THE Conservatives have chosen their candidate for the reshaped Chester North and Neston constituency at the next General Election.

Boundaries have been reshaped since the last election as part of an England-wide push to ensure each constituency has roughly the same population.

That has meant Chester has been split into Chester North and Neston, which includes the majority of Chester and some of what used to form the old Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency, and Chester South and Eddisbury.

After picking Aphra Brandreth, the daughter of former City of Chester MP Gyles Brandreth, as the candidate for the Chester South and Eddisbury area, the Conservatives have now revealed that Cllr Simon Eardley is to be their pick for the Chester North and Neston seat.

Cllr Eardley is currently the opposition Cheshire West Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, as well as councillor for the Saughall and Mollington ward, retaining his seat with nearly 60 per cent of the vote share in this year's local elections.

In reaction to the news, Cllr Eardley said: "It is an honour for me to be chosen by Chester North and Neston Conservative party members as the Conservative candidate for the new Chester North and Neston constituency at the next general election.

"It is the area where I was born, raised and now live - the place I care about most of all."

The news comes on the one-year anniversary of the City of Chester by-election, in which Labour candidate and former Cheshire West and Chester Council leader Samantha Dixon became the city's new MP.

Ms Dixon, who is expected to stand for the Chester North and Neston seat in the next election – which must take place by January 2025 – said of her first year: "I can’t quite believe it has been a year already since the residents of Chester put their trust in me and gave me the honour of becoming their representative in the House of Commons. I firmly believe I represent the best constituency in the country.

“Since being elected, I have focused hard on making sure everything I do supports people living here in Chester. There are many challenges facing residents in our city, our public services are on their knees and the cost-of-living crisis hasn’t gone away. Indeed, over the past year, things feel as if they have got worse.

“Whether in Parliament or here in Chester, I work hard to represent my constituents, provide help to them while also taking every opportunity to celebrate the very best of Chester.

“It truly is a wonderful city, filled with fantastic people. Chester is my home and where my heart is, and I am extremely lucky to be able to represent this beautiful city."

The MP revealed she had dealt with 11,448 pieces of correspondence from constituents, creating 5,377 separate cases, as well as holding 41 surgery sessions.