Bollington town council is on the lookout for their very own Jackie Weaver as they aim to recruit a town clerk.

Cllr John Stewart, the mayor of Bollington, is also keen to encourage interest in the two council seats up for grabs in May's local elections.

While the Handforth Parish Council viral video did not shine a positive light on local democracy, Cllr Stewart hopes it does make people want to become more involved.

The mayor said: "The pandemic has made us think about what it is exactly we do and what's our purpose. The purpose of a town council is to serve the community in which you live and work.

"We are servants to the community. If you lose sight of that and it becomes egotistical and about point scoring, then there is no place for that in council; you are one of 12 votes."

The outgoing town clerk, David Naylor, has been in the role for the last 10 years, having previously worked for Macclesfield town council.

The job advert for the position states: "The town clerk will be a key role in aligning all of our stakeholders in the community and in working with Cheshire East Council, businesses, local representative groups and residents."

The hiring process is being overseen by the Cheshire Association of Local Councils (ChALC), a body led by Jackie Weaver.

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Cllr Stewart hopes people will come forward to fill the two council seats to help make the council "more representative of our community".

"Are we representative of our community now? Probably not. We do have a different ethnic mix in Bollington and they're not represented at all; we're very white as a council," Cllr Stewart said.

He also hopes more women will come forward to compete for the seats after the council lost gender parity with the resignation of two female councillors.

Asked if Bollington councillors are more cordial than their counterparts in Handforth, Cllr Stewart said: "Oh definitely, yeah. We have very strict rules on how we behave in the standing orders and we abide by the Nolan Principles.

"You see some of these individuals who shout and swear in meetings and it wouldn't happen in the private sector where I work. I think some councils can be quite old fashioned, ironically, even though they're talking about equality, diversity and inclusion.

"Why would you fall out over dog fouling on the pavement or the litter not being cleaned out the bins?"

He added: "If you've got a common purpose, and that purpose serves the community well, and what you do in committee and in the council, is deliver what the community wants as a priority, then that should be that should be a good formula for success."

To apply for the town clerk position, visit the Bollington town council website.

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For guidance on how to run for the vacant council seats in either the Central Ward or East Ward, visit the Cheshire East Council website.