Elections will be held on Thursday, May 5th, for Cheshire East Council, the national referendum on the alternative vote system and the new Wilmslow Parish Council.
Wilmslow will have fifteen councillors on the new Parish Council, all of whom will serve a 4 year term of office.
Wilmslow is divided in to 4 wards, each allocated the following number of councillors:
Wilmslow Dean Row - 4 councillors
Wilmslow East - 4 councillors
Wilmslow Lacey Green - 2 councillors
Wilmslow West - 5 councillors
I recently caught up with three out of the four candidates for the Wilmslow Lacey Green ward, who are competing for two seats on the new Wilmslow Parish Council.
Trevor Jones - Conservative
Trevor Jones, 75, has lived in Wilmslow since 1984 and works as a freelance Careers Consultant.
He is a member of Wilmslow Trust, Civic Voice, Wilmslow Green Room Society and held the position of Publicity and Fund-Raising Officer for Wilmslow Talking Newspaper from October 2008 to October 2010 - having stood down when they had raised sufficient funds to replace ageing recording equipment.
Trevor, who is particularly interested in planning legislation and applications, told me "I decided to stand for new Town Council to debate community concerns and issues and represent local residents of all persuasions, especially in retaining the character and traditions associated with the borough and the county in general."
Jonathan Michael Kelly - Labour
Jon Kelly is a Railway Manager and lifelong Wilmslow resident. He is a former Borough Councillor and in 1997 he was the Tatton Labour candidate who stepped down for Martin Bell.
Jon told me "People voted Liberal for change but got the same old cutting Tories. Labour will fight to protect our council services.
"We have a rich East Cheshire history which is poorly promoted. We must use it better to create jobs and leisure opportunities.
"We must get higher design standards for public and private buildings to make them modern and attractive with less impact on the environment."
Colin Shepherd - Liberal Democrat
Colin Shepherd has lived in Wilmslow for over 25 years, his two sons were both educated in local state schools and now live in Macclesfield.
Colin is retired, having previously worked for a local Housing Association and is a former councillor on Macclesfield Borough Council. He is involved with a number of local community groups, such as The Friends of The Carrs, and is a governor of Gorsey Bank Primary School.
Colin told me "I live in the ward and will be looking to the new Town Council to vigorously promote the interests of the residents of Wilmslow. Speaking with residents major concerns include the level of policing, waste disposal and litter clearance, dog fouling and the proper control of dogs and the very poor condition of our roads and pavements."
The 4th candidate for the Wilmslow Lacey Green ward is Ellie Brooks (Conservative), but unfortunately we did not receive a response from her to include in this article.
Please use the comment box below if you have any questions you would like to ask the candidates.
There will not be an election in the Dean Row and Wilmslow East wards because they are uncontested. Therefore the new councillors will be:
Dean Row ward: Jim Crockatt, Don Glover, Joanne Milnes and Martin John Watkins - all of whom are Conservative.
Wilmslow East ward: Matthew John Hodgson, Joan McCrane, Ruth Alison McNulty and Sue Menlove - all of whom are Conservative.
Photos: Trevor Jones, Jon Kelly and Colin Shepherd.
