A LEADING opposition politician is calling on Cheshire East’s leader to stand down immediately after police launched a criminal investigation into council contracts.
Cheshire Police has confirmed it will be looking into contracts totalling £156,000 which were awarded to Cllr Michael Jones’ personal physician at Nantwich-based Core Fit.
Cllr Jones announced before Christmas that he would step down at the end of February because of infighting among Tory colleagues following the furore over the contracts.
The issue led the mayor of Cheshire East, Cllr Hilda Gaddum, to call for him to resign, claiming he ‘bullied and coerced’ colleagues.
Cllr Jones has always insisted he has done nothing wrong and had disclosed his interests in Core Fit in accordance with council rules.
At a press conference he also denied any allegations of bullying.
A spokesman for the Cheshire Police said: “A criminal investigation has been commenced into alleged misconduct in a public office as a result of information received about Cheshire East Council and the award of contracts.
“The investigation relates to the award of contracts and the involvement of all relevant individuals in that process. The purpose of the investigation is to establish what happened and who was involved.
“As part of any investigation officers will make enquiries with anyone, at Cheshire East Council or elsewhere, who may have information that could assist in establishing the truth.”
Calling for Cllr Jones to step down with immediate effect, the deputy Labour leader on Cheshire East Council, Cllr Sam Corcoran said: “It is a bizarre situation at Cheshire East Council with the police investigating the awarding of contracts to Michael Jones’s physiotherapist, yet he is still leader, having merely announced that he is going to resign in February.
“In December the deputy leader said that Cllr Jones had cleared his desk, yet he is still representing the council at public functions such as the opening of the Crewe Green Link Road and he even issued a Christmas message.
“It would be better if we had a clear break with Michael Jones stepping down as leader immediately.”
A Cheshire East Council spokesman said: “Cheshire East Council will cooperate fully with the police so they can carry out all necessary lines of inquiry. As this investigation is ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
At the time of Cllr Jones’ resignation announcement in mid-December, Mike Suarez, the authority’s chief executive released a statement, reiterating his satisfaction at the council’s audit of the process
He added: “As I have previously stated, I am satisfied that the internal audit undertaken has shown no unlawful expenditure or any breach of EU procurement rules and I remain confident that this is the case.”
Cllr Jones was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.