A MIDDLEWICH councillor has said he apologises if he upset anyone at a Cheshire East planning meeting but he would never apologise for sticking up for anyone in the community.

Cllr Mike Hunter (Lab), who chaired Wednesday’s strategic planning board meeting, is angry planning permission was granted for the 10 gypsy and traveller transit pitches to be sited on land off Cledford Lane in Middlewich.

Cllr Hunter, who voted against the planning application, was speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) this week after coming under fire from some people for the way he chaired the meeting.

“I feel that Cheshire East have discriminated against the transient travelling community by trying to shove them in the middle of what will be one of the biggest industrial estates in Cheshire East, if not Cheshire,” said Cllr Hunter.

“I am so disappointed by certain people. I joined the Labour party as everybody deserves an equal chance in life and needs to be treated fairly. I do not think that the hierarchy of my Cheshire East Labour group feel that way anymore.”

Cheshire East Council applied to itself for planning permission for the transit site to be pitched at Middlewich.

During the meeting Cllr Hunter was accused by a Conservative councillor of ‘hectoring’ Cheshire and Warrington traveller team manager Dawn Taylor and asked to apologise for his behaviour.

Cllr Hunter told the LDRS he did not hear anyone ask for an apology at the time and had listened back to the recording of the meeting and still did not hear anyone ask for an apology.

“During many committee meetings, especially planning committees, items come along which people feel passionate about and I always feel passionate about being fair, whichever community we’re talking about,” said Cllr Hunter.

“It is never my intention to hector, or badger witnesses or officers. It is my intention however to try and get to the truth.

“I was concerned that the biggest population of settled gypsy traveller communities in Cheshire East had not been consulted directly about this site.

“Cheshire East employs liaison officers for gypsy traveller communities – both settled and transient – and I felt it was important that the meeting knew that the settled gypsy community had not been consulted.

“If I have upset anybody that was not my intention and I do apologise, but I will never apologise for sticking up for people in our community.”

A Cheshire East resident, meanwhile, has written to the press alleging Cllr Hunter was seen and heard conferring alongside fellow Labour town councillors on a group visit to the proposed site of Cledford Lane before the meeting took place.

Members of planning committees are not permitted to speak about applications to anyone other than at the official meeting.

Cllr Hunter is adamant he did not discuss the application.

He said during the site visit ‘at one point I actually reminded Middlewich members that they can’t speak to the committee’.

He added: “After the site visit was over, they were discussing where we were going to park up for the British Salt visit, which was straight after the Cledford Lane visit.”