The new mayor of Cheshire East has revealed that 13 years ago he was homeless and sleeping in his car, writes Belinda Ryan.
David Edwardes (Ind) was invested as the borough’s new mayor at a ceremony at Tatton Park yesterday (May 14).
And he told the assembled guests: “In 2012 I was homeless, sleeping in a car in Macclesfield Forest. Things certainly change in 13 years.”
The Macclesfield councillor later said he had found himself homeless when he returned to his hometown after working abroad for many years.
He spent a weekend sleeping in his car before former councillor Bill Livesley stepped in and found him a room to sleep in at someone’s house.
Cllr Edwardes told how he had later found a house with his family “and we built ourselves up from there”.
“I just happened to have been all the time in the right place at the right time,” he said.
“Somebody said to me, rather than wealth and everything the secret is to be lucky, and I think I’ve just been lucky.”
During the ceremony, the new mayor said he would be raising funds for two charities – Windyway Animal Rescue and Macclesfield Roundtable.
And there was laughter as he said there would be some changes during his mayoral year.
“There won’t be a mayor’s ball this year – it’s not really quite my bag, I’m afraid,” he said.
“But we will be having a Windystock Rock Festival on July 26, so I have requested plenty of AC/DC and a bit of [Status] Quo.”
The new mayor, a volunteer at Macclesfield Beer Festival, on the Santa float for the Round Table at Christmas and a cricket umpire, also gave a shout-out to Macclesfield FC, where he works behind the bar.
There was loud applause and cheering as a representative from the football club raised the trophy in the chamber after the mayor referred to their third promotion in four years.
There was also a serious note as he referred to the struggles all councils are facing.
“2024/25 has been a really tough year for Cheshire East… We’ve had to make huge cutbacks and savings,” said the new mayor, who was first elected to the council in 2019.
He said it was important to remember “65% of our budget goes on just two areas, children and families, and adults. That leaves only 35% for everything else”.
“All councils are struggling. There isn’t a single council in England rolling in money,” he said.
“We hoped a change in government might bring relief, but no, even the £10m we were encouraged to spend on the development of HS2 hasn’t been refunded.”
But he said he would go into the new year “with fresh hopes and aspirations”.
Cllr Edwardes has also decided he won’t have a consort – instead he will ask ward members to accompany him to events in areas they represent.
During the meeting, the council also elected Labour’s Judy Snowball as deputy mayor.
Why do we actually need a Mayor for Cheshire East, what benefit are they going to bring to our already shambolic council?