CREWE residents are being urged to ‘go to the polls’ to decide how to spend thousands of pounds on their local community.

Cheshire East Council is inviting people in the Alexandra and Delamere wards to choose from projects ranging from community facilities and environmental schemes to road safety measures and crime reduction initiatives.

Funding of £12,000 for each neighbourhood has been made available through the Government’s Area Based Grant, which supports the development of community cohesion.

Ideas about how to spend each neighbourhood’s allocation were gathered through consultation with community groups and schools.

Suggestions for the Alexandra ward include a keep fit family project, ice rink, community orchard, increased CCTV and improvements to Pebble Park.

Potential projects in Delamere include a residents’ parking scheme, recycling sites, more activities for young people, fencing to secure areas and speed watch training.

Voting in Delamere will take place on June 11 at Beechwood Primary School from 8.30am to 9.30am, at the Cheshire East Access Shop in Crewe town centre from 9am to 5pm and at the Ludford Family Centre in Ludford Street from 6pm to 7.30pm.

Alexandra residents can have their say on June 16 at Gresty Community Flats at 22 Brookhouse Drive from 2pm to 5pm and on June 18 at St Andrew’s Church Hall in Bedford Street from 6pm to 7.30pm.

The Alexandra working group allocated £2,000 for youth projects which will be voted upon by pupils at Pebble Brook School and Ruskin High School.

Pebble Brook will go to the polls on June 16 and Ruskin High will hold its voting session on June 22.

The voting day is a pilot scheme by Cheshire East Council under the Government’s Participatory Budgeting initiative which enables local people to decide how to allocate a public budget.

Councillor Brian Silvester said: “Delamere and Alexandra were chosen as pilot areas as they meet a set of criteria which includes having established community groups and a neighbourhood action plan in place.

“Participatory Budgeting offers residents the opportunity to directly influence how money is spent in their communities.

“Furthermore, residents’ involvement doesn’t end with voting - community groups will oversee the projects being commissioned to ensure local people are involved at every stage.”