Since the last update back in March, Willaston Matters has been busy, as we move towards the creation of a Village Council for Willaston. We have exciting news to announce, and so now seems like the ideal time to update residents on our progress.

Before a Village Council can be created, Cheshire West & Chester Council (CWAC) have to complete a detailed public consultation – to see if a Village Council is suitable for Willaston. CWAC will not start the consultation process until they have received the requisite number of signatures (in our case 250) from residents who support the idea.

As many of you know, Willaston Matters have been out and about the village, asking residents to sign our petition. After months of hard work, including our drop-in sessions at the Memorial Hall, speaking at community groups, and meeting residents at Hadlow Station and the Village Market, our efforts have paid off.

We are very pleased to announce that our petition has now exceeded the 250 signature threshold! A big thank-you to all the supportive villagers who have signed.

We have presented our petition to CWAC who are now in the process of verifying the details. After this, we will have number of meetings with CWAC, to establish the exact next steps. We do already know that CWAC will convene a Community Governance Review Meeting on the 2nd June, where we expect that the commencement of the initial public consultation – as mentioned above – will be approved.

CWAC will then take up the reigns, and move Willaston through the consultation process. During this time, Willaston Matters will continue to exist. We will support CWAC with any actions that are required. Willaston Matters will also continue to be active in the village as we work to ensure that all residents of Willaston are engaged, informed and consulted so that everyone impacted is able to make an informed judgement about whether or not they are supportive of a Village Council.

Thank-you for your support. If you would like to participate in the process, please join our group. Visit www.willastonmatters.org for further information, or look out for upcoming drop-in session at the Memorial Hall.

For the future, because Willaston matters.