A CONSERVATIVE councillor has announced that she will not be seeking re-election in the upcoming all-out Warrington Borough Council election.

Cllr Wendy Maisey OBE – who represents the ward of Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft on the borough council – has described her reasons as ‘multi-faceted’.

She said: “After a couple of weeks of deliberation I have made the difficult decision not to stand again.

“I’m proud to have been part of the team comprising of three Conservative councillors who represent the beautiful villages in our ward.

“It’s my home, my community and it gives me pride to know I’ll be leaving the villages better places to live, work and raise a family. Putting the community first has been at the heart of everything I have tried to do since being elected.

“The casework has been so varied, whether it be helping residents with housing, flooding, school places or organising a petition to save our green belt from Labour’s disastrous Local Plan, I’ve always been in the thick of it, always visible and accessible to all.”

Cllr Maisey was the party’s Warrington North parliamentary candidate in the 2019 General Election.

She added: “2023 proved to be a year where I had many changes as well as challenges in my personal circumstances, however, some of which have left me with more flexible options to move forward on to new horizons.

“It’s safe to say I’m really looking forward to some new ventures, and with the extra time and space I’ll gain from standing down as a councillor, I intend to become even more involved with the national charities I support.

“The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme has been close to my heart for almost a decade, and I will continue to work with them to change young lives for the better. Alongside this, I’ll support my friends and colleagues nationally who are standing for office again including MPs who are campaigning for this year’s General Election.

“Some friends and colleagues have asked if the Crown Court stalking case that I recently went through has had anything to do with my decision.”

Cllr Maisey says ‘I can categorically say it played no part’, adding that the perpetrator received a sentence ‘for harassing me and my family’, which Cllr Maisey thinks ‘sends a strong message to others who think ‘it’s game’ to behave like this towards elected representatives’.

“Yes, you need a thick skin in public office, however the positives far outweigh the negatives,” added Cllr Maisey.

“My stalker was triggered by an article instigated by Labour that was published in 2021 which was eventually proven to be factually incorrect. I really hope that all parties run a clean campaign in Warrington and that those seeking office and re-election think twice before publishing derogatory comments or articles about their opponents especially if unvalidated.

“Finally, I’d like to thank all of the residents for their support, it’s been a privilege to serve every one of them.”