Progress on playing field takeover

Monday night's Audlem Parish Council meeting heard a detailed update on progress in taking over the playing field, public car park, tennis courts and children's playground from Cheshire East Council and running the complex locally.

Regular readers will recall that an extraordinary parish council meeting last year saw strong public support for the takeover and the parish council then voted at its November meeting to proceed subject to due diligence.

Cllrs Mike Hill, France Mary Christie and Richard Furber make up the working group assembling the financial estimates and dealing with Cheshire East Council in establishing any work that needs to be carried out before the takeover is agreed.

Mike Hill described how financial estimates for the takeover itself and ongoing annual costs had been circulated at the parish council's January meeting. No response or queries had been received from other councillors and a professional accountant had been asked to examine the figures and had been satisfied.

Twelve items of work had been identified that needed to be carried out and Cheshire East had responded positively so far to eleven of those. The remaining item – which relates to the recycling bins – still awaits a response.

The working group has been examining the Due Diligence and Health & Safety issues involved with the takeover. A local inspector of children's playgrounds has offered assistance and three inspections a year, at a £40 cost each, will be carried out.

Discussions with Cheshire East show that there are detailed H&S inspection guidelines – basically What, How, When – that need to be followed and this will be well within the capacity of a competent individual armed with the Cheshire East current guidelines.

The Parish Council expressed its satisfaction with progress and Cllr Hill concluded by expressing thanks to the Cheshire East officials the working group was dealing with, saying they had been helpful and co-operative throughout.

One issue did arise, however, relating to the basketball hoop installed some years ago on the far end of the car park. This is now considered an unsafe location and the hoop will be removed and relocated if a suitable place can be found.

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