Four councillors representing Nantwich on Cheshire East Council have retained their seats in the borough elections.
Peter Groves and Andrew Martin, both Conservative, triumphed in Nantwich South and Stapeley.
And Nantwich First councillors Arthur Moran and Penny Butterill have been voted in to continue representing Nantwich North and West.
Cllrs Groves and Martin took more than 55% of the share of votes in Nantwich South and Stapeley where six candidates competed (see table, below)
Nantwich First Cllrs Moran and Butterill secured 37% of the votes, beating six other candidates including 18-year-old Labour candidate Zoe Van Cauter (see table, below)
Cllr Groves said: “We’re looking forward to building on what we have achieved over the last four years.
“We still have a number of planning issues we need to address.
“We are concerned about parking in the town and we want to ensure the town remains a vibrant place to visit and shop.
“I think there are a number of issues in terms of road safety and in terms of crossings.
“We have recently installed speed indicator devices and want to make sure they are working.
“We have a very good relationship with the schools. Andrew is a governor on a number of schools in the area. A great deal of work is being done by Cheshire East on education right across the borough.
“We know we have worked hard over the last four years and there is still a lot to be done. We can’t rest on our laurels, otherwise in 2019 we won’t be standing here.”
In reference to today’s (May 9) Nantwich Town Council count, Cllr Martin said: “I think the election for the town council is slightly different.
“Stapeley voters have no say in the town council, so I think it’s a case of wait and see what happens.”
Cllr Moran, in his 38th year involved in local politics, was pleased to be re-elected, believing it was an indication voters had looked beyond national politics in this election.
He said: “For independent candidates, when there’s a general election on at the same time, it’s very difficult to get the message across.
“Penny and I spent a lot of time on doorsteps and asked people to put national politics aside and vote on the local issues.
“We work hard for the town and do not neglect those who vote for us.
“In terms of our priority, in Nantwich North and West we have got too much building going on.
“We are under siege in Nantwich North from prospective developers.
“We have got a very big problem at the top of Queens Drive and we just hope there is no more building going on. Enough is enough.”
Nantwich Town Council election count will take place later today (May 9).
Conservatives retained overall control of Cheshire East Council after last night’s count.
All 82 seats were up for grabs, and Conservatives won 53. Labour won 15, Lib Dems 2, and 12 others went to independents such as Nantwich First.
UKIP and Green candidates will be licking their wounds, failing to win a single seat.
Before the election, Cheshire East was made up of 50 Conservatives, 14 Labour, four Liberal Democrat, 12 independent and two UKIP.
Council leader Michael Jones, who was re-elected for Bunbury, said: “I am looking forward to having a strong mandate from my group going forward to deliver the changes that Cheshire East needs.
“It is going to be an ambitious programme and we are going to look to deliver jobs and well-being for all the residents and look after the young, vulnerable and elderly.”
(Tables of results courtesy of Cheshire East Council)
Congratulations to Penny Butterill and Arthur Moran. Very pleased to see that common sense prevailed, meaning that UKIP failed to gain any seats (or much support from voters). Less happy about the overall picture at CEC – the delivery of ‘well-being for all the residents’ looks like being a very tough call.