Tatton Constituency - Liberal Democrats serving Macclesfield and Vale Royal

Geography and background

The constituency is formed partly from the borough of Macclesfield and partly from the borough of Vale Royal; the former accounts for approximately three quarters of the constituency population with Vale Royal making up the balance. The main centres of population are Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Knutsford and Northwich with large rural areas between the towns.

To most people Tatton is probably known best, if known at all, as the home of Neil Hamilton the former MP who was embroiled in the sleaze scandal of the mid 1990s. In 1997 he was triumphantly beaten by the former BBC Correspondent, Martin Bell who was given a free run in the election when both Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates stood down in his favour.

At the General Election in 2005 we increased our vote by 17% and only narrowly missed out on pushing Labour into third place. We are working hard to achieve a better result next time and have recently completed a Constituency Development Plan, which aims ultimately to put us in a position where we will be represented by a LibDem MP.

Local political activity

Wilmslow has the greatest concentration of members and supporters and is the main strength of the constituency with three Liberal Democrat Councillors on Macclesfield Borough Council (Lacey Green, Morley & Styal). We continue to be the principal opposition to the Conservatives in this area.

We also have a number of members in Alderley Edge where we contested the Borough Council seat in 2006, polling 45% of the vote. During 2007 we plan to commence a major recruitment campaign in preparation for the next Borough Council election in 2008 and County Council election in 2009.

There is a branch in Knutsford where we are represented on the Town Council, but currently do not have a member on the Borough Council.

From almost a zero start members in Northwich have managed to build up a base by campaigning on local issues and currently there are two Councillors on Vale Royal Borough Council elected from the Tatton part of the Borough.

In the 2005 local elections, we gained two seats on Cheshire County Council, taking both Wilmslow North and Wilmslow South from the Conservatives by narrow majorities.

The local party is financially sound with an active social programme and good fund raising arrangements. Membership has been consistent at around the 150 mark but is beginning to grow gradually.

The Tatton Constituency is seen as being fertile Liberal Democrat territory and local members are working hard at all levels in order to promote a fairer deal for all members of the local community.

Libl Dems serving Macclesfield and Vale Royal