CWACked (ˈkwæk̬t)
adj. 1. The state of being utterly neglected, mismanaged, or left in disrepair, especially concerning roads, infrastructure, and public services in the jurisdiction of Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC).
2. A condition of persistent potholes, roadworks chaos, and general municipal incompetence.
3. The inevitable frustration experienced by motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike when forced to navigate CWAC-controlled roads.
4. The state of pavements and footpaths riddled with canyon-sized cracks, trip hazards, and crumbling surfaces, caused by chronic neglect and patchwork repairs, making pedestrian journeys a perilous adventure.
5. The gradual decay of heritage and historic roads, where once-pristine cobbles, historic bridges, and conservation areas are left to ruin under a regime of neglect, inappropriate materials, and botched repairs.
Examples:
🚧 "I hit another pothole on the way to work—my suspension is totally CWACked!"
🚗 "This diversion has been here for six months; the whole town is completely CWACked!"
⚠️ "The council promised resurfacing, but all we got was some tar and a prayer. Typical CWACked roads!"
📢"I took the dog for a walk and nearly fell into a trench. These pavements are completely CWACked!"
📢"They resurfaced this historic street with tarmac and bollards—our heritage is officially CWACked!"
Who’s Really Blocking Chester’s Public Spaces?
The problem isn’t Huxley’s café. It may be something deeper within CWAC.
A small independent business nestled on Chester’s historic city walls has found itself at the centre of an escalating dispute with local authorities. Huxley’s café — a cherished spot for locals and tourists alike — is being pushed to remove its outdoor seating, with claims that it causes an obstruction.
Thousands disagree.
A fast-growing petition makes it clear: the public supports Huxley’s. The tables and chairs are modest, thoughtfully placed, and far from obstructive. If anything, they enrich the area — inviting people to enjoy Chester’s unique character and boosting the local economy.
But instead of dialogue or proportionate negotiation, the situation appears to be escalating. This week, multiple reports described police officers walking through the café’s outdoor space and filming customers. The explanation offered was that this was part of a “training exercise” — but many found the timing and manner troubling.
Who’s Behind This?
The enforcement action may involve CWAC’s Highways department — a team that has previously drawn criticism from residents for an aggressive, inflexible approach when challenged. Complaints processes are frequently prolonged, and residents who attempt to engage with the department often report being met with legalistic deflections rather than transparency.
In the case of Huxley’s, it’s unclear why enforcement is being pursued with such determination, especially when the supposed “obstruction” seems so obviously unproblematic to the public.
Councillors Are Elected to Represent — Not Rubber-Stamp
CWAC is made up of council officers, who are appointed to implement policy, and councillors, who are elected to represent the will and interests of their communities.
That distinction matters.
When a councillor receives overwhelming evidence that constituents are united in support of a local business — including thousands of petition signatures — they face a choice: stand with their community, or stand aside.
In recent correspondence, a councillor previously viewed as sympathetic responded to concerns with a brief, dismissive reference to council guidelines. The tone and content have caused understandable frustration.
If any councillor — regardless of party or ward — chooses to side with council officers over the clear voice of their constituents, they should reflect seriously on their position. To ignore the will of those you were elected to serve is not only a failure of leadership — it is a failure of basic democratic duty.
If a councillor no longer believes in representing their electorate, they should have the integrity to step down.
A Broader Pattern of Neglect and Misplaced Priorities
This latest enforcement episode doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
Anyone walking the streets of Chester can see the growing neglect of our public realm. Cracked pavements, overflowing bins, weed-strewn kerbs, and derelict corners of what was once a proud, vibrant city. Where there should be investment and care, there is often casual indifference.
It’s hard to avoid the impression that CWAC — based miles away in Ellesmere Port — treats Chester not as a historic jewel to nurture, but as a burden to control. While small businesses like Huxley’s are harassed over a few well-loved chairs, entire streets and public spaces are left to deteriorate.
This isn’t just poor management. It feels like contempt.
Support Huxley’s.
Support local voices.
Call out the hypocrisy.
Demand better.
Because when a council cracks down on cafés and lets the city crumble, you have to ask: who are they really working for?
#cwackedroads
#SaveHuxleys
#CWACaccountability
🏆 The CWACk of the Day Award 🏆
For exceptional contributions to road chaos, pedestrian peril, and the fine art of municipal neglect.
Raymond Street: Where Repairs Go to Die – A CWAC Special!
Welcome to Raymond Street, Chester, where the art of road maintenance has been elevated to a new level of disaster—courtesy of CWAC Highways, the council department that seems to think “repair” is just another word for “make it worse.”
🚧 Previously on CWAC's Highway Horror Show…
- Months ago, residents reported the crater-riddled surface, hoping for something resembling a competent fix.
- Weeks ago, CWAC’s road "specialists" showed up, presumably armed with nothing but a bag of instant tarmac and a blindfold.
- Today, we’re left with this monstrosity—a patchwork quilt of bumpy, crumbling, tyre-wrecking chaos, proving that even potholes get second chances.
⚠️ The CWAC Method™: How to Turn Bad Roads into Worse Roads ⚠️
🔹 Step 1: Ignore reports for months until the damage reaches “moon surface” levels.
🔹 Step 2: Send out the team (or an unsupervised raccoon with a trowel).
🔹 Step 3: Dump asphalt in random rectangles and hope nobody notices the worse-than-before mess.
🔹 Step 4: Repeat next year because, surprise, surprise—it didn’t work.
CWAC’s Possible Responses (Pick One!):
1️⃣ “The repair was completed in line with our high standards.” (🤡)
2️⃣ “We will inspect the issue and schedule work in due course.” (🔁 See you in 2026!)
3️⃣ “The damage is within acceptable levels.” (🚀 For driving a tank, maybe.)
🏆 Final Rating: 0/10 – Would not recommend unless you hate your car.
Well done, CWAC Highways! Once again, you've taken something broken, spent public money on it, and made it even worse. Perhaps the next step is to just fill the whole road with pothole repair patches and rename it CWAC’s Commemorative Cobbled Mess?
🚧 Presented to CWAC on 15 March, 2025 for yet another masterpiece in infrastructure mismanagement. 🚧
#CWACkedRoads #RaymondStreetFails #HighwayToHell
Watergate Street Car Park: A Masterclass in CWAC Neglect
Shared Path? More Like Shared Neglect
This isn’t a shared path. It’s a shared disaster — the kind CWAC Highways keeps serving up with consistency only matched by its indifference.
- Location: Watergate Street Car Park, Chester (yes, CWAC owns it)
- CWAC Budget Used: Probably millions. Outcome? Total farce.
Let’s review the evidence:
- No wheel stops — so cars just ooze onto the path like it’s an overflow bay
- No weed control — the overgrowth is now considered a conservation area (by accident)
- No actual way through — unless you’re part hovercraft, part gymnast
And — in true Chester fashion — it’s filthy. The path is carpeted in rotting leaf litter and street detritus, left to quietly compost underfoot like a woodland trail… only less scenic and more rage-inducing.
It’s impassable to cyclists, pedestrians, wheelchair users — basically anyone who isn’t a small goat or a municipal planner on full salary with no accountability.
This is what happens when Highways leadership prefers spreadsheets to street walks. You’ll find more planning in a toddler’s Lego set.
We’re paying top-shelf salaries for bottom-drawer results. So let’s do what CWAC won’t — give a toss about safe, accessible, connected infrastructure.
Seen something CWACked? Share it.
Fed up with highways mismanagement? Join the campaign.
Want better? Demand better. #CWACkedRoads
🏆 The CWACk of the Day Award 🏆
For exceptional contributions to road chaos, pedestrian peril, and the fine art of municipal neglect.
CWAC’s Contempt for Chester: A Historic City Defaced
Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) has once again demonstrated its total disregard for Chester’s historic character, this time by hacking out heritage stone slabs and replacing them with a cheap, black asphalt patch that looks more like a DIY botch job than proper urban maintenance.
The image says it all: a crude, tarmac-filled scar in the heart of one of Britain’s most historic cities, a city that deserves careful preservation, not a lazy, short-term fix that belongs on a back alley, not a conservation area. Other cities—York, Bath, Oxford—protect and enhance their historic streetscapes. Meanwhile, CWAC’s highways department treats Chester’s centre with the finesse of a wrecking crew.
The excuses will be predictable: budget constraints, a temporary fix, or accessibility concerns—all of which fail to justify this outright vandalism. Where is the pride in Chester? Where is the respect for its built environment? If CWAC had any interest in maintaining our city properly, we wouldn’t be seeing a slapdash, third-rate fix defiling the streets.
What’s next? A bit of MDF on the Rows? Concrete render on the Roman walls? Tarmac over the Eastgate Clock? CWAC’s failure isn’t just incompetence—it’s a complete lack of care.
🚨 Chester deserves better. Hold CWAC to account before more of our city is destroyed. 🚨
🚧 Presented to CWAC on 8 March, 2025 for yet another masterpiece in infrastructure mismanagement. 🚧
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Chester’s Pavements: A Crumbling Embarrassment
Chester—a historic city with Roman heritage, medieval streets, and a unique architectural charm—should be a shining jewel among Britain’s great cities. Yet step outside and look down, and the reality is an absolute disgrace. Pavements riddled with cracks, loose slabs, and ankle-breaking potholes line our streets, while CWAC—the council supposedly responsible for maintaining our city—turns a blind eye to the mess.
Compare Chester to York, Bath, or Oxford, cities that take pride in their appearance and respect their heritage. Their streets are clean, well-maintained, and welcoming—ours are a patchwork of neglected surfaces, botched repairs, and hazards for pedestrians. Try walking through the city without tripping on a sunken flagstone, navigating around an obstacle course of puddles, or dodging loose debris. It’s an insult to residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
CWAC’s attitude? Couldn’t care less. The council seems perfectly content to let Chester’s streets crumble, showing zero respect for its history or the people who live here. Where’s the investment? Where’s the attention to detail? Why are tourists leaving with twisted ankles instead of fond memories?
The simple truth is this: Chester deserves better. Our streets should reflect the city's importance, not a second-rate, crumbling afterthought. While other councils restore their public spaces, CWAC continues its legacy of neglect, excuses, and apathy.
Walk through Chester and see the shambles for yourself. Just mind the trip hazards.
How CWAC’s Neglect is Driving Chester’s Decline
There’s an old saying: look after the small things, and the big things take care of themselves. Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) seems to believe the exact opposite. Across the UK, city centres that ignore basic upkeep—crumbling pavements, failing roads, and general neglect—quickly spiral into deeper decline. Chester is heading the same way, and CWAC’s incompetence is accelerating it.
We’ve seen it happen before. Croydon ended up in financial ruin after years of mismanagement, cutting services and letting infrastructure fall apart. Shropshire is in crisis, slashing budgets for road maintenance, leaving towns with failing high streets and worsening conditions. And now, Chester is following the same downward trajectory—a historic city being chipped away, not by time, but by a council that simply doesn’t care.
Let’s talk about our roads and pavements. They’re a mess. Watergate’s stone setts are loose and dangerous, footpaths are cracked and hazardous, and "repairs" are often just a quick-fix bodge job. Instead of keeping on top of small, routine maintenance, CWAC lets things deteriorate until the cost of fixing them becomes astronomical. It’s not just incompetence—it’s a deliberate refusal to do the basics properly.
And the consequences? Businesses leave, footfall drops, and Chester becomes less attractive to visitors and investment. Matalan has already closed, another sign of a struggling high street. And yet, CWAC still acts like none of this is connected. Their attitude? It’s not their problem.
If CWAC actually cared about Chester’s future, they’d stop making excuses and start maintaining the city properly. Potholes shouldn’t last for months. Pavements shouldn’t be trip hazards. Our heritage streets shouldn’t be defaced with black asphalt patches.
But here we are—watching a historic city crumble while the council hides behind budget excuses and bureaucracy. If CWAC doesn’t change course, Chester’s decline will only get worse—and they will be the ones to blame.
