consultation process itself was open to abuse.
"There appeared to be no attempt to check for abuse, thus leaving the results open to manipulation by activist groups from elsewhere," Mr Bratt said.
"My questions are, was there any audit of the responses to check for abuse?
"Have the actual consultation responses been properly analysed and will they be published?
"When will the benefit-to-cost ratio estimate be published? And how do I withdraw my support from this now I've seen how much it's likely to cost?"
Willaston councillor Allen Gage (Con) also asked, in the later debate, whether it was usual for a report to be written before the consultation had closed.
Crewe East councillor, Hazel Faddes (Lab) said: "I agree with the public speaker. It's a little bit worrying that some of the questions were aimed at people who may not actually live in Crewe and may just be travelling.
"I would like to see more people actually putting their postcode in so we can judge where they're coming from and where they are going to."
Head of infrastructure Chris Hindle said because of tight timescales involved – the bids have to be submitted by July 6 - the report was drafted 'based on the views of what we knew the consultation responses to date'.
Mr Hindle said: "The initial analysis of the early responses indicates a strong support for proposals at this stage and if there's any significant change in this position this will influence the bid obviously."
"To implement either of these schemes there will need to be a full statutory public consultation before anything can be implemented, which will be another opportunity for people to comment and for those comments to be taken on board."
Councillors unanimously supported bids for the scheme, with Crewe West councillor Connor Naismith (Lab) proposing the bids be submitted.
Cllr Gage added: "If this package improves the traffic flow, improves accessibility, use of the station and also improves cycle travel, which I think it will, it has my full support."
READ MORE: Crewe police constable warns of local rogue traders: elderly man charged £40,000.
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