Small Turnout, but Rich Insights at Cheadle Parish Assembly
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Parish Assembly was held at the Town Council Chambers, and sadly, only one member of the public was present, Mr. Joynes. It did provide some clarity on important matters for the town.
The Future of Cheadle Leisure Centre
Mr. Joynes spoke about the Leisure Centre. He asked whether the Leisure Centre will come under Town Council control or the new authoritarian authority. Councillor Upton said it is still under debate, but a recent meeting with the district council suggested it would quite strongly go over to the new authority, mainly because of the cost and because we are a very small town council with only about 13,000 people in the population, meaning our budget is quite small as well.
NB: A couple of points of clarification: Cllr Upton told the town council last month at the Cheadle in Doom meeting that the Chief Executive of the district council, Andrew Stokes, had told her very firmly that the leisure centre would not be transferred to Cheadle Town Council. Additionally, according to the National Association of Councils, Cheadle is categorized as a large council because of the population size (over 6,000 and turnover in excess of £25,000).
The rumour, according to Mr. Joynes, is that the new authority will knock down the Leisure Centre and build houses on the site. “Is there any way we can stop that?” he said. “Can it not be made into a special place like a village green so that it can be protected?”
POV: Cllr Ellis replied: “We are not only concerned about the Leisure Centre but all the assets presently owned by the district council. We have asked for facts and figures and we have had nothing. The trouble is that if we go into a unitary authority with North Staffordshire, we are a very small fish in a big pond."
"Although Stoke is one of many options, if we go with Stoke, they have a £66 million black hole and the assets of Cheadle will be sold off to fill that black hole. They will know that Cheadle Leisure Centre needs redevelopment and ask whether Cheadle really needs it when you have a Leisure Centre at Uttoxeter and a new one in Leek. Therefore, they will mothball Cheadle. That’s what the Town Cllrs are worried about, and that our District Council is more concerned with handing over the assets to the new authority, which doesn’t exist at the moment, than handing them over to us."
NB: All district councils in Staffordshire and Staffordshire County Council were asked to submit their plans to the secretary of state for a new division of Staffordshire. Every option submitted includes Staffordshire Moorlands linking with Stoke-on-Trent in some way, so provided the government decides to go ahead, it's unlikely Staffs Moorlands will not be joined with Stoke.
“The trouble is that last week Cllr Upton met with the Chief Executive of the district council, Andrew Stokes, and he said we are not having our assets, and that it is not his decision but the decision of the elected district council in Leek. Our town is being sold out, handed over on a silver tray to the new council.”
He finished by saying, and quoting Cllr Aberley: “There is a cut-off date where they cannot spend more than £100,000. So when you see these articles on Facebook about the project going forward and being delivered, nothing is guaranteed at present.”
Cllr Plant, who is the district council's locality champion and a district Cllr for Cheadle, said: “For the Leisure Centre, RIBA stages 3 and 4 will be completed by September 2026, and the project finalised by September 2027. For the Marketplace, June 2026 for the RIBA stages and work completed by October 2027. These dates were voted for at last Wednesday’s meeting. There’s no housing planned, and the rumours are untrue. We are happy to proceed with it. But we are being knocked back by negative comments all the time. These jobs will be completed by these dates.”
Cllr Bentley, a county Councillor, has been told that information on these projects will only be provided to the County Council at the same time as the public is informed.
N.B. This could lead to delays if work is required to be carried out by the County Council, which happened recently on another project we are told.
Mr Joynes question:
Electric Vehicle Charging in Cheadle
Mr. Joynes had a further question: “We have three to four public charging points put in by the District Council in Tape Street car park, and it was embarrassing to say to an out-of-town visitor that they are not connected. So neither the District Council nor Cheadle Town Council can properly run a car park.”
No reply was offered by the town council.
N.B. Mr. Bernie Charlesworth, one of our Cheadle COG team members, told us that he had proposed a six-bay fast charger facility some years ago for the Tape Street Car Park, which would have provided £4,000 ground rent for the District Council, but this was rejected, allegedly on the grounds that the District Council didn’t know what plans they might have for the car park in a few years’ time. We understand that no formal reply has been received by the Town Council regarding this proposal.
The Outgoing Mayor Mills handed out certificates to people who had worked for or supported the Town Council, as well as a cheque for £3,500 to Cheadle and District Animal Welfare. Cllr Ellis thanked the retiring Mayor for her work over the years and the countless support she has given.
Small Turnout, but Rich Insights at Cheadle Parish Assembly - created 27th May 2026
