Cheshire West and Chester
Encyclopedia
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area
with borough
status, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire
. It was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007
. It replaced the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston
, Vale Royal
and Chester District
and part of the former Cheshire County Council
, which was disaggregated between the two new unitary Authorities of Cheshire East and Cheshire West & Chester. The rest of ceremonial Cheshire is composed of Cheshire East
, Warrington
and Halton. The decision to create the Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority was announced on 25 July 2007 following a consultation period, in which a proposal to create a single Cheshire unitary authority was rejected. Chester City Council had proposed the new authority be called "The City of Chester and West Cheshire" but this was also rejected.
s. The first elections to the authority
took place on 1 May 2008, with the Conservatives
gaining control with a majority of 38 councillors.
When first contested there were 72 elected councillors in the authority led by Councillor Mike Jones.
Due to boundary changes put into effect prior to 2011 elections, 3 additional councillor seats were created, making a total of 75 councillors in the authority. The new wards are a mixture of single member wards, two member wards and three member wards. The Conservative Party retained control with a diminished majority having won 42 seats whilst Labour won 32 seats and the Liberal Democrats won 1. It is likely that the changes in the ward boundaries favoured the opposition parties when compared with the ward boundaries used for the 2008 which were seen as favouring the Conservative party. The 2008 elections took place when the Labour party nationally was performing particularly badly.
Details of the current councillors can be found using this link. http://cmttpublic.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.asp?FN=PARTY&VW=LIST&PIC=0&J=1 Members of Cheshire West and Chester District Council Councillors by Party Affiliation] Cheshire West and Chester District Council, Accessed April 4, 2009
. There will be a by-election in October 2011 following the death of Labour Party Leader Derek Bateman in July 2011.
The District is divided into 30 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
s: Burton Mill Wood (Ellesmere Port), Helsby Quarry (Vale Royal), Marshall's Arm (Vale Royal), Rivacre Valley (Ellesmere Port), Stanney Wood (Ellesmere Port) and Whitby Park (Ellesmere Port).
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
with borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
status, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. It was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
2009 structural changes to local government in England
Structural changes to local government in England were effected on 1 April 2009, whereby a number of new unitary authorities were created in parts of the country which previously operated a 'two-tier' system of counties and districts...
, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007
Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007
The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The Act allows for the implementation of many provisions outlined in the Government white paper Strong and Prosperous Communities including changes to local government in England...
. It replaced the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston
Ellesmere Port and Neston
Ellesmere Port and Neston was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It covered the southern part of the Wirral Peninsula, namely that part which is not included in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral....
, Vale Royal
Vale Royal
Vale Royal was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It contained the towns of Northwich, Winsford and Frodsham.-Creation:...
and Chester District
Chester (district)
Chester was a non-metropolitan local government district of Cheshire, England, with the status of a city and a borough.Apart from Chester itself, which was the principal settlement, the district covered a large rural area...
and part of the former Cheshire County Council
Cheshire County Council
Cheshire County Council was a County Council, of the second highest level of United Kingdom Government for the residents of Cheshire. Founded in 1889, it ceased to exist on 1 April 2009, when it and the district councils in Cheshire were replaced by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and...
, which was disaggregated between the two new unitary Authorities of Cheshire East and Cheshire West & Chester. The rest of ceremonial Cheshire is composed of Cheshire East
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in...
, Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
and Halton. The decision to create the Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority was announced on 25 July 2007 following a consultation period, in which a proposal to create a single Cheshire unitary authority was rejected. Chester City Council had proposed the new authority be called "The City of Chester and West Cheshire" but this was also rejected.
Politics and administration
The electoral wards for the new unitary authority were the same as those used in the former Cheshire County Council elections, with each ward electing 3 councillorCouncillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s. The first elections to the authority
Cheshire West and Chester Council election, 2008
Elections to the newly created Cheshire West and Chester Council took place on 1 May 2008. Elections occurred in all 24 wards, with each ward returning 3 councillors to the council...
took place on 1 May 2008, with the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
gaining control with a majority of 38 councillors.
When first contested there were 72 elected councillors in the authority led by Councillor Mike Jones.
Due to boundary changes put into effect prior to 2011 elections, 3 additional councillor seats were created, making a total of 75 councillors in the authority. The new wards are a mixture of single member wards, two member wards and three member wards. The Conservative Party retained control with a diminished majority having won 42 seats whilst Labour won 32 seats and the Liberal Democrats won 1. It is likely that the changes in the ward boundaries favoured the opposition parties when compared with the ward boundaries used for the 2008 which were seen as favouring the Conservative party. The 2008 elections took place when the Labour party nationally was performing particularly badly.
Details of the current councillors can be found using this link. http://cmttpublic.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.asp?FN=PARTY&VW=LIST&PIC=0&J=1 Members of Cheshire West and Chester District Council Councillors by Party Affiliation] Cheshire West and Chester District Council, Accessed April 4, 2009
. There will be a by-election in October 2011 following the death of Labour Party Leader Derek Bateman in July 2011.
Council wards
| No Picture Available | |
| Administration | Conservative |
| Leader | Cllr Mike Jones |
| Political Party | Conservative |
| Deputy | Cllr Les Ford |
| Predecessor | None |
| Leader of Opposition | Cllr. Pat Merrick (acting) |
| Father of the House | Cllr. Brian Crowe (includes service on Chester City Council) |
| Chairman | Lord Mayor Eleanor Johnson |
| Chief Executive | Steve Robinson |
The District is divided into 30 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
Local nature reserves
Cheshire West council maintains six Local Nature ReserveLocal Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
s: Burton Mill Wood (Ellesmere Port), Helsby Quarry (Vale Royal), Marshall's Arm (Vale Royal), Rivacre Valley (Ellesmere Port), Stanney Wood (Ellesmere Port) and Whitby Park (Ellesmere Port).