More than 32 per cent of Crewe people vote in town council ballot

 

Crewe people who voted in a ballot have given a resounding yes to the formation of a town council.

A total of 10,810 residents felt the formation of a single town council was the right thing for Crewe, meaning almost nine out of 10 respondents (88.5 per cent) voted in favour. The number of people voting ‘no’ came to 1,390.

More than 32 per cent of the 37,750 electorate took part in the ballot and Cheshire East Council is delighted that people voted on a matter of such importance to the area.

However, Councillor Michael Jones, Cabinet member with responsibility for resources, pointed out that more than 25,500 people did not vote and whilst the ‘yes’ vote was very high, it means the total percentage of the electorate voting for a town council was almost 29 per cent.

Councillor Jones said: “We always said that this was an important time for the people of Crewe and, whilst it would have been nice to see more people voting, I would like to thank them all for their input.

“It shows the vast majority of people who voted want more local representation so the town is placed in a stronger position to be able to manage certain services and assets, such as Crewe Market Hall, in future.

“The people responding to the ballot clearly want a town council, and if it is eventually formed, Cheshire East looks forward to working with its elected members in working together to secure an even brighter future for Crewe.”

The Crewe governance review sub-committee will meet on March 13 to consider the result of the ballot and other representations received and to discuss the next steps.

A final draft recommendation for the outcome of the review will then be passed to a full meeting of Council in April or May before a three-week second wave of consultation begins. A final decision is expected by August.