Macclesfield: Sutton councillor thanks community as he confirms he won’t seek relection
The Cheshire East Councillor for a rural Macclesfield ward has confirmed that he is not standing in this May's elections.
Cllr Andrew Gregory, who served the Sutton ward on Cheshire East Council, will not seek another four years as Councillor.
In a candid chat with Macclesfield Nub News, he thanked the community and shared reasons why he is not vying to be elected again.
"I have decided not to put myself forward for re-election at the May 2023 local elections for the Sutton ward," he said.
"There are a number of reasons for this.
"Back in 2018 when I was approached by the local Conservative Party to be invited to stand as a councillor, I had in mind that retirement was on the horizon and a reduction in my time spent as a solicitor meant that I should have had more time to devote to other activities. It is also fair to say that with hindsight, I should have made more enquiries as to the likely time commitment to the role as councillor.
"I was elected at the May 2019 elections with a substantial majority. But before long the country was thrust into the various challenges created by the Covid pandemic. This led to me being heavily involved with my job as a solicitor at a time when I had expected to be able to start to take things a little easier.
"During this same period, I saw at first hand the manner in which I felt local issues were often politicised. As a lawyer who has been trained to always focus on the best outcome for clients, there were often times when I felt that the process was alien to me.
"In September 2019, The government led by Boris Johnson forced through the prorogation of parliament. A decision which was later held to be unlawful by the Supreme Court.
"As a solicitor, I was appalled by this breach of our constitution. I wrote to the leader of the Cheshire East Conservative Group, Janet Clowes to voice my concerns and raised the proposal that I leave the group.
"Janet Clowes persuaded me to stay a member of the Conservative Group, but it was agreed that I would only attend their meetings on a periodical basis, the group, continue to vote with the group, but keep my head down as it were.
"This process continued into Partygate and all the concerns around this, leading to my resignation from the Conservative Group in June 2022 when I joined the Cheshire East Independent Group.
"This has been a refreshing change. No politics, just a focus on what is the best for the residents which each of the independent councillors serve.
"I will miss the camaraderie of the group, they are a friendly bunch who have made me feel very welcome with a sense that my contribution is most welcome.
"This contrasts with the conduct of the Conservatives where in one instance with within the first year of the elections and having been nominated to join the Northern Planning Committee shortly , I discovered by email in the February of 2020 that I had been removed from a place on the Committee without any consultation by the group."
"The Sutton ward is geographically the largest in Cheshire East, covering a large rural area, including Wincle, Wildboarclough, Macclesfield Forest as well as more populated areas such as Rainow, Sutton, Lyme Green and Langley.
"During the past three years and eight months, I have found that the vast majority of matters raised by residents relate to the areas around Sutton, Langley and Lyme Green. Hilda Gaddam, the previous and long-standing ward councillor lives locally to these areas. I have been struck by how valuable it is for local councillors to be very much based and involved locally with the people they serve.
"It is therefore my view that the Sutton ward would be best served in the future by someone who ideally lives locally to the areas of Sutton village, Langley and Lyme Green. I live in Rainow which is over five miles away."
Mr Gregory, has found that the majority of the ward issues are in the more densely populated parts of the ward, like Sutton, Lyme Green and Langley, which is further away from where he lives.
He recommended that the next person to stand should bear this in mind, and potentially live where most of the ward residents are.
"My advice for the next person elected to the ward is get to know the major issues of the ward", he added.
"In particular, for the local areas of Lyme Green, Langley and Sutton because there is a lot going on there, with hundreds of new build homes being built.
"And while only a small part of the ward boundaries are located within the Danes Moss development area, that hasn't stopped a lot of people in the ward getting involved and contacting me about it. And I'm sure the next councillor will get many questions on it as well from residents."
As well as continuing his career as a solicitor in Manchester, Andrew will also be keeping himself busy in his new role as a Trustee at The Rossendale Trust, and will help source funds for the charity's good causes.
He also hopes to pursue creative writing as a hobby.
"Thank you to everyone for your support over the past four years.
"There have been some highs and lows during my term as councillor. At times it has proved hard and frankly at times exhausting to balance my time between my job and role as a councillor. But I have really enjoyed working with and feeling part of the local community."
"It was an honour and a privilege to open the Wincle fate last summer and it is events such as this which make be realise how rewarding the role can be.
"Having worked in commercial law all my life, it has felt good to be immersed into community life and local issues, it is a very different world.
"It is my intention to seek election again as a parish councillor to the Rainow parish in the hope that I can use the knowledge gained in the past few years to assist local residents close to where I live.
"And while I am not standing at borough council level for Cheshire East, should I be re-elected at parish level, I hope to continue to serve on board meetings representing local residents with the Peak District National Park Authority.
"Finally as someone who came new to local government in 2019, having spent my life in private practice, I have been most impressed by the dedication and professional behaviour of the officers who work for Cheshire East and also the commitment and deep knowledge which many of the elected members bring to the role."
If you want to run to become a Cheshire East Councillor in Sutton or elsewhere in Macclesfield, please click HERE and HERE for more details.
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