Sandbach has a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor for 2022-23, who will champion our town's businesses and charities.

Councillor Kathryn Flavell , who was Deputy Mayor for the last year, was appointed Mayor in a meeting in the ballroom at Sandbach Town Hall last night (Wednesday).

Cllr Flavell, who is both a Town Councillor and Cheshire East councillor for Elworth, has been Deputy Mayor for the last year.

She moved to Cheshire in the 1980s and was head of performing arts at a school in Newcastle-under-Lyme before leaving her job to pursue her political career.

Cllr Flavell was proposed at last night's meeting by Cllr Laura Crane who praised Cllr Flavell's hardworking qualities and her openness and "fair mindedness".

Cllr Flavell started the meeting, the forty-eighth annual meeting of Sandbach Town Council and Mayor Making ceremony, as Deputy Mayor, and finished it as Mayor.

Thanking councillors for electing her as the next Mayor and chair of the council she pledged to do all she can to "deserve the honour".  

"I'd like to thank the outgoing mayor, Cllr Geraint Price Jones and his consort, Christina for all their hard work and dedication to their roles as well as their amazing fund-raising efforts.

"Cllr Price Jones has had the unenviable task of serving as mayor through two years of considerable difficulty due mainly to the pandemic.

"Also the council council itself has experienced a period of flux with staff changes and by-elections."

Cllr Flavell thanked the outgoing mayor for handing over a "stable council with a strong team of dedicated staff whom I wholeheartedly thank for their hard work and resilience".   

The new mayor has chosen Sandbach Animal Rescue and Cheshire Arts for Health, specifically Sandbach Art Room as her two charities during her term of office – but also said as a musician and ex-music teacher this would also feature in her work.

She added: "I hope we can share the commitment to and the involvement in the council's future events and activities and support each other through any difficulties that may come our way.

 Cllr Richard Hovey, the new deputy mayor, is a Sandbach town councillor for the Ettiley Heath and Wheelock ward and was mayor of Sandbach in 2018.

He has served on Sandbach Town Council for a number of years and prior to that was chair of Haslington Parish Council.

Cllr Hovey said he was looking forward to the next year and working with the mayor supporting her continuing to move Sandbach forward.

Outgoing mayor, Cllr Price Jones, was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation revealing he had held a charity golf day and then several events raising money for his charity the North West Air Ambulance, raising more than £3,000.

Certificate of appreciation

Two new mayors from neighbouring towns were present at the meeting - Cllr Margaret Gartside, the new mayor of Congleton Town Council and Cllr Mike Houghton, Mayor of Knutsford Town Council.

A Town Councillor is a voluntary role. The only paid people who are involved in Sandbach Town Council are the staff.