The candidates for the upcoming Wilmslow Town Council Election, representing Wilmslow Lacey Green Ward, have been announced.
Residents in the Lacey Green Ward will have the choice of five candidates to fill three seats on WTC when they go to the polls on on Thursday, 4th May.
The candidates standing are:
- Elaine Evans - Residents of Wilmslow
- Nigel Halford - Local Conservatives
- Chris Hilliard - Residents of Wilmslow
- Joseph Shenton - Local Conservatives
- James Vickers - 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 am 22 years old and very eager to represent the Lacey Green Ward. I co-founded Joseph James Furniture Outlet, back in 2019 when I was 18.
I started the company with just £2,000 in a small dingy basement unit of a Stockport mill. Over the last 3.5 years, our team has worked obsessively to achieve strong organic growth. This hard work means we now have a 20,000 sqft showroom in Stretford, 10,000 sqft warehouse in Altrincham, 15 members of staff and turnover around £1.5-2 million annually.
Outside of work, I am very interested in sports (particularly football & golf) and politics on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoying dinners and nights outs with friends and family is also important to me.
I live near the junction of Manchester Road and Styal Road. I have family on both sides of wilmslow, bordering Handforth and Alderley Edge. I have 3 sisters, 2 in University and 1 just about to sit her high school entrance exams.
How long you have lived in there?
I have lived in the Lacey Green Ward for around a decade. My earliest memories from my time here involve waiting for the bus with friends on cold winter mornings, shivering until we would picked up on Manchester Road and taken to Manchester Grammar.
However, I was born in Wales and attended a welsh only speaking school until Year 4. I have lots of family down in Pembrokeshire and enjoy visiting them as frequently as I can.
Are you a member of any local groups or societies?
As I am just concluding my university studies, with a degree in Applied Mathematics, my focus up until now has been on education and business. However, given my long standing interest in politics, I was excited to be given this opportunity to become involved in local government.
Why have you decided to stand for election as a town councillor?
I feel passionately about improving and protecting Wilmslow's desirable reputation. When asked to stand as a Conservative town councillor, I was excited about the possibility of having a direct impact on shaping the future of Wilmslow. I took some time to examine the current council team and noticed that my age was, to put it delicately, lower than the average. I felt it was important to have a resident with a youthful perspective on the town's affairs, in a position to contribute to council policy.
Further, from my experience running Joseph James Furniture Outlet, I have developed an awareness of the issues with the retail property industry. These issues have plagued Wilmslow town centre, with many units lying vacant and some prime units unoccupied for nearly a decade (for example, the former sports bar above Tesco express). I want to use my understanding of this area to assist the existing retailers, and advocate for measures to reduce the vacancy rate in the town centre.
What do you consider to be the important issues facing Wilmslow?
I feel Wilmslow is scared to make significant improvements to its amenities, fearful of what the the problems that increased traffic to the town could cause to the residents. For example, if we add more activities, features or hospitality to Carrs Park, the parking problem will only get worse as the park becomes more attractive.
Operating with this fear, is no way to mould a better town for Wilmslow residents to enjoy in years to come. It takes creative solutions to our problems from councillors, to allow development to continue. I believe, due to my entrepreneurial skillset, I can offer some new solutions to these problems. However, it will be vital to consult our residents to hear their solutions and put forward our ideas for review.
I believe there should be concern about the diminishing night life in Wilmslow, with the 2 neighbouring pubs on Swan Street closing in the last 6 months. It is important that our town offers a safer, more convenient and enjoyable night life alternative to the City Centre for residents of all ages.
What do you hope to achieve and how in the next 4 years?
I hope I can make a tangible difference to the quality of life in Wilmslow. I want to ensure the Neighbourhood Plan is executed diligently and quickly.
I can use my business experience and intuition to support the retail scene in the town centre. I also want to find and implement a sustainable solution to the parking crisis at Carrs park. If the above can be achieved in the next 4 years, I am sure most residents of Wilmslow will call the term a success.
What experience and personal qualities will you bring to the role?
As my employees will attest to, I am a perfectionist. With that, comes an obsessive work rate to achieve results. Despite my relatively young age, I feel my experience in business brings a practical skillset that the council can utilise. Given I started the company with just £2000, I also know how to make a small budget stretch a long way.
Why should Lacey Green Ward residents vote for you?
I will be an advocate for the residents and business owners of Wilmslow. I understand the needs of both parties. A flourishing town can only exist when both are supported and thriving.
My relative success has come from the ability to generate creative solutions, when others just see problems. I think I can apply this ability to the Town Council's agenda and achieve great things in the next 4 years.
