The 2023 Cheshire East Council election took place on Thursday 4 May 2023 to elect all 82 members of Cheshire East Council in Cheshire, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England.
The council had been under no overall control prior to the election, being run by a Labour minority administration with support from independent councillors. The council remained under no overall control after the election. The Conservatives formed the largest single party, but an agreement was reached between Labour and most of the independent councillors to continue running the council.
Summary
Election results
Results by ward The results for each ward were: Alderley Edge
Alsager
Audlem
Bollington
Brereton Rural
Broken Cross and Upton
Bunbury
Chelford
Congleton East
Congleton West
Crewe Central
Crewe East
Crewe North
Crewe South
Crewe St. Barnabas
Crewe West
Dane Valley
Disley
Gawsworth
Handforth
One of the two Handforth seats had been vacant since November 2022 following the death of the previous Handforth Ratepayers' Association councillor Barry Burkhill.
Haslington
High Legh
Knutsford
Leighton
Macclesfield Central
Macclesfield East
Macclesfield Hurdsfield
The Macclesfield Hurdsfield seat had been vacant since December 2022 following the death of the previous Labour councillor Steve Carter.
Macclesfield South
Macclesfield Tytherington
One of the Macclesfield Tytherington seats had been vacant since November 2022 following the resignation of the previous independent councillor Lloyd Roberts.
Macclesfield West and Ivy
Middlewich
Mobberley
Nantwich North and West
Nantwich South and Stapeley
Odd Rode
Poynton East and Pott Shrigley
Poynton West and Adlington
Prestbury
Sandbach Elworth
Sandbach Ettiley Heath and Wheelock
Sandbach Heath and East
Sandbach Town
Shavington
Sutton
Willaston and Rope
Wilmslow Dean Row
Wilmslow East
Wilmslow Lacey Green
Wilmslow West and Chorley
Wistaston
Wrenbury
Wybunbury
Changes 2023–2027
Laura Smith, elected as a Labour councillor for Crewe South, had the whip withdrawn in March 2024 after refusing to vote with the party on the council's budget, and has sat as an independent socialist since. Hannah Moss, elected as a Conservative councillor for Mobberley, left the Conservative group in April 2024 to sit as an independent, before rejoining the Conservative group in March 2025. Reg Kain, elected as a Liberal Democrat councillor for Alsager and former leader of the Liberal Democrat group, left the party in March 2025 to become the council's first Reform UK councillor. Ashley Farrall, elected as a Labour councillor for Macclesfield Central, was suspended from the Labour group after being charged with a criminal offence and sat as a non-grouped independent from late 2024. Becky Posnett, elected as a Conservative councillor for Bunbury and deputy whip of the Conservative group, was sacked as deputy whip and quit the group in October 2025 after voting in favour of a Cheshire and Warrington devolution deal against the party whip. Allen Gage, elected as a Conservative councillor for Willaston and Rope, resigned his party membership "on a point of personal principle" in March 2026 to sit as a non-grouped independent. Kate Hague, elected as a Conservative councillor for High Legh, left the party in April 2026 to sit as a non-grouped independent.
By-elections
Crewe Central
The Crewe Central by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour councillor Anthony Critchley in November 2023.
Crewe West
The Crewe West by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour councillor Connor Naismith, who had been elected Member of Parliament for Crewe and Nantwich at the 2024 United Kingdom general election, held on 4 July 2024.
Wilmslow Lacey Green
The Wilmslow Lacey Green by-election was triggered by the sudden death of Residents of Wilmslow councillor Chris Hilliard in June 2025.
Macclesfield Central
The Macclesfield Central by-election was triggered by the resignation of independent councillor Ashley Farrall on 26 September 2025, three days before he was sentenced to 12 months in prison for attempting to pervert the course of justice, in a matter unrelated to the council; Farrall had been elected as a Labour councillor but had sat as a non-grouped independent since being suspended by the party.
Notes Italics denote a sitting councillor for the same ward.
References