James Pratt is a councillor who leads by example, and who does so from his own doorstep. He lives in Crewe St Barnabas, uses the same streets as his residents, and has made it his mission since being elected in May 2023 to make every one of those streets safer, cleaner and better maintained.
Since taking the seat, a result that shocked Labour and was one of the standout Conservative gains of the 2023 local elections, James has thrown himself into the work with an energy that is hard to miss. He runs regular "Pothole Patrols" along West Street and beyond, personally walking the ward to identify and report problems. He organised the Leighton Brook Park Family Fun Day, bringing the community together for a free day of activities. He runs a ward email newsletter, holds ward walks and litter picks, and has built one of the most active local councillor websites in the area.
As a school governor at Underwood West Academy Primary School, James has a direct stake in the futures of the youngest residents in his ward, bringing the same hands-on commitment to education that he applies to everything else he does in St Barnabas.
When it matters most, James doesn't hesitate to escalate. After seven crashes in six years on Minshull New Road, a route used daily by pupils at Leighton Academy, he exhausted every available channel before writing directly to Cheshire East Council's acting Chief Executive, demanding action and making clear that it was only luck, not safety measures, that had prevented serious injury. He has also fought repeated battles against poorly conceived HMO conversions that would have cramped unsuitable numbers of residents into inadequate properties, challenging developers on planning policy grounds and winning.
He sits on Cheshire East Council's full Council, the Licensing Committee, the General Appeals Sub-Committee and the Staffing Appeals Sub-Committee, a committee load that reflects both his commitment and the trust placed in him by colleagues.
James represents the best of what a local councillor should be: visible every week, not just at election time; willing to escalate when residents' concerns are ignored; and always focused on the practical improvements that make everyday life better. He is proof that one determined councillor, rooted in their community, can make a genuine difference.
Cllr James Pratt serves residents of the Crewe St Barnabas Ward. (Elected May 2023)
Correspondence address:
c/o Westfields
Middlewich Road
Sandbach
Cheshire
CW11 1HZ
Email: [email protected]
Committee Appointments
To find out what James is working on in Crewe St Barnabas, please takes a look at his facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/CreweStBarnabas
