New Care calls for councillor’s resignation following ‘greedy developer’ remarks

A Warrington councillor who branded a care home provider a “greedy developer” has been told to resign.

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Lymm North and Thelwall, Ian Marks MBE, made the comments after Cheshire based provider New Care submitted a planning application for facilities in Lymm.

Director of New Care parent company, McGoff Group, Chris McGoff, said: “I entirely object to the defamatory comments made by councillor Marks, and the highly prejudicial statements made about me, the business and this planning application.

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“In addition to taking legal action, we have made a formal complaint to Warrington Council through the official complaints procedure and are seeking his immediate resignation.”

The application for the Macdonald Hotel site on Whitbarrow Road in Lymm includes a request to build a new 66 bed care centre, children’s day nursery and elderly care apartments.

New Care said the proposal had the full support of Macdonald Hotels because its hotel currently occupying the site was making a loss.

New Care highlighted that the planning permission request was smaller in scale than an application already granted for the expansion of the hotel.

Mr McGoff said Mr Marks’ comments were both “highly offensive” and “completely hypocritical”, given the councillor’s previous statements on the area’s lack of social care.

Mr Marks told CHP: “It is the role of a local councillor to reflect the views of the people they represent. The vast majority of local residents are opposed to the scale of this development and support my views.

“Clearly I had no wish to offend anyone and I apologise for any offence my comments have caused.

“I have absolutely no intention of resigning after nearly 40 years as a Lymm Councillor.”