Cllr Mary Maczkowiak is furious that an elderly war veteran cleaned the War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday because Cheshire East Council (CEC) had failed to do so.
Following October's Parish Council meeting they requested that CEC sweep up around the memorial and remove the dead flowers ahead of the parade and service, but this doesn't appear to have happened.
Cllr Mary Maczkowiak expressed her anger at the Parish Council meeting on Monday, 12th December.
She told fellow councillors "I went down there at 9am on Remembrance Sunday and found an 85 year-old war veteran with a knife, dustpan and brush cleaning the memorial.
"As a member of the Royal British Legion I was furious, as a member of the Parish Council I was embarrassed and as a resident of Alderley Edge I think Cheshire East has a lot to answer for.
"I have gone past the stage of going cap in hand to them, they offer a service and we pay for it. I'm angry and have been angry since 11th of November. I just feel we let them get away with it every time, there's no enforcement."
Cllr Mike Williamson confirmed that the request had been made in plenty of time and Cheshire East said they would deal with it.
Cllr Mary Maczkowiak added "Brian Percival, an 85 year-old war veteran was there this year and he was there last year and I am damn sure he is not going to be there next year if I am still on the Parish Council. If people were sent to clear it then I think their jobs should be on the line."
Cllr Frank Keegan said "On Thursday it is the Full Council meeting where they are setting the Council Tax base for next year. Alderley Edge represents 1.8% of this so we need to keep asking them how much they are spending on this particular issue. We ought to be claiming 2% of their expenditure on things like this as there are services we're not getting that the other councils are getting."
Cllr Maczkowiak added "Whilst we're on the issue of the cenotaph there's the graveyard which we are still no nearer to finding out what they are going to do. It's a disgrace."
The Parish Council agreed a strongly worded letter would be sent to Cheshire East Council, if only to make them feel better, but they need to approach these problems by "attacking the pockets of money".
Cllr Mike Williamson said "We'll try our best to follow up but until they're ready to release these things it is beyond our control."
Comments
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We see the "Piaggio" road sweeper once a year up in our part of Heyes Lane if we are lucky. I see it quite a lot up in Macc' near the Leisure centre. But I must confess I have not ever seen manual sweeper, do they still exist?
I wish I had known about this incident as I would gladly have helped Mr Percival.
Litter is getting to be a real problem in the village and I carry a plastic bag with me to pick up detritus on th way into the village. One blackspot is alongside the Heyes Lane allotments and I am afraid a lot of rubbish blows into the hedge from that site when it is windy. EG polythene sacks which come off stakes and empty yoghurt cartons which may be used for seedlings. As a result I do not view these allotments sentimentally and I think they are an eyesore, the unused plots are full of litter....