A CALL for five councillors to work together and share ideas to boost Cheshire West’s town and city centres has been snubbed.

Cllr Charles Fifield, Conservative member for Weaver and Cuddington, wanted to revive a working group he led five years ago on the future of the borough’s high streets.

His call came following a year of uncertainty for retail, on the same day Poundworld announced it would close its stores, and at a time Cheshire West and Chester Council is carrying out regeneration in Chester, Northwich, Winsford and Ellesmere Port.

But at Thursday’s full council meeting, members of the ruling Labour group voted against the motion.

Cllr Lynn Riley, leader of CWAC’s Conservative opposition, had called on members to embrace ‘future-proof thinking’ and consider how residents are shopping in 2018.

“We’ve got this motion tonight here before us principally because our towns are changing,” the Frodsham councillor said.

“They’re changing because we are changing, so it makes sense to us on this side of the chamber that it is time for us to change our approach to how we are planning for the future good health of our high streets.

“This motion is a real opportunity to do just that, and it’s aiming to pool together all of that local intelligence that we have.”

But Cllr Brian Clarke, cabinet member for economic development and infrastructure, insisted councillors across the borough are already sharing their ideas to boost the borough’s town centres.

The Labour member for Winsford Wharton said that existing CWAC forums interact with businesses to listen to their ideas.

Cllr Clarke said: “Over the last four years the retail market has changed dramatically all over the country, and there are experts popping up telling us all what we should be doing.

“During the last four years we as a council have been just as proactive in addressing these challenges because we live here.”

He added that the motion came at a time that CWAC is looking to make compulsory purchase orders for Chester Northgate, is either running or preparing consultations for Weaver Square, Winsford and Ellesmere Port, and is ‘making good progress’ with Barons Quay.

“With all this going on right now I can see no benefit in setting up another working party that will only duplicate what is actually already taking place,” Cllr Clarke added.

Cllr Robert Ian Bisset, Labour member for St Paul’s, also suggested the council should focus more on the individual needs of each town rather than look at the borough as a whole.

“What fits as a redevelopment plan for a tourist city like Chester is unlikely to hold water for a town like Ellesmere Port,” he said.

Following the vote, Cllr Fifield wrote on Twitter: “It’s disappointing that council did not support my motion of resurrecting the town and city centre working group I chaired in 2013-14.

“UK retailing has continued to change, there are local working groups, but we need a borough-wide overview. It is a missed opportunity.”