Candidates announced for local elections

Elections will be held on the same day, May 5th, for Cheshire East Council, the new parish councils and the national referendum on the alternative vote system.

This will be the first election using new electoral ward boundaries for wards in Cheshire East following a review by the Boundary Commission. This means there will be 82 councillors representing Cheshire East Council.

The number of wards has changed from 27 to 52 and Wilmslow now has 4 wards: Wilmslow Dean Row, Wilmslow East and Wilmslow Lacey Green, which will each have one councillor, and Wilmslow West & Chorley with two councillors.

The following candidates have been confirmed for the Wilmslow wards in the Cheshire East Council Election.

Wilmslow Dean Row

Benjamin Butterworth Labour

Mark Toombs - Liberal Democrat

Paul Percy Whiteley - Conservative

Wilmslow East

Rod Menlove - Conservative

Wilmslow Lacey Green

Jonathan Michael Kelly - Labour

Oliver Romain - Liberal Democrat

Don Stockton - Conservative

Wilmslow West & Chorley

Gary Philip Barton - Conservative

Craig Julian Browne - Liberal Democrat

Wesley Fitzgerald - Conservative

For the new parish councils, Wilmslow will have fifteen councillors, whilst Handforth and Styal will have seven councillors each - all of whom will serve a 4 year term of office.

The parish council candidates are:

Wilmslow Parish Council - Dean Row ward

Jim Crockatt - Conservative

Don Glover - Conservative

Joanne Milnes - Conservative

Martin John Watkins - Conservative

Wilmslow Parish Council - Wilmslow East ward

Matthew John Hodgson - Conservative

Joan McCrane - Conservative

Ruth Alison McNulty - Conservative

Sue Menlove - Conservative

Wilmslow Parish Council - Lacey Green Ward

Ellie Brooks - Conservative

Trevor Jones - Conservative

Jonathan Michael Kelly - Labour

Colin Shepherd - Liberal Democrat

Wilmslow Parish Council - Wilmslow West Ward

Gary Philip Barton - Conservative

Paul Andrew Barton - Conservative

Emily Carp - Liberal Democrat

Dave Cash - Independent

Christopher John Dodson - Conservative

Keith Purdom - Conservative

Hilary Shepherd - Conservative

Handforth Parish Council - Handforth East

Patricia Bernadette Page - Labour

Cynthia Margaret Samson - Independent

Anne Walsh - Independent

Terry Walsh - Independent

Handforth Parish Council - Handforth West

Adrian Henry Bradley - Conservative

Linda Mary Franklin- Independent

Jean Martin - Independent

Mike Thompson - Independent

Ken Yau - Conservative

There will be separate ballot papers for each council election and the referendum.

Electors have one vote on whether or not they want the alternative vote system. The question being put to voters on Thursday, May 5th, is: "At present, the UK uses the 'first past the post' system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the 'alternative vote' system be used instead?"

The Council is urging voters to make sure they are registered to vote – before it's too late.

Cheshire East Council Chief Executive Erika Wenzel, who will be the Returning Officer at the elections, said: "The deadline to register is Thursday, April 14, so if you're not already registered, don't delay. It's your opportunity to have a voice on the issues that affect all our lives – don't lose it."

To find out if you are registered to vote, or to request a postal vote, email the council's electoral services team, or call them on 0300 123 5016.

To request voter registration forms, visit the Council's 'Registering to Vote' webpage or print off the online forms.

For further information about the local elections and referendum vote can be found on the Cheshire East website.