CE makes Rotten Boroughs again – twice

Cheshire East managed to escape the eagle eyes of Private Eye magazine's Rotten Borough column for over a year after the resignation of former leader Michael Jones. In the latest issue, however, the local council makes it into two separate stories, the first time the webteam's Private Eye enthusiast can recall such an event!

This is the first of the mentions, inevitably featuring Michael Jones. The second, which includes even more suspensions at the council, will follow later:

Motley Crewe

The Eye's revelation in 2015 that fitness class contracts worth £156,000 had been handed to Cheshire East council (CEC) leader Michael Jones' physiotherapist Amanda Morris without going through the normal procurement procedures put the kibosh on his political career. He resigned as leader and has said he will step down as a Tory councillor once Inspector Knacker's investigation into the matter is concluded.

The affair has not, however, stopped Cllr Jones and Ms Morris, who now goes by her maiden name of Weston, forging an exciting business partnership.

The Crewe Chronicle reports that the pair are now part of a consortium, led by the University of Buckingham and Indian private hospitals group Apollo, in talks about the possible purchase of Manchester Metropolitan University's Crewe campus, due to close on 2019, with a view to turning it into "a medical science university."

The Chronicle story did not cover the fact that Cllr Jones has recently updated his council register of interests. Unaccountably it fails to mention his directorships of three new companies: Crewe Medical School Properties Ltd, Crewe Medical School Services Lid and Crewe Medical School Ltd. According to Companies House, Jones owns most of, if not all, the shares of the three companies.

Apart from his enthusiasm for working out with the "awesome" Ms Morris, Cllr Jones does not have any medical or fitness background. But no doubt his extensive knowledge of the property market will be invaluable to the project.

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