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Local council structure

Cheshire East | Bollington | Representation

The single tier, unitary, structure

On 1st April 2009 a single tier, or unitary, structure was introduced to Cheshire. Cheshire West & Chester (CWCC) and Cheshire East (CEC) were established. These two councils are entirely autonomous. Bollington is served by Cheshire East.

Cheshire East

The Cheshire East council area encompasses Macclesfield, Congleton and Crewe & Nantwich. This is a piece of land stretching from the north east to the south west of the whole county of Cheshire.

Cheshire East Council is the third-largest unitary authority in the North West by area, after Liverpool and Manchester. In 2009 Cheshire East had a population of 360,700, and the council employed c.14,000 staff. The budget in 2009/10 was £234.1 million. Since then the population has increased and the staffing and budget have been significantly reduced. The headquarters is Westfields, a modern office building off Middlewich Road, Sandbach. It is also close to the centre of the new area. There is no council chamber at Westfields, so meetings are held in Macclesfield, Congleton and Crewe. Cheshire East is a Borough, having its own mayor. Town Councils (like Bollington’s) in the major towns each have a mayor.

The political representation on the council comprises 81 councillors, with no party having an overall majority. The leadership is organised into a Cabinet of nine, each specialising in a particular subject portfolio. The portfolios are:

Strategic Communities, Environment, Children & Family Services, Health & Adult Social Care, Corporate Policy, Communities & Regulatory Services, Housing Planning Economic Development & Regeneration, Performance, Finance.

This structure is due to be changed in April 2021, to revert to a committee system.

A mayor of East Cheshire is appointed by the council each year in May.

Cheshire East website.

Whither Cheshire county?

As a geographic county Cheshire continues to exist as it has done for centuries. It just no longer has a single council governing all of it.

Bollington Town Council

Bollington Town Council continues as the lowest level of local government, having Parish Council status. Town councillors and their staff relate to CEC. Bollington Town Council web site.

Representation

3 Bollington town councillors representing each ward (East, Central or West Bollington).

2 CEC councillors representing Bollington & Higher Hurdsfield.