Former councillor who fought for village bypass passes away

margaret

A very popular and well known member of the community sadly passed away on Monday, 25th June, at the age of 90.

Margaret Melrose lived in Alderley Edge for 28 years. She was a councillor for 34 years, first being elected in 1967, and twice Chairman of Cheshire County Council – the first woman ever to hold the position in 1984.

The A34 Alderley Edge and Nether Alderley Bypass was been named Melrose Way in honour of Margaret who fought tirelessly for its construction since the 1960s.

Her funeral will be held at 11am on Wednesday 11th July, at St Mary's Church in Nether Alderley and afterwards at the Parish Hall next door.

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Margaret Melrose
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Comments

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Marc Asquith
Thursday 28th June 2018 at 4:34 pm
I was very sad to hear the news of Margaret's passing. Very much a case of the body giving up on a, still active, intellect.

I first met Margaret in 2000 when I was first selected as the candidate for the Alderley Division of Cheshire County Council. She had finally decided to retire after 34 years service and I was fortunate enough to be selected as her successor. From subsequent experiences, I have learned how hard it is to be an outgoing councillor, whether by force of circumstances such as boundary changes or by personal choice. Some new, wet behind the ears, whippersnapper, intruding into your personal fiefdom which you have built and cultivated can be painful. However, Margaret was welcoming, generous and helpful. She even helped deliver my leaflets as the election loomed.

It was as a result of working together that we became friends and discovered that we shared similar views on many issues. She liked to be kept in the loop as to the machinations within Cheshire County Council and so I enjoyed regular visits to her very tasteful little house off Trafford Rd. She was a teetotaller but kept a nice supply of tipples for those who did drink. She was always happy with her elderflower whilst I gently sipped a glass of wine and we discussed the going's on at County Hall.

Margaret had tirelessly worked to get the Bypass built and by the time she retired it was the County Council's number one highway construction priority - despite the County Council being Labour controlled for many years previously. When I took over we won a Conservative Majority and the administration was committed to building the Bypass. Margaret repeatedly muttered that it would never be built in her lifetime and I kept promising that we would deliver it, just to prove her wrong if for no other reason ! When Cheshire County and the Borough Councils were abolished building was well underway and there was no choice but for Cheshire East to continue with the project. As it approached completion, I arranged with the contractors for Margaret and I to be taken on a guided tour of the road. The last few layers of Tarmac had to be laid and the white lines painted, but I recall her standing in the middle of the road, just close to where it goes under the railway line, looking up and down the road. We went through the formal opening with the then Tatton MP, George Osborne and Leader of Cheshire East, Wesley Fitzgerald and over a glass of wine I reminded Wesley of my plan, when I had been the County Councillor to name the road Melrose Way. Wesley leapt upon the idea and a few months later in Nether Alderley Parish Hall we held a little unveiling ceremony of a metal plaque naming the road Melrose Way. That metal plaque is still to be seen attached to a huge rock at the north end of the Bypass.

As a result of further boundary changes I found my council seat on Cheshire East had essentially vanished and dropped off the Council. On Cheshire County Council, if you served at least 3 terms of 4 years, when you retired you would be appointed as an Honorary Alderman of the County. I had the pleasure of proposing Margaret for this honour in 2001. However, because there was a 1 year overlap between CCC and CEC, I only managed 3 terms and 11 years service. When Margaret discovered this she started a one woman campaign for me to be made an Honorary Alderman. This was one of her campaigns that did not succeed. However, on the day that she died, I was selected to be the Conservative Candidate in winnable seat on CEC. I had planned to visit her this coming weekend to tell her that in a roundabout way - her campaign had succeeded.

When I first met my wife, we visited Margaret together from time to time. On a couple of occasions we took her to dinner in Gusto - but that was a difficult environment for her, with her hearing problems, the background noise was too much. When my wife fell pregnant with twins we decided to have a Civil Marriage in Macclesfield Town Hall whilst we saved up for a full Church wedding. Margaret acted as one of the witnesses at our wedding.

Last year I saw that her house off Trafford Road was up for sale and in panic ran into Bridgfords. The lady there told me that Margaret had moved into the SunRise place in Mobberley. A few days later I dropped in to SunRise and spent a pleasant hour chatting to her. Since then there have been a few other visits and, as I wrote above, I had intended to visit this weekend to tell her my news. We were just waiting for the twins to get a little older to take them to visit.

I am sad to hear of her passing, but she was a lady who lived a full life, had an active mind to the end and was a thoroughly nice person.

I hope work arrangements allow me time to attend on 11 July.
John Hannah
Thursday 28th June 2018 at 6:48 pm
Marc what a marvellous eloquent tribute
Bob Bracegirdle
Tuesday 3rd July 2018 at 5:06 pm
And that bypass was first mooted in the 1930s as my father told me. But then public not Private Transport was the order of the day.