THE council may have changed, but for the people of Wilmslow and Alderley Edge many of the faces will remain the same.
Eight current councillors were voted back in as the Tories swept to victory in all three wards.
The only fresh face is Conservative candidate Don Stockton who was elected to represent the Wilmslow North ward on the new Cheshire East unitary council.
There were a few shocks however, as old-timers and Liberal Democrat councillors Adrian Bradley, Margaret Bradley and Pat Fearnley and former Conservative councillor Basil Hanson were ousted.
Long standing borough and county councillor Adrian Bradley was clearly disappointed not to be elected but insisted he was “fine”, after he polled 1,681 votes - 14.2 per cent - in the Wilmslow North ward.
He said: “I have no groans and complaints. That's the deal and you move on.”
He added: “The winning candidates won on the back of a hard worked campaign.
“We are all adults in this business as long as it's all fair and square - when I got in the first time, I beat someone.
“At the moment my feelings are I will just stay on for the next year [his final year as a borough and county councillor]."
But he added: "A year is a long time in politics and what happens between now and the next elections [in 2011], who knows."
The results reflected the trend nationally with a swing towards the Tories.
Under the new unitary council there are three wards with a total of nine councillors - three per ward.
In the Alderley ward, the Tories polled 75.6 per cent of the votes; while in Wilmslow North, they received 59 pc of the votes and in Wilmslow South, the Conservatives took a 66 pc share of the votes.
Councillor Carolyn Andrew polled the most votes of the three candidates standing in the Alderley ward with 2,992 votes, followed by Councillor Frank Keegan with 2,928 votes and Elizabeth Gilliland with 2,924.
In the Wilmslow North Ward Jim Crockatt was re-elected after gaining 2,502 votes, Paul Whiteley polled 2,204 votes and Don Stockton received 2,284 votes.
And in Wilmslow South young Conservative Gary Barton who was first elected last year took the lead with 2,603 votes. Conservative Councillor Rod Menlove received 2,589 votes, while long-standing councillor and current Macclesfield Borough leader Wesley Fitzgerald was elected with 2,531 votes.
Across Cheshire East, there was a 35.9 pc turnout, with the Tories taking 59 seats - and 54.2 per cent of the votes - on the new 81seat council.
The elected councillors will form a “shadow” council, which will oversee the formation of the new Cheshire East council and make preparations for when it formally comes into force on April 1, 2009. The new council will replace the old boroughs of Macclesfield, Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich and Cheshire County Council, which will be dissolved from this date.
FULL RESULTS (elected candidates in bold) :
Alderley ward:
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%)
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%)
