Dear Editor,

On May 9, 2021 I was declared as the new Labour councillor for the Crewe West ward on Cheshire East Council.

I am pleased to be able to say that I have got straight to work for residents. I know one issue that was raised during the campaign was about the state of Queens Park car park.

I am pleased to be able to confirm that, having spoken to Cheshire East Council, this work had already been scheduled some months ago and forms part of the council's capital programme for this year.

The park has been in a state of disrepair for many years, and I'm pleased that our Labour administration on Cheshire East Council is giving the area the attention it deserves.

However, I cannot talk about this without acknowledging the ongoing state of our roads. One thing that has become abundantly clear to me since beginning my campaign to get elected to Cheshire East Council is the sheer powerlessness of local government when it comes to road repairs as a result of a decade of brutal cuts from government in Westminster.

For that reason, I am publicly asking Kieran Mullan MP, as Crewe and Nantwich's representative in Westminster, to raise this issue with the government in the aim of getting a fairer funding settlement for our highways – as opposed to the decade of managed decline we have suffered.

Sincerely,

Connor Naismith – Crewe West Labour Councillor