Wilmslow Town Council Election 2023: Candidate Angela McPake

The candidates for the upcoming Wilmslow Town Council election, representing Wilmslow West Ward, have been announced.

Residents in the Dean Row Ward will have the choice of nine candidates to fill five seats when they go to the polls on on Thursday, 4th May.

The candidates standing are: 

• Abdullah Faruq - Local Conservatives
• Mark Goldsmith * - Residents of Wilmslow
• Michael Gorman - Residents of Wilmslow
• Tim Higgins - Residents of Wilmslow
• Angela McPake * - Local Conservatives
• Julie Dawn Potts * - Local Conservatives
• Hannan Sarwar * - Local ConservativesEd Sleath - Residents of Wilmslow
• Toby Tritschler - Residents of Wilmslow

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 live near Lindow Common. I work for the MP managing her casework and handling the majority of the cases involving Special Educational Needs, planning issues and mental health. I also help run my family's Christmas Tree business. I used to be a Sales Director for a plc, and as part of the role, ran their retail division and overseas operations. The change of role came after a buy-out and my desire to spend more time at home and less time travelling.

My interests are fairly closely aligned to the things I do in the community and any time I have outside of that tends to involve theatre, music, family and animals (not always in that order). I used to enjoy gardening and vegetable gardening but we have two relatively new rescue dogs who take great delight in digging up anything I plant- so that has tempered my enthusiasm at the moment.

Aside from the rescue dogs, I am married with 2 sons and 2 stepsons. The youngest is at school locally and the 3 older ones are all adults. We also have rescue ducks (there is a theme!) and numerous hens.

How long you have lived in there?

I have lived in Wilmslow the majority of my life and now live next door to the house I was brought up in. My great-grandparents ran a butchers and a bakers on Chapel Lane so Wilmslow West really is home.

Are you a member of any local groups or societies?

I am Chairman of the committee that runs the Wilmslow Community Show and am really focussed on making that a showcase of all that is great about the town. Since I took over we have added a number of new elements and I am pleased with how it is shaping up again this year.

I am also a long-standing member of Alderley and Wilmslow Musical Theatre Company and a previous Chair (though it's some time since I was on stage!) as well as a Trustee of the Evans Arts Trust. The Trust supports artists (in the widest sense of the word) who work or perform locally and helps ensure maximum access to the arts for local residents. I am married to a musician so that has brought a different understanding to some of the challenges artists have!

I am also a member of St Bartholomew's Church and took an active role in the junior church, running regular services for a number of years, I am hoping that the arrival of the new Rector this month will see it being re-established as I loved my involvement in that.

Very recently, in my role as a Councillor, I have joined the Neighbourhood Plan Implementation group and despite thinking I knew the plan well, it is a joy to work with people who bring different, expert perspectives to the table.

Why have you decided to re-stand for election as a town councillor?

I enjoy being on the Town Council and believe we can, and do, make a real difference at a very local level. Whether that is with events, funding things like the CCTV and Citizen's Advice in the town or part-funding the lift at the Rex to allow access for our less mobile residents. We definitely have a role to play in supporting initiatives that sit outside anyone else's scope but require extra help to make it happen, such as some of the aspirations in the Wilmslow Neighbourhood Plan, the recent work at Little Lindow and having events in and around the town.

There are also things I think we need to do over the next 4 years which will continue to improve the town.

What do you consider to be the important issues facing Wilmslow?

I think Wilmslow, as a town centre, has weathered the pandemic better than many other town centres but all town centres are changing with the increase in on-line shopping. Town centres, whether as a retail destination or for leisure, have to be about creating an 'experience' and the Town Council has a role in that, working with the Business Improvement District and ensuring that the Town Centre works for residents, visitors and businesses.

Having been involved in the Town Council consultation responses to the Local Plan prior to it being adopted in 2017, I am aware that we have both the local plan review and, potentially, preparatory work for the next Plan within the life of the next Council, and all of that is significant in terms of how it shapes Wilmslow going forward. The Wilmslow Neighbourhood Plan does now give us a framework, and a steer from residents, about what is important to them.

There is also starting to be an increase in all day on-street parking on residential streets, and I know that is really frustrating to residents who live within walking distance of the town centre. We need a sensible conversation about how we can address an issue that has just been postponed because of the pandemic.

I am really aware that we have people who are struggling, for different reasons, around the town and we have a role to play in offering support and signposting for them; the Council's recent support of the CAB's Home Heating scheme is part of that, as is the ongoing CAB financing. My husband and I fundraise for Food Friend and the Community Show is supporting Hope Central this year so, in addition to conversations I have at work, these are issues I am very aware of.

What do you hope to achieve and how in the next 4 years?

As a team, we have a number of things we want to focus on but probably the key ones for me are creating a community hub around the Library and working to restore the peatlands.

We are already in the process of moving the Town Council office into the library and intend to hold our meetings there (which will give them income), but we also need to work with the library team to help them expand what they are already doing to really be the centre of the town. Alongside that we want to develop a business plan for the disused toilet block to enable us to formally ask Cheshire East to transfer it to us; there are a number of uses it could be put to and bringing it back into use makes sense. I am also keen that we develop a plan for the Romany gardens by the library.

I appreciate there is sensitivity around the gardens because of the Romany connection but we could, and should, be doing more to make it a usable space and to celebrate him as a Wilmslow resident. I think it is unlikely we will be able to get his original vardo back (for reasons that have been thrashed out over many community pages over the years) but I would like us to consider commissioning a replica to be made for the garden which could be used for story time by the library team and other community groups when doing related projects or activities; it would help give the area real focus and a sense of what he was about. An awful lot of what he talked about 80 years ago has huge resonance today with our increased focus on the environment.

I live by the side of Lindow Moss and find the history of the site really fascinating, I also know that restored 'functioning' peatlands are a hugely effective carbon sink as well as being home to flora and fauna not really seen elsewhere. Obviously the aspiration to get it restored is widely agreed but it is complex in terms of the wide range of stakeholders, deciding on the primary focus and how the work is funded (given the funds from the owner won't be sufficient). Our plan, as a team, is to work with the Neighbourhood Plan Implementation Group and the other community groups who have been involved so far to try and get the plan moving forward, knowing that is easier to say than to do. It is appropriate, given that next year is 40 years since Lindow Pete was found on that site!

What experience and personal qualities will you bring to the role?

Like everyone who has been in business for any time, I have a huge range of transferable skills that have served me well as a Councillor. My work in voluntary groups mean I am a good team player and am used to working with a huge range of people.

I have served on all Council committees and chaired committees that have delivered significant projects such as the kiosk/toilet block in the Carrs, the first Cinema in the Carrs and working to reopen the cinema in Wilmslow.

My role at work also mean I have very specific applicable knowledge, whether that is on planning laws and frameworks, or in knowing a significant amount about the Home for Ukraine scheme and visa process, which I have been able to use to help residents who are hosting Ukrainian guests, or the guests when they attend the weekly Ukrainian cafe that the Town Council hosts.

Why should Wilmslow West ward residents vote for you?

Because I work hard for the community. I want to be a Councillor because I know it is easier to make a difference to Wilmslow from within the Council than from outside.

*current councillor.

Tags:

2023 Election, 2023 Local Conservatives, 2023 Wilmslow Town Council Election, Wilmslow West Ward