An Alsager resident and deputy leader of the Animal Welfare Party has failed to get elected on to a local parish council.

Jane Smith, who was previously an Alsager town councillor, stood in the recent local elections for Smallwood Parish Council.

She was the first ever candidate to stand for the Animal Welfare Party in a rural constituency. 

But Jane, who co-ordinates the local toad patrol project and has acclaimed international fame for her writing on environmental matters, failed to achieve enough votes. Sadly Jane only polled 69 votes - nearly seven per cent of the vote,

"I'm disappointed but that's the electoral system. The voters quite rightly decide who represents them," Jane told Alsager Nub News.

"It was an honour to stand as Animal Welfare Party's first ever candidate in a rural constituency, and I feel confident we got our message out widely to voters so I have to assume that the progressive policies I was championing – from enhancing biodiversity through protecting water courses to opposing inappropriate housing development – just didn't chime with most people.

"Despite not gaining a seat in Smallwood, we polled almost seven per cent of the local vote, which is still the second highest vote ever in the UK for an animal politics candidate, so we're encouraged by that and it's certainly something we can build on in the future."

Every year, Jane co-ordinates Smallwood Toad patrols as told here , a group set up to help toads safely cross roads near Sandbach and Alsager during the mating season has had a successful season.

We also told here how Jane took part in Chris Packham's 'People's Walk for Wildlife' in London last November along with members of Smallwood Toad Patrols near Sandbach.

But it's not just wildlife which Jane is a big hit with – she's also an acclaimed writer.

She won the Feminist Futures award in the United States - given to the author of "an outstanding work of feminist science fiction" and part of the prestigious Omega Sci-Fi awards as told here . 

She won the award for "Salt Water" which imagines a female survivor navigating a world of rising sea levels as a consequence of climate breakdown.