# 2008 Cheshire East Council election

Elections to the newly created Cheshire East Council took place on 1 May 2008. Elections occurred in all 27 wards, with each ward returning three councillors to the council. The wards were identical to the former Cheshire County Council wards.
From May 2008 until April 2009, the elected members formed a "shadow" council, which made preparations for the changeover from the county and borough structure to the new unitary authority structure. Thereafter, the members serve for two years from May 2009 with the next elections scheduled for May 2011.

## Results

The Conservative Party took overall control of the council with a majority of 37 councillors.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
* Conservative 59
* Liberal Democrat 12
* Labour 6
* Middlewich First 3
* Nantwich Independent 1
Cheshire East Council election – 2008 – summary :
| Party | Seats | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 59 | 72.8 | 54.2 | 152,944 | +12.9 |
| Liberal Democrats | 12 | 14.8 | 21.5 | 60,639 | -6.0 |
| Labour | 6 | 7.4 | 13.9 | 39,264 | -8.8 |
| Middlewich First | 3 | 3.7 | 1.4 | 4,069 | +0.5 |
| Nantwich Independent | 1 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 4,262 | +0.1 |
| Green | 0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 3,101 | -1.5 |
| BNP | 0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1,095 | -0.2 |
| UKIP | 0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 780 | +0.3 |
| Other | 0 | 0.0 | 5.6 | 15,805 | +2.8 |
N.B. The change in voting percentages refers to the change since the 2005 Cheshire Council election, the last time that voting took place in the same wards.

### Comparison with projections based on the 2005 results

At the 2005 Cheshire County Council election, there were 15 Conservative controlled wards, 6 Labour controlled wards, 5 Liberal Democrat controlled wards and 1 ward controlled by an independent. Based on the 2005 results, the Cheshire East Council election would have resulted in 45 Conservative councillors, 18 Labour councillors, 15 Liberal Democrat councillors and 3 independents; the projected results would have given the Conservatives overall control of the council, with a majority of 9 councillors.

## Results by ward
### Alderley ward

Current county councillor: Mark Asquith (Conservative)
Alderley ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Carolyn Andrew | 2,992 | 25.6 |
| Conservative | Frank Keegan | 2,928 | 25.0 |
| Conservative | Elizabeth Gilliland | 2,924 | 25.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | Craig Browne | 1,379 | 11.8 |
| Independent | Basil Hanson | 873 | 7.5 |
| Labour | Ashley Pettifer | 606 | 5.2 |

### Alsager ward

Current county councillor: Rod Fletcher (Liberal Democrat)
Alsager ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Liberal Democrats | Rod Fletcher | 2,165 | 19.4 |
| Liberal Democrats | Derek Hough | 2,095 | 18.8 |
| Liberal Democrats | Shirley Jones | 2,004 | 17.9 |
| Conservative | Bill Finney | 1,119 | 10.0 |
| Conservative | Lynn Stocks | 882 | 7.9 |
| Conservative | Peter Kolker | 877 | 7.9 |
| BNP | Steve Davies | 429 | 3.8 |
| BNP | Matthew Bee | 369 | 3.3 |
| Labour | Robert Ashley | 332 | 3.0 |
| Labour | Kathleen Clarke | 308 | 2.8 |
| BNP | Lee Carbutt | 297 | 2.7 |
| Labour | Neil Clarke | 288 | 2.6 |

### Bollington and Disley ward

Current county councillor: Sylvia Roberts (Liberal Democrat)
Bollington and Disley ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Matthew Davies | 2,410 | 16.8 |
| Conservative | Harold Davenport | 2,394 | 16.7 |
| Conservative | Diana Thompson | 2,219 | 15.5 |
| Liberal Democrats | Sylvia Roberts | 1,868 | 13.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | Shirley Sockett | 1,379 | 9.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | Chris Makepeace | 1,129 | 7.9 |
| Independent | Heidi Reid | 1,056 | 7.4 |
| Labour | David Laffan | 836 | 5.8 |
| Labour | Anne Jackson-Baker | 567 | 4.0 |
| Labour | Gordon Sutton | 484 | 3.4 |

### Broken Cross ward

Current county councillor: David Freear (Conservative)
Broken Cross ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Liberal Democrats | Ainsley Arnold | 1,568 | 17.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | John Goddard | 1,494 | 16.2 |
| Liberal Democrats | John Narraway | 1,289 | 13.9 |
| Conservative | David Freear | 1,250 | 13.5 |
| Conservative | Penny Meakin | 1,162 | 12.6 |
| Conservative | Anna-Marie Robinson | 1,068 | 11.5 |
| Independent | Lloyd Roberts | 623 | 6.7 |
| Labour | David Pemberton | 273 | 3.0 |
| Labour | Margaret Readman | 271 | 2.9 |
| Labour | Sandra Edwards | 252 | 2.7 |

### Bucklow ward

Current county councillor: Steve Wilkinson (Conservative)
Bucklow ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | George Walton | 2,889 | 26.6 |
| Conservative | Jamie MacRae | 2,874 | 26.4 |
| Conservative | Andrew Knowles | 2,663 | 24.5 |
| Independent | Sybil Crossman | 755 | 6.9 |
| Liberal Democrats | Ann Barlow | 737 | 6.8 |
| Labour | Richard Jackson | 625 | 5.7 |
| Independent | Dave Bailey | 335 | 3.1 |

### Cholmondeley ward

Current county councillor: Allan Richardson (Conservative)
Cholmondeley ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Rachel Bailey | 3,350 | 29.2 |
| Conservative | Margaret Hollins | 3,119 | 27.2 |
| Conservative | Allan Richardson | 3,117 | 27.1 |
| Liberal Democrats | Richard Fox | 821 | 7.1 |
| Labour | Natalie Kent | 543 | 4.7 |
| Labour | Thomas Dunlop | 535 | 4.7 |

### Congleton Rural ward

Current county councillor: Ken Oliver (Conservative)
Congleton Rural ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Les Gilbert | 2,518 | 19.6 |
| Conservative | Andrew Kolker | 2,507 | 19.5 |
| Conservative | John Wray | 2,352 | 18.3 |
| Liberal Democrats | Mike Oliver | 1,287 | 10.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | David Savage | 1,240 | 9.7 |
| Liberal Democrats | Nick Guthrie | 1,185 | 9.2 |
| Independent | Ken Oliver | 932 | 7.3 |
| Independent | Roger Bennett | 814 | 6.3 |

### Congleton Town East ward

Current county councillor: Peter Mason (Conservative)
Congleton Town East ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | David Brown | 2,189 | 24.2 |
| Conservative | Peter Mason | 2,143 | 23.7 |
| Conservative | Andrew Thwaite | 2,078 | 23.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | Denis Murphy | 709 | 7.9 |
| Labour | Robert Boston | 688 | 7.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | Linda Hemsley | 625 | 6.9 |
| Liberal Democrats | Tim Muston | 597 | 6.6 |

### Congleton Town West ward

Current county councillor: Bill Wolstencroft (Conservative)
Congleton Town West ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Gordon Baxendale | 1,978 | 20.6 |
| Conservative | Roland Domleo | 1,861 | 19.4 |
| Conservative | David Topping | 1,856 | 19.3 |
| Liberal Democrats | Jeanne Whitehurst | 1,281 | 13.3 |
| Liberal Democrats | Margaret Gartside | 1,085 | 11.3 |
| Liberal Democrats | Keith Heron | 931 | 9.7 |
| Labour | Lisa Bossons | 609 | 6.3 |

### Crewe East ward

Current county councillor: Gordon Fyffe (Labour)
Crewe East ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Labour | Chris Thorley | 1,512 | 17.4 |
| Labour | Peggy Martin | 1,481 | 17.0 |
| Labour | Steve Conquest | 1,359 | 15.6 |
| Conservative | Eddie Ankers | 1,063 | 12.2 |
| Conservative | Paul Morrey | 935 | 10.8 |
| Conservative | Stuart Davies | 922 | 10.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | Robert Icke | 901 | 10.4 |
| UKIP | Lawrence Leat | 523 | 6.0 |

### Crewe North ward

Current county councillor: Peter Nurse (Labour)
Crewe North ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Labour | Terry Beard | 1,135 | 15.2 |
| Conservative | Derek Bebbington | 1,118 | 14.9 |
| Conservative | John Jones | 1,085 | 14.5 |
| Labour | Maureen Grant | 1,047 | 14.0 |
| Labour | Peter Nurse | 923 | 12.3 |
| Conservative | Robert Hanford | 883 | 11.8 |
| Independent | Byron Evans | 766 | 10.2 |
| Independent | Maggie Bray | 525 | 7.0 |

### Crewe South ward

Current county councillor: Dorothy Flude (Labour)
Crewe South ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Liberal Democrats | David Cannon | 1,568 | 16.4 |
| Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Howell | 1,367 | 14.3 |
| Labour | Dorothy Flude | 1,249 | 13.1 |
| Liberal Democrats | Stefan Krizanac | 1,196 | 12.5 |
| Labour | Pam Minshall | 1,119 | 11.7 |
| Labour | Steven Hogben | 1,096 | 11.5 |
| Conservative | Catherine Murphy | 638 | 6.7 |
| Conservative | Keith Healey | 634 | 6.6 |
| Conservative | Frank Lepisz | 491 | 5.1 |
| Independent | Adrian Jardine | 211 | 2.2 |

### Crewe West ward

Current county councillor: David Newton (Labour)
Crewe West ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Margaret Weatherill | 1,257 | 16.2 |
| Labour | Roy Cartlidge | 1,235 | 15.9 |
| Conservative | Robert Parker | 1,188 | 15.3 |
| Labour | David Newton | 1,135 | 14.6 |
| Conservative | Christopher Goff | 1,088 | 14.0 |
| Labour | Louise Musa | 1,071 | 13.8 |
| Liberal Democrats | John Phillips | 456 | 5.9 |
| Green | Peter Wilson | 339 | 4.4 |

### Doddington ward

Current county councillor: David Brickhill (Conservative)
Doddington ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | David Brickhill | 2,821 | 21.9 |
| Conservative | John Hammond | 2,700 | 21.0 |
| Conservative | Rodney Walker | 2,538 | 19.7 |
| Independent | Marshall Nield | 997 | 7.7 |
| Independent | Maureen Campbell | 953 | 7.4 |
| Labour | Patricia Dowling | 668 | 5.2 |
| Independent | Tess Eatough | 651 | 5.1 |
| Liberal Democrats | Adrian Hancock | 620 | 4.8 |
| Green | Guy Gower | 480 | 3.7 |
| Green | Susan Gower | 459 | 3.6 |

### Knutsford ward

Current county councillor: Bert Grange (Conservative)
Knutsford ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Bert Grange | 2,396 | 22.5 |
| Conservative | Olivia Hunter | 2,352 | 22.0 |
| Conservative | Tony Ranfield | 2,328 | 21.8 |
| Liberal Democrats | Caroline Aldhouse | 1,000 | 9.4 |
| Liberal Democrats | Francis Aldhouse | 922 | 8.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | Roger Barlow | 904 | 8.5 |
| Labour | Laurie Burton | 769 | 7.2 |

### Macclesfield Forest ward

Current county councillor: Barrie Hardern (Conservative)
Macclesfield Forest ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Hilda Gaddum | 2,021 | 23.2 |
| Conservative | Lesley Smetham | 1,864 | 21.4 |
| Conservative | Marc Asquith | 1,586 | 18.2 |
| Labour | Brian Puddicombe | 931 | 10.7 |
| Labour | Steve Carter | 833 | 9.5 |
| Labour | Gill Boston | 788 | 9.0 |
| Green | Belinda Brett | 703 | 8.1 |

### Macclesfield Town ward

Current county councillor: Nell Carter (Labour)
Macclesfield Town ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen Broadhurst | 1,521 | 17.4 |
| Liberal Democrats | David Neilson | 1,480 | 17.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | Christine Tomlinson | 1,369 | 15.7 |
| Conservative | Margaret Slater | 689 | 7.9 |
| Conservative | Lee Williamson | 671 | 7.7 |
| Labour | Simon Truss | 670 | 7.7 |
| Conservative | Valerie Lipworth | 635 | 7.3 |
| Labour | Nell Carter | 604 | 6.9 |
| Labour | Richard Watson | 593 | 6.8 |
| Green | Dougal Hare | 497 | 5.7 |

### Macclesfield West ward

Current county councillor: Ken Edwards (Labour)
Macclesfield West ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Sandy Bentley | 1,486 | 18.2 |
| Conservative | Darryl Beckford | 1,457 | 17.9 |
| Conservative | Martin Hardy | 1,350 | 16.6 |
| Labour | Janet Jackson | 1,142 | 14.0 |
| Labour | Alift Harewood | 1,090 | 13.4 |
| Labour | Ken Edwards | 995 | 12.2 |
| Green | John Knight | 623 | 7.7 |

### Middlewich ward

Current county councillor: Mark Dickson (Conservative)
Middlewich ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Middlewich First | Paul Edwards | 1,417 | 17.0 |
| Middlewich First | Michael Parsons | 1,397 | 16.8 |
| Middlewich First | Simon McGrory | 1,255 | 15.1 |
| Conservative | Alan Hardern | 907 | 10.9 |
| Conservative | Matthew Carey | 721 | 8.7 |
| Conservative | Ian Huffer | 717 | 8.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | Keith Bagnall | 507 | 6.1 |
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Hirst | 456 | 5.5 |
| Liberal Democrats | Donna Caffyn | 415 | 5.0 |
| Labour | Christopher Parkes | 274 | 3.3 |
| UKIP | Alan Johnson | 257 | 3.1 |

### Nantwich ward

Current county councillor: Arthur Moran (Independent)
Nantwich ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Nantwich Independent Party | Arthur Moran | 1,786 | 15.2 |
| Conservative | Andrew Martin | 1,776 | 15.1 |
| Conservative | Brian Dykes | 1,546 | 13.1 |
| Conservative | Richard McCay | 1,368 | 11.6 |
| Nantwich Independent Party | William McGinnis | 1,265 | 10.8 |
| Nantwich Independent Party | Stephen Hope | 1,211 | 10.3 |
| Independent | Penny Butterill | 1,120 | 9.5 |
| Labour | Adrian Knapper | 638 | 5.4 |
| Labour | John O'Mahoney | 605 | 5.1 |
| Liberal Democrats | Bryan Halson | 449 | 3.8 |

### Poynton ward

Current county councillor: Chris Claxton (Conservative)
Poynton ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Chris Beard | 3,007 | 24.1 |
| Conservative | Howard Murray | 2,753 | 22.1 |
| Conservative | Roger West | 2,734 | 21.9 |
| Liberal Democrats | Frances Ball | 984 | 7.9 |
| Liberal Democrats | Christopher Robinson | 858 | 6.9 |
| Independent | Chris Claxton | 715 | 5.7 |
| Labour | Liz Middleton | 544 | 4.4 |
| Labour | Judith Elderkin | 445 | 3.6 |
| Labour | Malcolm Robertson | 420 | 3.4 |

### Prestbury and Tytherington ward

Current county councillor: Paul Findlow (Conservative)
Prestbury and Tytherington ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Thelma Jackson | 2,231 | 21.2 |
| Conservative | Paul Findlow | 2,133 | 20.2 |
| Conservative | William Livesley | 1,810 | 17.2 |
| Independent | James Nicholas | 1,796 | 17.0 |
| Independent | Brendan Murphy | 1,777 | 16.8 |
| Labour | Karen Stewart | 302 | 2.9 |
| Labour | David Brown | 258 | 2.4 |
| Labour | Mark Stedman | 240 | 2.3 |

### Rope ward

Current county councillor: Margaret Simon (Conservative)
Rope ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Margaret Simon | 2,774 | 22.8 |
| Conservative | Ray Westwood | 2,622 | 21.6 |
| Conservative | Brian Silvester | 2,557 | 21.0 |
| Labour | Maurice Jones | 1,259 | 10.4 |
| Liberal Democrats | Rene Hancock | 1,114 | 9.2 |
| Labour | June Roberts | 994 | 8.2 |
| Labour | Andy Sharp | 830 | 6.8 |

### Sandbach ward

Current county councillor: Neville Price (Independent) (elected as a Conservative in 2005)
Sandbach ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Gillian Merry | 1,781 | 19.7 |
| Conservative | Barry Moran | 1,695 | 18.8 |
| Conservative | Stella Furlong | 1,562 | 17.3 |
| Liberal Democrats | Bill Scragg | 1,003 | 11.1 |
| Liberal Democrats | Dennis Robinson | 896 | 9.9 |
| Liberal Democrats | Patrick Darnes | 857 | 9.5 |
| Independent | Neville Price | 682 | 7.6 |
| Labour | Keith Haines | 553 | 6.1 |

### Sandbach East and Rode ward

Current county councillor: Roy Giltrap (Liberal Democrat)
Sandbach East and Rode ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Rhoda Bailey | 1,976 | 17.6 |
| Conservative | Andrew Barratt | 1,902 | 16.9 |
| Liberal Democrats | Elsie Alcock | 1,800 | 16.1 |
| Conservative | Andrew Large | 1,744 | 15.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | Trish Barlow | 1,705 | 15.2 |
| Liberal Democrats | Knud Moller | 1,376 | 12.2 |
| Labour | Bill Howell | 479 | 4.2 |
| Independent | John Cliff | 224 | 2.0 |

### Wilmslow North ward

Current county councillor: Adrian Bradley (Liberal Democrat)
Wilmslow North ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Jim Crockatt | 2,502 | 21.1 |
| Conservative | Don Stockton | 2,284 | 19.3 |
| Conservative | Paul Whiteley | 2,204 | 18.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | Adrian Bradley | 1,681 | 14.2 |
| Liberal Democrats | Mark Toombs | 1,397 | 11.8 |
| Liberal Democrats | Oliver Romain | 1,292 | 10.9 |
| Labour | Jon Kelly | 470 | 4.0 |

### Wilmslow South ward

Current county councillor: Pat Fearnley (Liberal Democrat)
Wilmslow South ward candidates :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Gary Barton | 2,603 | 22.3 |
| Conservative | Rod Menlove | 2,589 | 22.1 |
| Conservative | Wesley Fitzgerald | 2,531 | 21.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | Margaret Bradley | 1,317 | 11.3 |
| Liberal Democrats | Pat Fearnley | 1,291 | 11.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | Richard Duncalf | 1,069 | 9.1 |
| Labour | Nick Jones | 291 | 2.5 |