MIDDLEWICH Town Council has put its weight behind a push to retain the Croxton Lane tip as Cheshire East Council moves to cut costs by closing centres across the borough.

As part of the budget consultation – which closed on January 10 – the borough council proposed four options, one of which included the closure of the Croxton Lane site closed and another proposing the introduction of permits ‘to reduce cross-border abuse’.

Town councillors voted unanimously in support of a motion, proposed by Cllr Mike Hunter, to lobby Cheshire East Council to keep sites in Middlewich – as well as Crewe, Knutsford and Macclesfield – based on geographical position and population.

However, councillors voted not to act on two further Cllr Hunter proposals, asking that ‘the reduction of non-core sites will take place once Cheshire East Council has relooked at the figures’ and ‘that a full estimate of increased costs due to fly-tipping [is provided]’.

Cllr Simon McGrory, a Cheshire East Council ward member, told members: “There is a huge waste problem and Middlewich is being put forward to be retained.”

Cllr Jonathan Parry, who brought the proposal in Cllr Hunter’s absence, said: “Looking at the locations, closing specific tips could actually create a bigger problem when it comes to fly-tipping.”

Cheshire East Council has allowed a late submission despite the deadline having passed last week.

As reported in the Guardian November, residents had been able to put their thoughts forward about the potential closure of the Croxton Lane site up until the deadline.

The Middlewich site closure option, which Cheshire East Council has said is not its preferred option, would offer the second-highest savings of the four.

Cllr Samantha Moss added: “At this stage we should be putting forward the strongest letter possible. Let’s not argue about fly-tipping, let’s put our full support behind Cllr Hunter’s first proposal.”