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.

Positive

“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.