THE Knutsfordian was all fracked-off and poised to denounce Cheshire East for backing plans to wreck our under-pressure countryside by drilling for shale gas when he heard our erstwhile leader Clr Mike Jones say NO!

You could have knocked The Knutsfordian down with a feather!

A Tory council leader, big chums with George Osborne, declining Mr Cameron’s generous bribe, sorry, incentive, to encourage councils to let fracking companies drill in their boroughs?

Instead, Clr Jones is backing the potential for geothermal technology in Crewe.

The Knutsfordian finds this an interesting renewable source, although he can’t help thinking it would be cheaper to use CEC councillors’ hot air rather than drilling for it.

The Knutsfordian does suffer from nagging doubts about Clr Jones’ no fracking declaration. Has this been debated by councillors? Has the issue been discussed by the Cabinet? Does Clr Peter Raynes, finance portfolio holder, agree?

The Knutsfordian is happy that Clr Jones isn’t backing fracking, but wonders why.

Is George Osborne off to London in 2015? Does Clr Jones expect to take his Tatton seat? Or is Clr Jones thinking of the borough council elections in 2015 and wants to make the local Tories more popular?

Perhaps Clr Jones has been putting postcodes in Greenpeace’s wrongmove.org website and found George Osborne’s Tatton home, the closed down Con Club, is in a fracking area – as is much of Knutsford.

The Knutsfordian is merely thinking out loud.

In other news, The Knutsfordian was bemused to read that Clr Gardiner has put forward the grade two star listed Sessions House on Toft Road as a realistic home for the long-threatened new medical centre.

Imagine the cost to the NHS of maintaining a listed building, not to mention the agonising planning and construction process. Madness.

n PS The saga of the number 300 circular bus around town continues.

The Knutsfordian remembers a time when it was comparatively easy to get around town and into Manchester using buses and trains. Are people missing the bus because it follows the wrong route? Or are they missing it because they don’t know about it? Perhaps the town council could put details on its website?

n PPS The Knutsfordian recommends eating out in Knutsford this month. The Old Sessions House, Gusto and more, have very tempting offers on meals.

The Knutsfordian is eating his way through them all.