Here is an update on my work over May and June across Congleton Town Council and in the wider community, following on from my previous blog.
If you would like to raise a local issue or discuss something in more detail, please do get in touch.
cllrkay.wesley@congleton-tc.gov.uk or phone/text 07711 459740
You can also keep up-to-date on my Facebook Page.
The last two months have been another busy period, balancing casework, council meetings, community events and working for a more open, inclusive and accessible Congleton.
Democracy and Transparency
In Council I proposed that council meetings should be livestreamed and that councillors’ attendance records should be published, making it easier for residents to see what decisions are being made and how actively their elected representatives are participating.
Unfortunately, a majority of councillors voted against these proposals. I was naturally disappointed by that decision, as I believe greater transparency helps build trust in local democracy.
I will continue to argue for more openness wherever possible, to publish this blog describing my council and community work, and to include my own attendance statistics, which you will find at the bottom of the page.
Annual Town Meeting, Mayor Making and Civic Awards
I encouraged residents to attend Congleton’s Annual Town Meeting. Although it is not a formal council meeting, it provides an important opportunity for local people to ask questions, share ideas and influence the future direction of the town.
I was on the panel of the Town Meeting to answer questions pertaining to the Community Committee, which I chair.
Our Mayor-Making also took place in May, and I was delighted to second the proposal of my friend and colleague, LibDem Councillor Suzy Firkin. Suzy will make an excellent Town Mayor and I wish her a very good year.
I was also delighted to participate as a judge in the Civic Awards. I introduced this idea during my mayoral year and it continues to flourish. The awards celebrate the many volunteers who quietly make such a positive difference to life in Congleton, and it was wonderful to see another inspiring group of finalists recognised.
Transport
We organised for the Bear Necessities newsletter to be delivered to homes across Congleton with the new Beartown Bus timetable enclosed. Members of our Equal Access Group played an important role in designing the timetable so that it is clearer and more accessible for everyone, including people with additional access needs.
Good public transport benefits everyone and the environment. At just £1.50 per journey, the town bus network provides an affordable alternative to driving while helping reduce congestion and making it easy for people who don’t drive, or want an alternative, to access shops, services and social activities.
I attended the Cheshire East Bus Partnership Forum and was very happy to learn that two thinks I’ve been lobbying for are on the way – Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) and Free Bus Days.
RTPI means that you will be able to get an app on your phone that tells you exactly when the bus is arriving and gives all timetable details, across all bus companies. This is a tool that really increases public transport usage, because people will only use buses if they are reliable. The Bus Stations, including Congleton, with have live passenger information displays; elsewhere, passengers can use the app.
Also, Free Bus Days are coming to Congleton! This means that using National Government Funding CEC will fund four free days a year in Congleton.
We plan to use these on days of high footfall, such as during major town centre events (Jazz & Blues, Pride, Green Fayre) and for a Christmas Shopping Saturday.
In addition, another thing I’ve lobbied for – the bus stops around Congleton will be cleaned, upgraded and repaired more often as CEC has more resource available, funded through the Bus Service Improvement Plan.
If you’re interested in buses, please join the Facebook group I set up – Congleton Bus Users.
Community Safety
As Chair of the Police Community Cohesion Group in Congleton, I continued encouraging residents to become involved in scrutinising Cheshire Police’s work locally, particularly around stop and search, use of force and hate crime.
These meetings provide valuable independent oversight and help ensure policing remains accountable to the communities it serves. We had a productive meeting in early June and the next one will be in September, so let me know if you’re interested in taking part.
I also joined Cheshire Constabulary during a knife sweep in local woodland as part of a national crime prevention operation. Thankfully, no dangerous weapons were found – only litter – which was reassuring news for everyone.
As Chair of the Community Safety Working Group of the Town Council I have been working with Councillors and Officers to draw up a list of ‘hot spots’ of nuisance parking and dangerous driving in town, based on feedback from residents.
This includes people driving on Bridge St (pedestrianised area) which is not for through traffic, dangerous parking on zigzags outside schools and obstructing roads, pavements and drives with thoughtless parking.
Congleton Pride
June is Pride Month, and I was delighted that the town hall team flew the rainbow flag on Congleton Town Hall. Unfortunately, in announcing this fact, the team received a lot of online abuse. It seems that people are more willing to express their homophobic and transphobic views these days. I read out an emergency statement in the Community Committee of the Town Council in response.
The statement was as follows:
Councillors may have seen that the Council’s social media post about Pride month has received some abusive and hateful comments, many of them from accounts not based in Congleton. Thanks are due to our officers who have dealt with these.
Congleton Town Council is proud to be an inclusive council that welcomes and values everyone in our community, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, disability, age, or background.
The overwhelming support shown by residents for our Pride flag display reflects the values of kindness, respect, and inclusion that are shared by so many people in Congleton, ‘the little town with a big heart’.
Whilst we welcome respectful debate, we will not tolerate hate speech, discrimination, or abusive comments directed at any individual or group. Comments that promote hatred or spread harmful misinformation about LGBTQIA+ people will be removed, and those responsible will be blocked from our social media channels. Where comments amount to a hate crime or other criminal offence, they will be reported to Cheshire Police.
Congleton Town Council stands firmly against prejudice in all its forms and remains committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive town for everyone.
We send our full support to our LGBTQIA+ community in Congleton during Pride Month and throughout the year. You are valued, you belong, and you will always be welcome in Congleton.
I’m helping organise the Congleton Pride event which this year is taking place in the Town Hall on 18th July. There will be live music all day and evening with market stalls in the Grand Hall and craft activities to try out in the Bridestones Suite. My role is mainly helping with communications. Here is the ad that went in the Congleton Chronicle. The newspaper is one of the events sponsors:
I also prepared the latest Congleton Pride Survey which examines the experiences of LGBTQIA+ residents and wider public attitudes. Please take part if you have not already done so – you can do so here: https://www.congletonpride.co.uk/survey/
Looking after our Environment
I joined volunteers helping to weed and maintain the Friendship Garden in Bromley Farm – it is looking amazing, with a lot of food growing for residents. Lots of children and adults are helping out, including the Beaver Scouts.
I took part in another Town Tidy litter-pick, clearing Lawton Street and part of Bromley Road. It was lovely to have so many residents stop for a chat or simply say thank you – and even to be offered a cup of tea by one local shopkeeper!
If you want to get involved with any of these activities, please get in touch – this community volunteering is open to everyone.
I joined the Annual General Meeting of Congleton Hydro, to learn about the success of this hydro-electric project, the team’s second initiative Congleton Solar, and their future plans.
I attended a planning meeting for this year’s Green Festival in Congleton, to be held on 26th September.
Food & Drink Festival
June also saw another hugely successful Food and Drink Festival, organised by the Town Council. Many thanks to Rachel McCarthy and the brilliant team who put it together.
It was fantastic to see our town centre buzzing with visitors enjoying local food, drink and entertainment. Huge thanks go to the Council staff, volunteers and marshals who worked incredibly long hours to make the event such a success. I helped out at one of the road closures for a few hours.
I was particularly pleased to see so many people making use of the free bus service, funded by Congleton Town Council. Bus usage was up 55% over a normal Saturday (the festival was a Sunday), and people were very grateful for this service, especially as the roads were partly closed.
Disability and Equal Access Group
Our CEC colleagues have embedded the learning from our Equal Access Group into their new standard for bus timetables. They have asked the EAG to check this standard. It is wonderful to see the best practice being rolled out.
The Congleton Chronicle featured an update on the work of the group in June.
More shops have reached the standard as Disability Welcome premises and will be getting their certificates soon. If you run a town-centre shop you might like to join this scheme, which gives you a window sticker to say you are a Disability Welcome business. More information is on the Disability Welcome page here.
Combatting Gender-based Violence
We did more White Ribbon Workshops at Congleton High School, this time with Years 9 and 12. They were very well-received.
We are planning a workshop with Eaton Bank Academy in the new school year.
If you are a teacher and would like our Ambassadors to come and speak about misogyny and gender equality, please get in touch with me. We have age-appropriate materials from age 10 up.
We are now discussing a format for the White Ribbon team to engage with members of Congleton rugby club.
If you’d like to get involved with this work please contact me, and you can make your own White Ribbon Promise at www.whiteribbon.org.uk.
I attended a CEDSAP (Cheshire East Domestic and Sexual Abuse Partnership) Board meeting, and learned about some of the latest data around these crimes in the area. This partnership works really well across agencies to combat domestic abuse and sexual violence, and includes the DA service, CEC Family services, the Police, the NHS and others.
One of its initiatives has been the rollout of ‘Homicide Timeline’ training, which shows professionals the steps that coercive controlling relationships go through in the lead up to homicide or suicide. I attended this half-day training, which was quite harrowing but incredibly informative.
If you work with families or in the public sector and would like information about it, please contact me.
Youth Council
Our Youth Council is taking on more exciting opportunities, including discussing a new pump track in Congleton, promoting the Congleton Code through TikTok, opening a new playground and continuing to plan our Youth Café.
The Youth Council will have a stall at Congleton Pride and is keen to get involved with this year’s White Ribbon campaign.
There are still some vacancies in the Youth Council. If you are, or know, a young person between 10 and 18 who would like to get involved, please get in touch with me.
Congleton Museum
As a Trustee, I attended a Strategy Workshop for the museum, planning out the next year in detail and five years overall. Fantastic work has taken place to digitise the collection and tidy out the cellar, where years of donated items were piled up. More on this soon.
I am now the Town Council’s liaison Trustee on the Museum board and I continue to volunteer at the Museum when time allows, mostly as a keyholder.
Visit to Water Treatment Works
With colleagues I attended the Congleton Water Treatment Works to learn about how United Utilities has spent £20 million on improvements to the process, with new microbial and fine particle techniques to ensure that the final water returned to the River Dane is clean.
It was a very interesting morning, but I was concerned to learn that there are still some raw sewerage spills every year, due to climate change causing increased flooding and lack of adequate infrastructure in Congleton. The water companies are working to catch up, but development should, in my opinion, include a significant contribution to proper drainage to prevent flooding.
New Chief Officer for Congleton
With the retirement of David McGifford the Town Council must appoint a new Chief Officer. As a member of the personnel committee, I have been involved in this process. I’ve screened the CVs, helped put together interview questions and conducted first and second interviews with colleagues from other political parties.
We had 17 applicants, 10 of whom we interviewed, and 5 we took through to the second stage. The standard was extremely high – it seems that Congleton is a place a lot of town council officers want to work in! We hope to offer the job in early July.
Supporting Women in our Democracy
I am co-chair of the NALC Women’s Network and we held one of our regular meetings, with a focus on safety for women in local government. We had a talk from Cllr Hannah Dalton of the Debate Not hate Campaign.
With Equality Party colleagues, I attended the Fawcett Society Conference in London. This year it was called Misogyny Matters, exploring discrimination against women at work, in the home and in public life.
I attended a Centenary Action Members’ meeting with Hannah White CEO of the Institute of Government, discussing the current political situation and the role of feminist thinking.
There is a general feeling in all these spaces that misogyny is getting worse, and I was on BBC Stoke Radio a few weeks ago to discuss this after a councillor in Biddulph resigned due to the online misogyny and hate she had received.
Casework and Ongoing Work
As always, a significant amount of time has been spent responding to resident enquiries and following up on issues. This includes liaising with officers and supporting residents in navigating council services, as well as signposting them to Cheshire East where appropriate.
I have continued to work with the Bromley Farm Hub Group, currently planning its summer picnic with Plus Dane, on 11th July.
I attended a meeting of Elizabeth’s Group and was delighted to hear from two young women of their plan to start an Elizabeth’s Girls Group in Congleton, a space where girls can socialise and share their challenges and ideas.
Alongside this, I have continued to contribute to ongoing council work and meetings, supporting progress across a range of local priorities. In particular I’m on the Planning committee and have supported the Neighbourhood Plan development. This civic year I have re-joined the Environment Committee.
I am a Town Council signatory and regularly sign off invoices and payments to support the finance team.
Meetings attended
During May I held another of my regular online Councillor Surgeries, giving people the opportunity to raise concerns, ask questions or simply chat about issues affecting our town.
I attended 100% of all my meetings and extra working groups in these 2 months (17 of 17) and 100% of all my mandatory Council Committee meetings.
In the years since I became a councillor (since 2019) I have attended 96% of all full Council meetings.
The Equality Party 