KNUTSFORD Town Council is escalating its complaint over the way borough chiefs handled a proposed sale of land at Longridge.

Last December, the town council wrote a letter of complaint to Cheshire East Council, saying that it was ‘extremely disappointed by the non-collaborative approach’ from the local authority.

The complaint was answered by Frank Jordan, CEC’s deputy chief executive, who said the council believes ‘all decisions to date regarding this site have been taken appropriately’.

But Knutsford town councillors insist this response is unsatisfactory, and at Monday’s meeting agreed that a third party should now investigate the complaint.

Cllr Neil Forbes said: “This complaint appears not to have been investigated properly, not independently. The writer has a possible conflict of interest because the complaint was potentially about the writer, and some of his actions.

“This is a rehearsal of their position rather than investigating our complaint.

“We should go to the chief officer of Cheshire East and the leader of the council to say we are not satisfied with the answer to our complaint.”

Cllr Forbes’ resolution, approved unanimously, also called for Knutsford Town Council to liaise with Tatton MP Ester McVey’s office on the matter, and to ask that a third-party council investigate the matter.

Other councillors also condemned the actions of CEC, with Cllr McCulloch calling their dealing of the issue ‘astounding’, with Cllr Gray adding ‘this is the worst thing I have ever come across’ in his near-60-year local government career.

In response, a spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: “We can confirm that a complaint was received from Knutsford Town Council. The concerns were reviewed and a response was provided to the town council. We now consider the matter closed.”

The dispute between the two authorities relates to the way in which land was sold at Longridge.

In October 2018 Cheshire East portfolio holder Cllr Ainsley Arnold approved the disposal, conditional on planning approval, of public open space to enable access to a site allocated for housing in the Local Plan.

The two areas cover 7.5 acres, ‘Green Land’ of 0.9 acres, a thin strip running parallel to Longridge and subject to a covenant, and 'Blue Land’ of 6.6 acres, consisting of grassland and hedges, with four per cent of this land set to be disposed of.

CEC officers said disposing of the land and developing the adjacent LPS38 site would achieve the provision of 225 homes allocated in the Local Plan and significant public open space.

However Knutsford Residents in Over Ward (KROW) asked Cllr Ainsley not to authorise the council’s assets team to dispose of the Blue Land because it was not surplus to requirements and the disposal had not been proven to be necessary.

Knutsford Town Council supported KROW’s position, writing to CEC leader Cllr Sam Corcoran about the issue in June 2019.