OPPOSITION councillors are rueing an opportunity missed after Labour members voted down the chance to debate transforming the high street.

Cllr Lynn Riley, leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Conservative group, put forward a motion calling on the authority to set up a cross-party group to work on a bid for the Government’s Future High Streets Fund.

She also wanted so launch a commission to ‘draw on the considerable talent and experience of local, national and international experts’ to look at how council policy can support the borough’s town centres.

But the motion was moved down the agenda from before the budget debate to afterwards, before Labour councillors voted the chance to debate the motion down – with a cabinet member suggesting the arguments had already been made.

Cllr Riley said: “We [the Conservative group] keep trying to get CWAC to think differently.

“My motion to council last night was an attempt to try and galvanise the best brains in the borough to help our local high streets.

“We always debate motions at the start of a council meeting but last night was a first and saw this bumped to the end, after the budget decision had been made to let the officers pick a place to feature in our bid to the Future High Streets Fund.”

The motion followed a similar debate by full council last July, when Conservative Cllr Charles Fifield proposed setting up a working group to look into transforming the borough’s town centres – which was voted down.

Cllr Riley also proposed that the borough takes part in the Government’s Civil Society Strategy last October to find new ways of discussing ideas with residents.

But that would have involved CWAC taking part in the Government’s Voter ID trial – something which Labour members insisted would affect vulnerable residents.

“My record is zero out of three on trying to convince the council to set up an ideas forum to open up the thinking,” Cllr Riley added.

“We tried at July and October councils last year which would have given us a six-month head start on shaping an amazing bid for funding.”

All 34 Conservative members present at Thursday night’s meeting voted to have the debate, along with independent members Martin Barker and Eveleigh Moore Dutton.

But the 36 Labour councillors present voted against the debate – and with the votes tied, Labour Cllr Bob Rudd had the casting vote as chairman of the meeting.

Cllr Brian Clarke, cabinet member for economic development and infrastructure, insists that members did not need to have a second debate on town centres in less than a year – and that the council will submit a bid for the Government’s Future High Streets Fund.

The Labour member for Wharton said: “We don’t need to debate this Tory motion because we debated a very similar motion only four meetings ago – when Cllr Charles Fifield brought a motion to full council last July.

“At the time, there was cross-party support for strong and successful town and city centres in our borough, and it was noted that the council currently has no less than 12 boards operating at a locality level on a cross-party basis – each of which has the potential to share good practice.

“As we said last July, setting up another cross-party working group will lead to confusion and duplication.

“The council will be making an expression of interest for the Future High Street Fund before the March 22 deadline.

“The expression of interest will be guided by the strict guidelines the Government has set out, noting in particular the statement by the Government that ‘we will not accept bids covering town centre areas that are not facing significant challenges’.”