MACCLESFIELD will enter a brave new dawn next April under an even tighter Conservative stranglehold, after storming the historic first Cheshire East Authority election.
An experimental three votes per voter clearly played into Tory hands as they won 30 of the 36 seats in Macclesfield borough - within the new 81-seat strong 'Shadow Council', which will take power next April.
Until then, current borough and county councillors, a number of whom lost their seats in Friday's count, will continue to serve.
It was not a good day - unusually the count at Macclesfield Leisure Centre took place during the morning - for Labour who won no seats at all, and the Liberal Democrats who returned just six and had an anxious wait for their trio of victories in Broken Cross, a traditional Liberal stronghold.
Recounts were required in both Broken Cross and the new ward of Prestbury and Tytherington.
Conservative Councillor and Macclesfield Borough Council cabinet member, Frank Keegan, who was comfortably returned in the safe Tory ward of Alderley, called it a "terrific day".
"It is a massive show of endorsement from the electorate," he said. "This isn't a vote against Labour but a positive vote for the Conservatives. The new challenge ahead of us was well overdue. It will insure that between county and district council the current fuzzy lines should evaporate."
Voting turnout was generally high - reaching a peak of 44 per cent in Prestbury and Tytherington - in elections which will have no major bearing until April 2009.
Outgoing Cheshire County Coun Ken Edwards, who failed to win his contested seat, acknowledged the part the economic slowdown had played.
"Comparing voting to 2005, we are in much more difficult circumstances trying to manage the economy, and a lot of people didn't switch their vote from us but simply stayed at home," he said.
The new structure, beginning next April, sees Cheshire split into two authorities - Cheshire East and Cheshire West - with the disbanding of the county council and old district (or borough) councils.
Cheshire East Authority encorporates Macclesfield, Congleton and Crewe and Nantwich Borough Councils and contains 81 seats.
Overall, Friday's election results saw 59 Conservative councillors, 12 Liberal Democrat and six Labour returned. They are due to meet a number of times in the run-up to next year's hand over.
Alderley (Elected candidates in bold )
Carolyn Margaret Andrew , Conservative - 2,992 (25.6%)
Craig Julian Browne, Liberal Democrats - 1,379 (11.8%)
Elizabeth Nora Gilliland , Conservative - 2,924 (25%)
Basil Hanson, Name only - 873 (7.5%)
Frank Keegan , Conservative - 2,928 (25%)
Ashley Pettifer, Labour - 606 (5.2%)
Bollington and Disley
Harold Davenport, Conservative - 2,394 (16.7%)
Matthew Davies, Conservative - 2,410 (16.8%)
Anne Jackson-Baker, Labour - 567 (4%)
David Laffan, Labour - 836 (5.8%)
Chris Makepeace, Liberal Democrats - 1,129 (7.9%)
Heidi Reid, Independent - 1,056 (7.4%)
Syliva Roberts, Liberal Democrats - 1,868 (13%)
Shirley Sockett, Liberal Democrats - 1,379 (9.6%)
Gordon Sutton, Labour - 484 (3.4%)
Diana Thompson, Conservative - 2,219 (15.5%)
Broken Cross
Ainsley Arnold, Liberal Democrats - 1,568 (17%)
Sandra Frances Edwards, Labour - 252 (2.7%)
David William Freear, Conservative - 1,250 (13.5%)
John Aldred Goddard, Liberal Democrats - 1,494 (16.2%)
Penny Meakin, Conservative - 1,162 (12.6%)
John Narraway, Liberal Democrats - 1,289 (13.9%)
David Russell Vaughan Pemberton, Labour - 273 (3%)
Maragret Readman, Labour - 271 (2.9%)
Lloyd Roberts, Independent - 623 (6.7%)
Anna-Marie Robinson, Conservative - 1,068 (11.5%)
Macclesfield Forest
Marc Nigel Asquith, Conservative - 1,586 (18.2%)
Gill Boston, Labour - 788 (9%)
Belinda Jane Brett, Green - 703 (8.1%)
Steve Carter, Labour - 833 (9.5%)
Hilda McIntosh Gaddum, Conservative - 2,021 (23.2%)
Brian Puddicombe, Labour - 931 (10.7%)
Lesley Smetham, Conservative - 1,864 (21.4%)
Macclesfield Town
Stephen Broadhurst, Liberal Democrats - 1,521 (17.4%)
Nell Carter, Labour - 604 (6.9%)
Dougal Julian Hare, Green - 497 (5.7%)
Valerie Judith Lipworth, Conservative - 635 (7.3%)
David Neilson, Liberal Democrats - 1,480 (17%)
Margaret Mary Slater, Conservative - 689 (7.9%)
Christine Tomlinson, Liberal Democrats - 1,369 (15.7%)
Simon James Truss, Labour - 670 (7.7%)
Richard John Watson, Labour - 593 (6.8%)
Lee James Williamson, Conservative - 671 (7.7%)
Macclesfield West
Darryl John Beckford, Conservative - 1,457 (17.9%)
Sandy Bentley, Conservative - 1,486 (18.2)
Ken Edwards, Labour - 995 (12.2%)
Martin Christopher Hardy, Conservative - 1,350 (16.6%)
Alift Iris Eugenie Harewood, Labour - 1,090 (13.4%)
Janet Anne Jackson, Labour - 1,142 (14%)
John Antony Knight, Green - 623 (7.7%)
Poynton
Frances Maria Ball, Liberal Democrats - 984 (7.9%)
Chris Beard, Conservative - 3,007 (24.1%)
Chris Claxton, Independent - 715 (5.7%)
Judith Elderkin, Labour - 445 (3.6%)
Liz Middleton, Labour - 544 (4.4%)
Howard Murray, Conservative - 2,753 (22.1%)
Malcolm Robertson, Labour - 420 (3.4%)
Christopher James Robinson, Liberal Democrats (858 (6.9%)
Roger Edward West, Conservative - 2,734 (21.9%)
Prestbury and Tytherington
David Martin Brown, Labour - 258 (2.4%)
John Paul Findlow, Conservative - 2,133 (20.2%)
Thelma Jackson, Conservative - 2,231 (21.2%)
William Harold Livesley, Conservative - 1,810 (17.2%)
Brendan Murphy, Independent - 1,777 (16.8%)
James William David Nicholas, Independent - 1,796 (17%)
Mark Stedman, Labour - 240 (2.3%)
Karen Jane Stewart, Labour - 302 (2.9%)
Wilmslow North
Adrian Bradley, Liberal Democrat - 1,681 (14.2%)
Jim Crockatt, Conservative - 2,502 (21.1%)
Jon Kelly, Labour -470 (4%)
Don Stockton, Conservative - 2,284 (19.3%)
Mark Toombs, Liberal, Democrat - 1,397 (11.8%)
Paul Whiteley, Conservative - 2,204 (18.6%)
Oliver Romain, Liberal Democrat - 1,292 (10.9%
Wilmslow South
Gary Barton, Conservative - 2,603 (22.3%)
Rod Menlove, Conservative - 2,589 (22.1%)
Pat Fearnley, Liberal Democrat - 1,291 (11%)
Richard Duncalf, Liberal Democrat - 1,069 (9.1%)
Margaret Bradley.Liberal Democrat - 1,317 (11.3%)
Wesley Fitzgerald, Conservative - 2,531 (21.6%)
Nick Jones, Labour - 291 (2.5%)
