A huge controversy has erupted in Cheshire after council leader Nick Mannion backed a new town with 20,000 homes in Adlington. This support was confirmed in a letter signed by Mannion and his deputy Michael Gorman in June. The letter helped put Adlington on the government's official list of 12 proposed new town sites. Residents were shocked and angry because they had no idea this was happening. Sir Michael Lyons, chair of the New Towns Taskforce, told the housing committee that local authorities were asked if they approved the listing. Cheshire East responded by letter signed by their leaders, so the site was included. Mannion has since apologized, calling the letter "badly worded" and regretting the "confusion, anxiety and concern" it caused. He and Gorman said the letter only aimed to show general support for new towns and not the specific Adlington plan. Following backlash, they wrote to the government saying there were "fundamental flaws" in the Adlington new town plans and called them "unacceptable" to Cheshire East council. The council's Conservative group submitted a motion to debate next week, stating they have no confidence in Mannion and Gorman, and urged both to resign. Opposition councillor Hayley Whitaker slammed the letter, saying it "sealed the fate for Adlington" without any public consultation or scrutiny. A petition with over 19,000 signatures against the new town was handed to the government in December. Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said new town decisions would be made "in the national interest," not based on petition numbers. The Adlington plan covers green belt land near the Peak District, on a village of 1,200 people. It aims to ease housing pressures in nearby Stockport and Macclesfield. Critics say it will cause harmful urban sprawl and is the wrong type of housing. They also note the plan was made by private developers Belport, not local authorities. Local resident Aysha Hawcutt said, "This is our home, and it’s now in somebody else’s hands – I think the whole village is fairly traumatised. None of us know where we stand. It’s really worrying for a lot of people." The leader of Stockport council compared the plan to "throwing a dart at a map" from Westminster. Attempts to contact Mannion and Gorman for further comments were made but no additional statements have been provided so far.