Cllr Rachel Bailey, leader of Cheshire East Council, tells residents the council will 'put its house in order'.

CHESHIRE East Council has been working through more than its fair share of issues, already well-reported in this paper, and covered again today. 

Further issues have come out recently, and have been referred to the police by the council. As the police confirmed in September, they have begun three new lines of enquiry.

Does this mean that the council is spiralling out of control? No – quite the opposite actually. And here’s why. 

Since I became leader of the council, I have been determined to put our house in order. The latest three police investigations are not because they have uncovered anything new – they started because I made sure that we got to the bottom of some historic issues. Actually we were the ones who actively engaged with the police, told them what we’d found, and this in turn led to their additional investigations.

It’s never a comfortable situation to find the organisation you run being investigated, but I would much rather that we really did get to the bottom of these matters once and for all. That’s precisely what’s happening.

But let me tell you something else that I’m equally determined to do – and that is make sure that even whilst we put our house in order, we remain ruthlessly focused on doing a good job in the wide range of services that the council is actually here to provide, whether that’s investing in our towns, sweeping our streets, or caring for our elderly and vulnerable residents.

Recent A-level and GCSE results show that education achievement rates for pupils in CEC remain as some of the highest in the country.

I was thrilled to hear that the council’s Housing Adaptations Service has received a national award – just one of many of our services that have been recognised in national awards.

In addition, we maintain a focus on improving the ‘Quality of Place’. This will support our economy to grow and support our local residents to access employment, education and leisure opportunities. F

urthermore, we will continue to ensure that the countryside and open spaces in Cheshire East are managed prudently and that we provide good quality front line services such as highways, waste collection and street cleaning to ensure that the quality of the environment in the borough is maintained. 

The HS2 rail link is a once in a century opportunity to secure huge investment and employment opportunities for Crewe and beyond and we are hugely ambitious to make the most of this chance, and will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to do so. 

We know we need to support and encourage the building of more genuinely affordable homes for local people too, so I’m pleased that our local plan has been adopted, after years of discussion and consultation with local people.

CEC already has one of the strongest economies in the country which is made up of a vibrant mix of businesses across a wide range of sectors. Our visitor economy continues to grow, with a 6.3 per cent leap in 2016 placing the total value of hospitality and visitor revenue at £895 million.

Our staff work long and hard, and have a passion for providing good quality local services to our community. I am immensely grateful to them for their dedication and energy, and I take the chance to say so face to face as often as I can.

I’ve made staff wellbeing another of my priorities since becoming council leader, and I’m leading by example in creating a healthy work environment where staff can do their jobs professionally.

People are calling for the Government to step into the running of this council – some because they are genuinely worried by the stories they read, and others because they like to make mischief and score political points – that’s how things are in politics, I suppose.  

I’m confident however that the Government won’t feel the need to take any such steps, because they can see that the current elected member and professional officer leadership we have in place here is putting our house in order, whilst continuing to do a good job delivering services and stimulating the local economy.

The Government says they’ll keep a close eye on the situation here, and that’s only right and proper, and I welcome it. I’m confident that they will continue to see that we are doing what needs to be done.

I hope this reassures people both that we are determined to uncover and deal with the very real problems that have developed over previous years, whilst not losing sight of our real priorities – delivering services, managing the budget, and improving lives.