Knutsford Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats – Change that works for you, Building a fairer Britain
Knutsford Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats – Change that works for you, Building a fairer Britain
 | Knutsford Local NewsKnutsford Liberal Democrats are always glad to welcome new members as well as other supporters and sympathisers who help us with leaflet deliveries, fundraising, etc.
Knutsford branch officers for 2011 are: |
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 | Chair: Roger Barlow | |||
 | Secretary: Caroline Aldhouse | |||
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If you're interested in attending local events or helping in our work, you can contact us on |
Treasurer: Barbara Austin | |||
Maintaining our cemeteries and graveyards in a decent condition is as much a mark of respect for those still living as for those who have died. Sadly, our own Cemetery is suffering from neglect.
It's not well known, but our Cemetery, which is located on the edge of the town in Tabley Road, is actually owned by the Town Council and only managed by Cheshire East. When the old Urban District Council was abolished in 1974, the Tabley Cemetery transferred to the new Town Council. A deal was then done for Macclesfield to manage the Cemetery - a responsibility that later transferred to Cheshire East.
More than thirty years' experience has shown that the deal is bad for the town. The Cemetery has been badly maintained for many years now and Lib Dems have long argued that it should be managed by the Town Council. Many other town and parish councils - sometimes jointly with their neighbours - successfully run their own cemeteries.
Local councillors give much more care and attention to important details. Cheshire East is about to hand functions over to towns and parishes. We should insist that the Cemetery be included. It should be easy - after all, it belongs to Knutsford. So let's get it back under Knutsford's own control.
Cheshire East has decided to cease providing some current services - such as play areas, allotments, grass-cutting and civic halls - offering local councils the chance to finance and manage them.
Lib Dems welcome this idea. Local councils should be able to manage these small-scale services better and more cheaply than a big, remote authority. Look at the recent headlines highlighting the neglect of public conveniences in Knutsford.
With no big overheads or inflated salaries for top executives, the Town Council can employ efficient staff and local contractors offering competitive prices. The Town Council should be able to manage these facilities better and make some of them profitable, although others will still have to be paid for through Council Tax.
But with these new powers, it is more important than ever that the Council should operate as efficiently as possible in the interests of all residents of Knutsford. Our Town Council is dominated by Conservative members, and this does not encourage effective challenge and scrutiny.
Our experienced former councillors, Barbara Austin and Francis Aldhouse are therefore continuing to keep an eye on the Council and will be ready to challenge plans or decisions that are wasteful, unrealistic, or do not serve the needs of the town as a whole.
If you have comments on Town Council activities or decisions, contact Barbara and Francis via our Secretary at the email address given above.
Published and promoted by: Alison Gallan, 6 Alderley Lodge, Bedell's Lane, Wilmslow SK9 6JR
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