Join the Movement for a New Macclesfield Borough Council!
The Government’s Devolution White Paper provides a route to reorganise failing unitary councils, those that have mismanaged finances, neglected local areas, or become too large to serve their communities properly. 

**Important**
This is an area specific petition. Only sign if you live in the towns and villages of Macclesfield's or Tatton's constituency. 

Has Cheshire East Council (CEC) failed Macclesfield’s Former Borough (MFB)? - The facts speak for themselves:

🔴 A failure to immediately oppose Adlington’s greenbelt destruction.
🔴 A direct warning from the Government in a 'Notice of Better Value'. 
🔴 A damning Local Government Association (LGA) peer review.
🔴 Libraries closed
🔴 Tips closed
🔴 Garden Tax (green bin levy) introduced
🔴 Blocked gullies & flooding the new norm
🔴 Introduced, Sunday & increased car park charges
🔴 Children’s services rated inadequate
🔴 Children’s and elderly meals services stopped
🔴 Planned destruction of greenbelt and irreplaceable habitats
🔴 Gross mishandling of finances
🔴 Teetering on bankruptcy/Section 114 notice
🔴 7 criminal investigations by police
🔴 Silencing elected representatives
🔴 £167.7 million (110%) less investment in MFB compared with South. 
🔴 Crewe alone received £173m. More than combined MFB.
🔴 Leading to severe damage to our local economies.
🔴 And HUNDREDS of £millions in lost economic output.
🔴 Plans to saddle us with circa £72.7m in generational debt.
🔴 Council Tax hikes: max 4.99% this year, 4.99% likely next year.
🔴 Double taxation for services already paid for - via precepts.
🔴 More double taxation planned.
🔴 Policy decisions driving poverty and increase in crime.
🔴 Severe reductions to essential services and local amenities.
🔴 Assets sold off.
🔴 Crumbling infrastructure.
🔴 Deeper taxation and cuts likely.

There Is a Better Way
The new Devolution Framework allows residents to press for local Government reorganisation. A Macclesfield Borough Council (Unitary Authority) would:

• Keep Council Tax and investment local.
• Restore public accountability and transparency.
• Protect Green Belt and community identity.
• Reinvest locally to improve roads, libraries, markets, and services.
• Provide a seat as a constituent member in the new Cheshire & Warrington Strategic Authority.

Early analysis shows this move is financially viable and beneficial, with potential for a budget surplus while fully funding services at current or lower cost.

Why Cheshire East Won’t Publish the Facts
If Macclesfield’s independence were unviable, CEC could have closed the argument with data. Instead, it refuses to release the figures for Council Tax and Business Rates revenue, facts that should already be public. Transparency should not depend on Freedom of Information battles.

What Happens Next
There is now a clear legal route for the Government to commission a full review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE). This independent review would examine all financial and practical factors before any change is considered. In short, robust safeguards ensure that residents, services, and local accountability are protected at every stage of the process.

To demonstrate local support and begin this democratic process, we need just:

• 5% signatures (3,800) from Macclesfield constituency residents
• 5% signatures (2,600) from Tatton constituency residents

Add Your Voice
If you live in one of the blue-shaded areas on the map and believe Macclesfield deserves better, sign now.

This isn’t party politics, it’s about competence, fairness, and democracy.
Your signature gives our community the right to be heard, and to explore a practical, costed path to local self-government.

👉 Sign the petition today, because Macclesfield's borough deserves better.