AFTER the Resignation of Mike Suarez on July 9, following 15 months of paid gardening leave, Cllr Rachel Bailey was asked an entirely reasonable question by Cllr Sam Corcoran, leader of the Labour group on Cheshire East Council.

He asked whether the council would publish, without the dragging of heels and political pressure which preceded the publication of the report into the Lyme Green fiasco, the Independent Person’s Report into the conduct of Suarez and other recently suspended senior officers of the council.

According to the minutes of the meeting, she refused to answer on the basis that ‘a cross party Independent Disciplinary Committee...was still considering matters and whilst this was happening there would be no debate and no response to questions relating to these matters’.

She gave that answer on July 10.

On July 11, the Independent Disciplinary Committee declined to discuss the report into Mr Suarez on the basis that they only had jurisdiction to investigate current officers of the council, Mr Suarez having resigned two days previously.

There are a series of objections which can be raised here.

First, who took the decision to allow Mr Suarez such a long period of paid suspension?

Second, how has it taken so long for a disciplinary committee to do its work?

Third, Cllr Bailey must either have known the disciplinary committee would not convene hearings on the basis that Mr Suarez was no longer an employee, or she ought to have known this.

Cllr Bailey has presided over the spending of more than £1 million of public money on suspended senior staff and extraordinarily lengthy disciplinary investigations.

It is now patently clear that the Conservative Party, which has led Cheshire East since its founding, through all of this appalling mess, can be trusted to restore faith in local leadership.

The ever increasing tax bill on Cheshire East residents (don’t forget the 5.99 per cent hike in Council Tax last year) goes to fund these additional salaries and increasing councillor allowances at a time when core services are being cut to the bone.

The Leader of the Council refuses to engage with civilised debate on the issues or take any political responsibility for them.

It is time for change at Cheshire East.

May 2019 cannot come soon enough.

Dr Bleddyn Davies Address supplied