Jan Willis, interim executive director of corporate services at Cheshire East council, said: “This is council funding which is being taken out of our mainstream resources, and therefore we would want to see the money spent in a way that it contributes to the council’s key strategic outcomes and priorities.
“We want to see tangible benefits for the local community, so it’s about enhancing service delivery.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that this money is spent, and it does not end up just sitting in someone else’s bank account.”
Officers had proposed that projects should have used all the money by the end of 2019-20, but this will now be reconsidered after scrutiny committee members insisted this was unrealistic.
Cllr Amanda Stott, independent, said: “You are asking for really big projects to be completed in 18 months.”
Cllr Sarah Pochin, Conservative, added: “It might be small money for CEC, but at ward level with the time it takes to mobilise, 18 months will go like a flash.
“I can’t see why, if the funds are allocated, why they can’t be protected for that purpose.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login