The new Alderley Edge Parish Council held their first monthly meeting on Monday, 18th May, having taken over their positions on Tuesday, 12th May.
One of the first jobs for them to do was elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman as well as appoint members to the various committees.
Geoff Hall was elected to be Chairman for the coming year whilst Rachael Grantham takes on the role of Vice-Chairman.
Speaking after the meeting, Geoff Hall said "It has been an eventful week! Seeing all nine of the AlderleyEdgeFIRST candidates get elected just three months after we first came together has been a really heart-warming and rewarding experience. It is good to see that democracy is alive and well in Alderley Edge, and I think the village should be proud of that.
"This week we have also enjoyed a truly great May Fair. My colleagues both on the May Fair Committee and on the Parish Council are wonderful to work with. I am immensely grateful to them for all their support and enthusiasm.
"Like all my fellow councillors, I am very aware of taking on a huge responsibility at what is a very critical time for our village. Our team of new councillors is made a great deal stronger by the addition of new friends in Anne Ross, the Clerk to the Parish Council and Ashley Dawson who is responsible for the Festival Hall redevelopment. We must not forget our lengthsman Nigel who does such great work around the village.
"From the minute we started as councillors just one week ago we have concentrated on ensuring that the Medical Centre is properly signed off, in order to meet the deadline of 31st March 2016. We are now working with members of the previous Parish Council and Cheshire East to finalise this.
"We have been given every good wish for our journey ahead, and I feel proud to serve the village as Chairman of Alderley Edge Parish Council. We will continue to work very hard. With the continuing support of so many talented people in the village I am certain that we shall together achieve something really special and create a lasting legacy."
Rachael Grantham said "As if being elected to represent my village wasn't enough I was asked by the other 8 councillors to stand as Vice Chairman of the Parish Council. It is an absolute privilege to accept such a role. A week in and I am learning a massive amount, but there is one thing I can be completely sure of, I will do my best in this role. I have made it very clear from day one, it is essential for me to be able to air the views of the younger generation within the village and I can only hope this responsibility will show them I am very serious in making sure their voices are heard.
"I'd would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support since the election and for those of you who I don't know I am looking forward to getting to know you better over the coming months."
The following members were appointed to serve on the committees:
- General Purposes - Geoff Hall and Rachael Grantham
- Plans - Craig Browne and Ruth Norbury
- Finance - Myles Garbett and Mike Dudley-Jones
- General Purposes 'Projects sub-committee' - Ruth Norbury, Mike Dudley-Jones and Craig Browne.
Representatives were appointed to the following bodies:
- The Alderley Edge Institute Trust - Mike Taylorson and Rachael Grantham
- Alderley Edge Civic Fund Trustees - Christine Munro and Mike Dudley-Jones
Councillors were also appointed to take the lead in the following areas:
- Youth - Ilana Higham and Rachael Grantham
- Transport - Mike Taylorson
- Communications - Mike Dudley-Jones
- Parks and Open Spaces - Craig Browne
- Road and Pavements - Mike Taylorson
- Police Liaison - Myles Garbett
Twenty five members of the public turned up to observe the meeting which ended with them giving the new councillors a round of applause.
Comments
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It's good to see you're all on the ball and getting things moving forwards.
The future is bright in this village now.