Cheshire East Council has gone on ad nauseum about their eco-friendly policies.

If there is anyone left in Cheshire East who doesn’t know this they must be living in a cave (without of course compromising the structure).

They even have a director of the environment specifically targeted at saving the world.

Now, I’m not saying this is a bad thing, in fact if they meant it and showed some appetite for the fight I would applaud them, but their resolve is as weak as a nun’s handshake.

The council may refuse some resident’s plan to build a larger driveway but they fold like a concertina when they are faced with developers who have big pockets and a number of expensive lawyers.

Brow-beating the public is easy and it’s what Cheshire East Council do best.

READ MORE > Campaigners fight to stop 225 homes being built on Longridge nature reserve

I recently read an article written by one of the cabinet members on air quality.

It began with ‘every year air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK’ and asked how many reading the article knew it was Clean Air Day on Thursday, June 17?

My guess was a lot more people knew than Cheshire East, who went into a state of denial when ‘unknown’ parties who (according to an external investigation) were found to have deliberately manipulated the air quality data relevant to certain planning applications. 

What’s the point in urging residents to get involved in clean air policies when the council can’t control its own data?

A little contrition and some acknowledgement of accountability might be a good starting point if they want credibility.

Knutsford Guardian: Campaigners fighting the plans in 2019Campaigners fighting the plans in 2019

Hundreds of residents have campaigned hard and long to save Longridge Nature Reserve and an eco-friendly council (like Cheshire East) would appear to be the perfect council to work with but, alas, they show no sign of taking up their cause.

Wildlife specialist Jay Knight said: “I am a conservation biologist and wildlife guide and there is a lot to be lost if this goes ahead.

“This land has re-wilded into a stunning nature reserve with more than 70 species of bird, including protected species as well as tawny owls, foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and a whole host of butterflies and insects.”

If this campaign is not a cause worthy of support from Cheshire East then what is?

No amount of cycle paths will ever make up for bulldozing this ancient woodland.

If Cheshire East Council want their term of office to stand for anything surely this is the cause to do it for. 

Despite constant campaigning this land was taken out of the greenbelt in 2017.

It’s now time for Cheshire East Council to prove their credentials, stop talking the talk and start walking the walk.

Sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in, not preach at others to do it.