A WISTASTON woman was told she would have to wait six months for an appointment to register her baby's birth.

Councillors at Cheshire East Council's audit and governance committee heard how the mother, who was not named, wanted to get her new-born child included on her passport, but she was handed a date in December at the authority's Register Office in Crewe.

They are now seeking assurances that, if there are delays, it won't prevent families from claiming child benefit immediately after the baby's birth.

Wistaston councillor and committee chair Margaret Simon said: "At the beginning of July, I had a personal enquiry from a resident in my ward who had just given birth to a new baby and she wanted to register the baby with a view to getting the baby on to her passport.

"The date she was given for registration was December and that was going to be much, much too late for what she needed the passport for.

"I was able to get her an urgent appointment. But how are we doing? Is it really six months before we can offer a registration appointment for birth?"

Cheshire East Executive Director of Corporate Services Jane Burns said registrations were being carried out, but in a different format.

She said she didn't have up-to-date information on how the registrations service was performing but said it had been an incredibly challenging 18 months for staff in that department in particular.