Countdown to Thursday’s historic Cheshire elections

Apr 28 2008 by David Norbury, Chester Chronicle

VOTERS in Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal will be heading for the polls on Thursday, May 1, to decide the political control of the new Cheshire West and Chester council.

The council takes over in April next year from the three district councils and Cheshire County Council which will be abolished.

In the meantime, the existing councils will continue to provide services with the 72 “shadow” councillors deeply involved in making arrangements for the new authority.

They will also consider decisions which the district and county councils propose to make on major issues.

Three councillors are to be elected in each of 24 wards which line up with the present county council divisions.

Overall, there will be a reduction in the total number of councillors.

Chester Tories will be hoping to build on their recent successes which saw them oust the Lib Dem/Labour administration from the Town Hall in May last year to take control for the first time in a decade.

Optimistically, they will be looking for sufficient gains in Chester seats to drive them towards the magic figure of 37 seats needed if Conservatives are to control the new council.

Labour will have an anxious eye on national opinion polls and events such as rising mortgage costs and queues on garage forecourts which have not been favourable to the government.

The Lib Dems will be looking to work with whichever group can help them deliver their own manifesto if no party has overall control.

Although both the county and city councils have had joint administrations in the past, a senior political figure points out these have involved agreements between parties which have been familiar with each other’s aims.

In the entirely different circumstances of a new council, there could be tensions as to who would take control and how.

Cheshire West and Chester will be the fourth largest authority in the North West with a population of 327,500.

The 87 polling stations in the new council’s area will be open from 7am to 10pm.