WITH two daughters, three grandchildren and a passion for writing to pursue, Mike Parsons is relishing his ‘marvellous’ retirement.

The 71-year-old stood down from his duties on Cheshire East Council ahead of last month’s election after 16 years as a borough councillor for Middlewich.

Mike said: “There are quite a lot of things that I want to do and need to do. Sixteen years is long enough and it is time to let somebody else have a go.

“If you are doing it properly, there are no normal working hours as a councillor. You are busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“For example, if you get a call at 2am you can’t shut somebody down, because it could be someone who is vulnerable, who does not know where else to go or who to turn to.

“You are responding to those calls, checking those emails and case work is ongoing all the time – it is neverending.”

From battling to stop Middlewich losing more bus services than it has, to helping put the leisure centre on CEC’s agenda for a revamp, Mike says he has a number of highlights from the past 16 years.

But he believes the biggest highlights were getting a future train station for Middlewich on CEC’s local plan – with work now under way to convince the Government to get behind the scheme – and helping secure the council’s commitment to the Middlewich eastern bypass.

“Those were the two main issues as far as people in Middlewich were concerned,” he said.

“That is what people kept coming back to us about – but now the bypass is secured and the railway is as close to being secured as we could have taken it.

“I think we have done a lot. I don’t see how we could have achieved more than we did.”

With CEC now a hung council in Labour and independent hands, the former Middlewich First councillor is optimistic that there should be ‘more room for negotiation’ to make the council more democratic.

And as for his own future?

“I want to get on with some of my hobbies,” Mike said.

READ > Town council launches inquiry into cemetery allegations

“I have got things that I want to write. I’ve always wanted to be a writer and there are books I want to write.

“I’m in the middle of converting all my music from vinyl and tape to digital, and we want to get out more – me and my wife Lesley are hoping to travel.”