We’ve asked all of the candidates standing for election to Cheshire East Council to provide our readers with a short introduction to themselves.
We’ll publish these daily for all 52 council wards (in alphabetical order) in the build up to the local elections on 4th May 2023.
You can view all of the Cheshire East Council candidate submissions together by clicking here.
Listed below are all of the candidates seeking your vote in the Bollington ward.
Voters in Bollington can select two candidates to represent them on Cheshire East Council.
Bollington candidates:
- Jennifer Allen (Green Party)
- Liam Bergin (Green Party)
- Ken Edwards (Labour)
- Johanna Maitland (Liberal Democrats)
- James Nicholas (Bollington First)
- John Place (Labour)
- Amanda Stott (Bollington First)
- Jon Weston (Conservatives)
- John Withers (Conservatives)
Jennifer Allen (Green Party)
Nothing submitted.
Liam Bergin (Green Party)
Hello I’m Liam, I’m 51 and retired due to the ill health of having a brain tumour which leads to a great deal of reflection on the world as it is today.
I remember that my teenage children were once safe to play in the local rivers and meres and now they wouldn’t be able to due to pollution.
My former job was head of catering at the university of Manchester and I realised how much waste we got through and it became a personal mission to reduce our use of single use plastic and make my supply lines more local by working with local food charities.
I continue all this in my personal life now and believe passionately that even small changes can have a big impact.
I hope I can encourage you to vote Green for a cleaner, safer future for all of our families.
Ken Edwards (Labour)
I have lived in Bollington since 1996 and have served on Bollington Town Council since 2007, having a very enjoyable year as mayor in 2012/13.
Sandra and I have fallen in love with Bollington and the surrounding Peak District hills.
There is always a warm welcome in the town overlooked benignly by the famous Cheshire monument, White Nancy.
I have led a number of projects to benefit Bollington over the years – including modernising the skate park, developing sports facilities and a multi-use games area at Bollington Cross as well as transferring the Civic Hall and Town Hall to the long term ownership of Bollington Town council for the use of the Bollington community.
I now feel able to offer my experience, energy, and commitment to the community by representing Bollington on Cheshire East Council.
Cheshire East’s policies and actions impact strongly on Bollington.
A strong representative voice is required on the council and I believe, if elected, I can offer that voice to the residents of the Bollington Ward.
Johanna Maitland (Liberal Democrats)
I live in Bollington and volunteer with several Bollington initiatives and charities.
I am a strong advocate for equality and accessibility; these values guide my council work.
I feel that my experience and values would give the people of Bollington and Higher Hurdsfield better representation at Cheshire East.
I believe in the creation of a town where residents, businesses and visitors have the space and resources to thrive.
Our narrow streets make parking and traffic flow a constant challenge; if elected I will work within Cheshire East Council to find workable and safe solutions for all users of our roads and pathways.
James Nicholas (Bollington First)
I became an independent councillor for Bollington in a 2017 by-election with over 50% of the vote cast.
For the past 4 years I have been the deputy leader of the independent group and was very much involved in the campaign to change Cheshire East Council from a cabinet to committee system.
I chaired the Northern Planning Committee for the past two years and have been vice-chair of Audit and Governance for the past year.
I would spend the next four years continuing to take party politics out of local government and put residents at the centre of decision making.
John Place (Labour)
I have lived in Bollington for over 35 years – raising my family here.
I am very committed to to our ‘Happy Valley’ town and was proud to serve as a past Labour Bollington town councillor.
After a successful NHS career (past human resources director at Macclesfield HA) I have run several public service companies and therefore fully understand local business needs.
I have campaigned tirelessly to preserve vital local health services (ie: local Millbrook mental health services).
In addition I have been a keen campaigner to save our green belt across Bollington – successfully objecting to various inappropriate housing developments and planning applications.
Labour-led Cheshire East Council has been transformed over the past four years – so if elected I very much hope to represent the people of Bollington and Higher Hurdsfield to the best of my abilities – no ifs or buts!
Amanda Stott (Bollington First)
I have found the last eight years as an independent borough councillor extremely rewarding.
As the chair of the cross-party finance sub-committee I have been actively involved in developing a four-year balanced budget at Cheshire East, something which had not been achieved before.
Recent national events have saddled the council with hugely increased costs for both adults’ and children’s social care, along with inflationary pressures in all areas.
If re-elected, I will continue to work to ensure Bollington ward is represented by someone that cares about our great community and is prepared to speak out on behalf of residents.
Jon Weston (Conservatives)
I was born in Higher Hurdsfield, Macclesfield, grew up in Rainow and have lived most of my adult life in Bollington.
I am married, have two grown-up children and three grandchildren who live in Macclesfield and Bollington.
After graduating from London University, I had a long career in actuarial and human resource consultancy, established my own wealth management business, then retired and sold my company in 2018.
I am a chartered financial planner and a chartered insurance practitioner and I plan to bring my financial, human resources and risk management skills to help Cheshire East Council manage its budgets and deliver real value for money for residents.
I served as a borough councillor for Cheshire East (Bollington, Kerridge and Higher Hurdsfield) from 2015 to 2017. I served as a town councillor for Bollington for nine years and was elected mayor of Bollington in 2018/19.
John Withers (Conservatives)
I am a retired engineer from the power generation industry.
My career has spanned over 40 years in the capacity of commercial sales, contracts and project management in industrial, marine and latterly oil and gas markets in Europe, the Middle East and Far East along with East Africa.
At the other end of my career I started as a mechanical apprentice and place great value on the apprenticeship route.
I have lived in both Bollington and Macclesfield and am looking forward to using my skills in the capital equipment industry to seek improvements in Cheshire East Council.
So Cheshire remains proudly non-partisan and has provided the same opportunity to all parties and independent candidates.
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