A LATE bid to cut funding for Cheshire East Council’s mayoralty was halted before next year’s budget was approved.

To fund five policies aimed at improving the environment, Labour tabled a budget amendment on Thursday with a number of savings – including an £85,000 cut for the mayoralty, with the borough’s town mayors to be promoted instead.

But the group’s amendment was rejected, as senior Tories accused their opponents of ‘springing up’ the plans at the last minute.

Cllr Sam Corcoran, leader of the Labour group, said: “I don’t see why we need a ceremonial mayor for Cheshire East as well [as town mayors].

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“I’ve been to too many events where there has been a local mayor and a Cheshire East mayor as well and it causes confusion. I think we should support the town mayors.”

Cllr Nick Mannion, Labour, added that Macclesfield’s town mayor ‘does a fantastic job’ and uses her own car – rather than a ceremonial one funded by council tax payers.

The amendment suggested that a further £10,000 could be saved if the position was scrapped altogether – but Cllr Rachel Bailey, Conservative leader of CEC, reminded members that the Queen had bestowed the mayoralty on the borough.

And she suggested it brought a number of benefits to residents.

Cllr Bailey said: “It was said to me when I was deputy on Crewe and Nantwich, the benefit of the mayor, and town mayors, is that we can support our community.

“We don’t charge to support the garden party, to acknowledge someone reaching 100 years old. We equally fundraise to charities that we believe are deserving of our support.”

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Labour wanted to roll back on the rubble charge brought in at CEC’s recycling centres last January by allowing one bag of rubble per resident each month free of charge – but Cllr Bailey suggested the move had been successful in stopping rubble being brought in from other boroughs.

The group also wanted to fund a two-year business rate break for new ‘entrepreneurial’ businesses, fund two new wardens to monitor dog fouling and fly-tipping, appoint a new officer to carry out air quality action plans and improve recycling rates.

To fund the move, Labour also wanted save £195,000 by cutting the council tax exemption on empty properties from six weeks to four – a move Cllr Corcoran suggested was ‘reasonable’ for allowing landlords time to redecorate between tenants, though Conservatives disagreed.

A further £5,000 was to be saved by reducing energy consumption, and £40,000 was to be taken from the communications budget.

Cllr Paul Findlow, Conservative cabinet member for corporate policy and legal services, hit out at Labour for ‘springing up’ the amendment on budget day.

He added: “You need to make sure that you have a balanced budget which has been properly worked through in advance.”

The Conservative group was reminded that it put forward a budget day amendment last year on highways funding – but Cllr Hilda Gaddum, Conservative, insisted her amendment ‘had been run past officers’.

Labour had also wanted to cut £45,000 from the budget for members’ allowances, but monitoring officer Daniel Dickinson advised that CEC’s constitution requires an independent remuneration panel to recommend changes to allowances first – and these could either be cut or go up.