Cheshire East - Politics and Administration

Politics and Administration

The electoral wards for the new unitary authority currently use the same boundaries as the outgoing Cheshire County Council's electoral divisions, with each ward electing 3 councillors and representing between 8,800 and 12,000 people. At the last Cheshire County Council election in 2005 there were 15 Conservative controlled wards, 6 Labour controlled wards, 5 Liberal Democrat controlled wards and 1 ward controlled by an independent within the unitary authority boundaries.

The first elections for the new council took place on 1 May 2008, with the Conservative Party taking overall control. The Conservatives took 59 of the 81 seats with the others being held by the Liberal Democrats (12), Labour (6), 3 members of Middlewich First and one Independent. The leader of the authority is Wesley Fitzgerald who was elected at Cheshire East's inaugural meeting on Tuesday 13 May 2008. Wesley Fitzgerald is a Councillor for the Wilmslow South ward. Having decided in February 2012 to step down, a leadership contest was triggered. Michael Jones - a relatively new councillor having been elected in the May 2011 elections - was elected as the Leader of the Conservative Group on 17 March 2012.

The administrative centre for the new council is at Westfields in Sandbach, the former Headquarters of Congleton Borough Council. The site could be expanded if needed as there is space around the newly built centre. Cheshire East is an observer member of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities of Greater Manchester, a county which borders Cheshire to the north.