The candidates for the upcoming Wilmslow Town Council election, representing Dean Row Ward, have been announced.
Residents in the Dean Row Ward will have the choice of six candidates to fill four seats when they go to the polls on on Thursday, 4th May.
The candidates standing are:
- Lata Anderson * - Residents of Wilmslow
- Dion Cross - Residents of Wilmslow
- Jack Illingworth * - Local Conservatives
- Ellie Jackson - Residents of Wilmslow
- Jon Newell * - Residents of Wilmslow
- Angela Smethurst - Local Conservatives
I will publish brief interviews with each of the candidates, in the order in which I receive a response to my request. Use the tags below to locate the other candidate interviews published to date.
Please tell me about yourself - occupation, where you live, interests, family?
I am a retired Chartered Accountant. I spent most of my career as an Insolvency and Restructuring practitioner.
In retirement I have been able to offer my services to my profession and to the wider business community. I have just completed a six year spell as a member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and I am now a board member of the Chartered Accountants' Compensation Scheme Limited. I am a member of the Industry Advisory Board at Salford University Business School.
I am married with three adult children, all of whom were educated at junior school in Dean Row and at Wilmslow High School. We have six grandchildren.
How long you have lived in there?
I have lived in Dean Row - in two different houses - since 1984.
Are you a member of any local groups or societies?
When I first moved to Wilmslow I was a member of Round Table. Work commitments then took over as I spent time in Leeds, Hull and Liverpool. My first grandchild arrived just after retirement and keep us fully occupied.
Why have you decided to re-stand for election as a town councillor?
I stood successfully as a candidate for Residents of Wilmslow in 2019. I had become interested having attended a number of meetings concerning the development of the Lidl supermarket in Dean Row. This in turn led me to attend meetings concerning the terrible parking issues then evident in Wilmslow.
I decided that I had a contribution to make to the debate and that the best way to do so was by standing for elected office. The issues that first caused me to stand are still there and my interests have widened to embrace other critical issues affecting Wilmslow and the lives if its residents.
What do you consider to be the important issues facing Wilmslow?
I think there are two really critical issues.
Firstly, Wilmslow as a town centre is still struggling to come to terms with the effect of the Covid lock down. We still do not know how working patterns will settle down but we do know that they will be very different from those that were common before March 2020. Future plans will need to be addressed creatively. The work of the Business Improvement District has made a good start but there is still much to be done.
Secondly, many do not realise the impact on the issues faced by WTC of the Cheshire East Local Plan 2020-2030. This plan sets the framework for all planning decisions,. including any changes to Green Belt, numbers of new homes to be delivered and plans for new office developments. During the next 4 years, the authorities will be gathering the data and seeking views on the content of the Local Plan that will be introduced in 2030. It is vital that the Town Council play a full role in this phase - and it is particularly important that the new plan places our excellent Wilmslow Neighbourhood Plan at the centre of its deliberations.
What do you hope to achieve and how in the next 4 years?
I will continue to play a full role in developing the WTC responses to all relevant planning applications. As stated above, the input to the new Cheshire East Local Plan will represent a major challenge and I am looking forward to being fully involved.
What experience and personal qualities will you bring to the role?
I have taken the time to attend relevant training courses on planning law and through frequent attendance at Cheshire East planning meetings, I have achieved what I see as a level of expertise (for a Councillor) which means the WTC inputs have maximum impact.
My past experiences as a qualified accountant allow me to make a contribution to assessing the financial position of the Town Council when new initiatives are being considered.
Why should Dean Row ward residents vote for you?
I believe i had made a positive contribution over the last four years and, in doing so, have gained valuable experiences which will allow me to continue to have a positive impact in the role of Town Councillor.
*current councillor.
