Annual Parish Meeting – 8th April 2026

Draft Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Parishes, Wednesday 08 April 2026

Astbury Village Hall, 7.30 pm

Cllr J Critchlow chaired the meeting. Other Councillors attended in their capacity as parishioners, not Councillors. Cllr Critchlow welcomed all to the meeting, and those present approved the minutes of the previous year’s meeting – 09 April 2025. Cllr J Critchlow gave her report on the last 12 months as follows:

Chair’s Report 2026

The Parish Council held 12 meetings, from April 2025 to March 2026. These were attended regularly by Ward Councillor Liz Wardlaw and occasionally by Patrick Redstone. Thank you to them for their work on our behalf.

Parishioners have attended meetings and corresponded by email primarily concerning planning applications and highways including accidents, potholes, fly tipping and anti-social behaviour. Please continue to report such incidents to Cheshire East online through their traCE system.

There are currently 12 Councillors – 4 for Moreton cum Alcumlow and 8 for Newbold Astbury, and we have one vacancy. We are ably assisted by our clerk Carlton Evans. Our contact details are on our website, in our newsletters and on the parish noticeboards.

The Council issues a newsletter usually 4 times a year to all households and businesses across the two parishes. If anyone knows of someone who doesn’t receive one please contact the clerk. Please also contact us if you have any items of interest you think we can include in a future newsletter.

Residents are understandably concerned about the lack of a functioning defibrillator at Ackers Crossing and the Clerk has put a short update on this in the latest newsletter.

The grit bin in the village near the church ramp was provided by the Council and was filled over the winter period. It’s intended for use on the stone steps, and please don’t be tempted to use it on the ramp as it will corrode the steel.

The Common Land at Brownlow has had work carried out by Congleton Town Council’s Streetscape team following a meeting of the PC working group. A number of weak and spindly trees were identified and removed, opening up the canopy and creating more light. Paths have been redefined with felled wood and bark chippings have been added. A further programme of work is being developed to enhance biodiversity on the site.

Gypsum was spread to a sparse area on the Village Green in the Autumn to boost daffodil growth and flowering. More work will be needed as there were fewer flowers in that area.

A section of the A34 had been sided out between Brownlow Heath Lane and the lane to Moreton Cottages. This was funded by the Ward Councillor budget, not the Parish Council’s budget.

The Council erected signs to commemorate VE and VJ days and additional large poppies were placed around the parishes with the names of the soldiers who fell in the two world wars.

The Council has purchased a Speed Indicator Device (SID) which can be moved between locations, and Cheshire East Highways have since installed the mounting poles on Peel Lane and Wallhill Lane. The device will enable us to have access to traffic information – volumes and speed etc. Again, the cost for the poles was borne by the Ward Councillor’s budget, not the Parish Council’s.

Finally thank you to Carlton for the work he does for us and thanks to my fellow Councillors who all volunteer their time working on behalf of the Parishioners.

Matters raised by Parishioners

One parishioner talked about the terrible state of the road and drains by the Horseshoe pub and the roadworks that are happening there. Councillors expressed their full sympathy but haven’t been successful in persuading Cheshire East Highways to find a permanent solution to this perennial situation.

The meeting ended at 2000 hrs

Judith Critchlow          Chair