The new Cheshire West and Chester councillor for Malpas insists she will bring 'fresh eyes' to the village after she was elected on Friday.

Councillor Rachel Williams, who owns the Honeybee Florists shop in the village, was elected as the new Conservative representative for the ward, following Chris Whitehurst's decision not to re-stand.

She won the seat with 774 votes, with nearest rival independent Charles Higgie receiving 478 votes in a turnout of just 37.2 per cent, while Labour candidate Paula D’Arcy picked up just 100 votes.

Cllr Williams paid tribute to her predecessor but hopes her High Street base can act as a hub for any future conversations she can have with their new ward members.

"It's a shame for Chris that he has stood down because he did such a fantastic job, but it's very exciting for me," she said.

"I hopefully can bring a fresh pair of eyes to the role as well as a younger look at the issues around the village.

"There will be still surgeries in the Jubilee Hall in the High Street but the shop will also be a place where people can come in to talk to me face-to-face about any issues they have.

"It really helps being in the village as people will have a centre point in the community – they will see the benefit of that.

"I enjoyed celebrating around Malpas before the hard work and the commitment starts for helping the people of Malpas."

Counting in Cheshire West and Chester started at 11am on Friday morning, with the Malpas result declared shortly after 2.15pm.

Mr Higgie stood as an independent but was until last year a member of the Conservative Party, and is current serving Malpas Parish councillor.