Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 53°12′47″N 2°54′07″W / 53.213°N 2.902°W | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | England |
Region | North West |
Ceremonial county | Cheshire |
Incorporated | 1 April 2009 |
Government | |
• Type | Unitary authority with leader and cabinet |
• Body | Cheshire West and Chester Council |
• Control | Labour |
• Leader | Louise Gittins (L) |
• Chairman | Robert Bisset |
• Chief Executive | Delyth Curtis |
• House of Commons | 5 MPs
|
Area | |
• Total | 363.4 sq mi (941.2 km2) |
• Land | 360 sq mi (920 km2) |
• Rank | 31st |
Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 357,699 |
• Rank | 24th |
• Density | 1,010/sq mi (389/km2) |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
UTC+1 (BST) | |
Postcode areas | |
Dialling codes |
|
ISO 3166 code | GB-CHW |
GSS code | E06000050 |
ITL code | TLD63 |
GVA | 2021 estimate[5] |
• Total | £11.7 billion |
• Per capita | £32,846 |
GDP (nominal) | 2021 estimate[5] |
• Total | £13.1 billion |
• Per capita | £36,518 |
Website | cheshirewestandchester |
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status in Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 local government changes, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.[6] It superseded the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Vale Royal and the City of Chester; its council assumed the functions and responsibilities of the former Cheshire County Council within its area. The remainder of ceremonial Cheshire is composed of Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington. Cheshire West and Chester has three key urban areas: Chester, Ellesmere Port and Northwich/Winsford.
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.[7]
Governance
Political party | Seats | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 23 | |
Green | 2 | |
Independent | 2 | |
Labour | 38 | |
Liberal Democrats | 1 | |
Unaffiliated
|
1 | |
Winsford Salt of the Earth | 3 | |
Total | 70 |
In line with every other district in Cheshire, the cabinet (formerly 'the executive' between 2009 and 2015)[8] is composed of elected councillors. From its establishment in 2009, Cheshire West and Chester was governed by the Conservative Party, with Mike Jones as leader. Since the 2015 elections it has been governed by the Labour Party, with Samantha Dixon becoming the first female leader of the council upon taking office.
The leader presently oversees a cabinet of eight, with each member holding a specific portfolio. Opposition parties can also elect to appoint shadow cabinet members, though they have no executive power.
All councillors vote to appoint a chairman for the following municipal year (May) at the council AGM. Traditionally, this role was combined with that of the apolitical and ceremonial
The cabinet is scrutinised by one general committee and four district committees made up of councillors, which replaced six dedicated scrutiny committees for different topics in May 2015.[9]
Elections
The first elections to the authority took place on 1 May 2008, with the electoral wards being the same as those used in the former Cheshire County Council elections, each ward electing three councillors. There were twenty-four wards in total, meaning that seventy-two councillors were elected.
An electoral review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England was put into effect prior to the 2011 elections, meaning that three additional councillors were created, making a total of seventy-five in the borough. The ward boundaries were also comprehensively re-drawn, with their number being increased by twenty-two to forty-six. The new wards were mostly single-member wards, with two and three-member wards for the more populous areas.[10][11]
The 2015 election took place on 7 May, producing the first change of executive in the council's history.[12]
Last election | By-elections | Next election |
---|---|---|
2019 (all-out) | 2023 (all-out) |
Subdivisions
The borough is divided into forty-six wards,[10][11] listed below in alphabetical order.
There are ninety-seven
- Notes
- ^ 3: Civil parishes highlighted in bold have unilaterally declared town status under section 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2018) |
-
Chester City
-
Chester Villages
-
Dodleston and Huntington
-
Willaston and Thornton
-
Winnington and Castle
-
Witton and Rudheath
Members of Parliament
Constituency
|
Member of Parliament | Political party | Year first elected | Notes | Website | Parliamentary profile | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City of Chester | Chris Matheson
|
Labour Party | 2015 | Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) | Website | Profile | ||
Eddisbury | Edward Timpson | Conservative Party | 2019 [Note 4] |
Website | Profile | |||
Ellesmere Port and Neston | Justin Madders | Labour Party | 2015 | Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care) | Website | Profile | ||
Tatton | Esther McVey | Conservative Party | 2017 [Note 5] |
Website | Profile | |||
Weaver Vale | Mike Amesbury | Labour Party | 2017 | Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government) | Website | Profile |
Election year → | 2005 | 2010[Note 7] | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City of Chester | Christine Russell | Stephen Mosley | Chris Matheson
|
||||||||
Eddisbury | Stephen O'Brien | Antoinette Sandbach | Edward Timpson | ||||||||
Ellesmere Port and Neston | Andrew Miller | Justin Madders | |||||||||
Tatton | George Osborne | Esther McVey | |||||||||
Weaver Vale | Mike Hall | Graham Evans
|
Mike Amesbury |
Current MPs are highlighted in bold.
- Notes
- ^
- ^
- ^ 6: From the last election before the borough of Cheshire West and Chester was established.
- ^ 7: From the first election following the most recent periodic review of Westminster constituencies, where boundary changes affected the constituencies.
Last election | By-elections | Next election |
---|---|---|
2019 | 2024 (or earlier) |
Demography
Ethnicity
In line with nearly every
The next largest ethnic group in the borough is Asian, who along with other ethnic minorities are supported by the Cheshire Asian & Minority Communities Council, a
Religion
The main religion in Cheshire West and Chester is
Aside from churches, there are two mosques in Cheshire West and Chester - one each in Chester and Ellesmere Port - which were subjected to property theft[20] and racially aggravated disorder[21] respectively in 2014.
Geography
Local authority | In relation to the district |
---|---|
City of Liverpool | North (over the river) |
Halton | North |
Warrington | North east |
Cheshire East | East |
Newcastle-under-Lyme | South |
Wrexham |
South west |
Flintshire | West |
Wirral | North west |
Local nature reserves
Cheshire West and Chester Council maintains six
Transport
Air
There are no passenger airports in the borough (a grass airfield exists in Little Budworth), with the nearest being Liverpool and Manchester which licensed vehicles provide transport to. Airbus' fleet of A300-600ST Beluga transporter aircraft are based at Hawarden Airport in neighbouring Flintshire, adjacent to their wing manufacturing facility.
Cycling
National routes which pass through the borough include NCR5, NCR45 (Mercian Way), NCR56, NCR562, NCR563, NCR568 and NCR573. Regional routes include 70 (Cheshire Cycleway) and 71.
Three disused railways in the borough have been converted to off-road cycleways, including:
- Wirral Way.
- Chester & Connah's Quay Railway: Contains a section of NCR5 and is now called Chester Millennium Greenway.
- Whitegate Way.
The Shropshire Union Canal towpath between Waverton and the National Waterways Museum is paved with asphalt and is a shared-use route between cyclists and pedestrians, for a distance of 12.5 miles. Between Tarvin Bridge and Blacon Avenue, it is also lit.
In 2009,
Park and Ride
Chester has four park and ride sites located adjacent to radial routes on the city's outskirts (Boughton Heath, Sealand Road, Upton and Wrexham Road) running on two lines which intersect at Chester Bus Interchange. A fifth site is proposed near Hoole Village.
Route | Terminus | Intermediate stop | Chester city centre | Intermediate stop | Terminus | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue (PR1) | Upton (Zoo) | Countess of Chester Hospital | Delamere Street | Chester Bus Interchange | Foregate Street | Pepper Street | Grosvenor Road | Wrexham Road |
Green (PR2) | Sealand Road | Sealand Road (Greyhound Park) | Canal Street | Boughton | Boughton Heath |
Rail
Chester is the hub of the railway network in the borough, with around 4.7 million passengers annually.[27] Passenger numbers doubled to this figure in the ten years to 2015, making the station the eighth-busiest in North West England.[28] Railway lines (and their associated franchise(s)) in the borough - not necessarily connecting to Chester - include:
- Borderlands Line (Wales & Borders): Connects Bidston in Wirral with Wrexham in Wales and includes a stop at Neston. Services are provided by Transport for Wales.
- and is operated by Transport for Wales.
- Northern according to a Department for Transport-set minimum service pattern.
- Halton Curve (Wales and Borders): Connects Chester - Liverpool includes stops at Chester, Helsby, Frodsham, Runcorn, Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Line Street and is operated by Transport for Wales.
- Mid-Cheshire Line (Northern): Leaves the Chester-Manchester Line near Mickle Trafford and includes stops at Mouldsworth, Delamere, Cuddington, Greenbank, Northwich and Lostock Gralam, with services provided by Northern. A single-track railway exists between Northwich and Sandbach, but it is only used for freight.
- North Wales Coast Line (InterCity West Coast and Wales & Borders): Originates at Crewe and passes through Chester, with services provided by Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast.
- Shrewsbury to Chester Line (InterCity West Coast and Wales & Borders): The section between Wrexham and Chester is currently in the process of being reinstated as a two-track railway under the direction of the Welsh Government. Services are provided by Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast.
- West Coast Main Line (InterCity West Coast): Aside from stops at Winsford, Hartford and Acton Bridge, the branch line to Liverpool Lime Street diverges at Weaver Junction - the oldest of its type in Great Britain. It is currently operated by Avanti West Coast, however High Speed 2 services to Liverpool using "classic compatible" trains are proposed to run along this section of the line.
- electrified railwaysin the borough.
Current and proposed improvements
The sections of railway between Chester - Stockport and Chester - Warrington Bank Quay are proposed for electrification during the period 2019–2024.[29]
The
Road
Motorways
|
A roads | B roads |
---|---|---|
|
Three Roman roads exist in Cheshire West and Chester, Two originating in Chester (
The section of the A51 between its western terminus and the B5132 was named as one of the most congested roads in the United Kingdom by INRIX in August 2015.[31]
Three local
Water
Navigable waterways in the borough include the
Places of interest
Tourist attractions
Key | |
Abbey/Priory/Cathedral | |
Accessible open space | |
Amusement/Theme Park | |
Castle | |
Country Park | |
English Heritage | |
Forestry Commission | |
Heritage railway | |
Historic House
| |
Places of Worship | |
Museum (free/not free) | |
National Trust
| |
Theatre | |
Zoo |
- Abbeywood estate
- Aldersey Green Golf Club
- Anderton Boat Lift
- Beeston Castle
- Blakemere Craft Centre
- Blue Planet Aquarium
- Bluebell Cottage Gardens
- Bolesworth Castle
- RSPBreserve)
- Carden Park Hotel
- Cheshire Military Museum
- Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet
- Cheshire Workshops
- Chester Castle
- Chester Cathedral
- Chester city walls
- Chester Racecourse
- Chester Roman Amphitheatre
- Chester History and Heritage
- Chester Rows
- Chester Zoo
- Craxton Wood Hotel
- The Crocky Trail
- Delamere Forest
- Deva Stadium
- Dewa Roman Experience
- Grosvenor Museum
- Grosvenor Park
- Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre
- The Groves
- Harlequin Theatre
- Hoole Hall
- Ice Cream Farm
- JF Polo Academy
- Lion Salt Works
- Little Budworth Country Park
- Manley Mere
- Marbury Country Park
- Mersey View
- National Waterways Museum
- Ness Botanic Gardens
- Northgate Arena
- Oulton Park
- Parkgate salt marsh (part of Dee Estuary RSPB reserve and SSSI)
- Parkgate sea front
- Portal Hotel, Golf and Spa
- Pryors Hayes Golf Club
- Rowton Moor battle site
- St John the Baptist's Church, Chester
- Stonyford Cottage Gardens
- Stretton Watermill
- Tirley Garth
- Vale Royal Falconry Centre
- Walk Mill
- Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse
- Willington Hall
- Wincham Park
- Wirral Country Park
Sport
Football
Below level ten of the English pyramid are county-wide amateur leagues, with two covering the geographic area of the borough - the Cheshire Association Football League and West Cheshire Association Football League. Although several clubs are members of the former, many more compete in the latter. Below that is the Chester & Wirral Football League, and also the Mid-Cheshire district leagues who cater for the areas of knutsford, Northwich, Middlewich and Winsford where teams representing neighbourhoods/villages and/or pubs/social clubs ('pub teams') compete.
The largest
Twin towns
Whilst the borough per se does not have any twinning agreements, several of its settlements have agreements predating its creation in 2009, listed below:
Settlement(s) | Twin town(s) |
---|---|
Barrow Littleton |
Aubignan |
Chester | Sens Lörrach Senigallia |
Ellesmere Port | Reutlingen |
Malpas | Questembert |
Northwich | Dole Carlow |
Tarporley | Bohars |
Upton-by-Chester | Arradon |
Winsford | Deuil-la-Barre |
See also
- Cheshire County Council
- Cheshire East Council
- Chester City Council
References
- ^ "Councillors and committees". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2021". Office for National Statistics. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2021". Office for National Statistics. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ a b Fenton, Trevor (25 April 2023). "Regional gross domestic product: local authorities". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "The Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008 - Article 4". www.legislation.gov.uk. Legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
- ^ "County split into two authorities". BBC News. 25 July 2007. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2007.
- ^ "Committee structure". www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk. Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ Trinity Mirror. Archivedfrom the original on 31 July 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ a b "Election 2011 Live Results". www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk. Cheshire West and Chester Council. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Your Councillors by Ward". www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk. Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ "Town and parish councils". www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk. Cheshire West and Chester Council. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ^ "Parish and Town Councils in Cheshire" (PDF). www.chalc.org.uk. Cheshire Association of Local Councils. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ^ "Community governance arrangements". www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk. Cheshire West and Chester Council. Archived from the original on 7 May 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ^ "Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 - Section 82". www.legislation.gov.uk. Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ^ "Register of Geographic Codes (November 2020) for the United Kingdom". www.geoportal.statistics.gov.uk. Office for National Statistics. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Cheshire West and Chester unitary district". www.citypopulation.de. City Population. 27 June 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- Trinity Mirror. Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- Trinity Mirror. Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ^ "Statutory Sites". Cheshire West and Chester council. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "Complete Library of Free Chester Cycle Route Maps". www.chestercyclecity.org. Chester Cycling Campaign. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ "Cheshire West and Chester Council Cycling Strategy" (PDF). www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk. Cheshire West and Chester Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "Ellesmere Port Greenway". www.ellesmereportdevelopment.co.uk. Invest in Ellesmere Port. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ "Hooton". www.merseyrail.org. Merseyrail. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "Estimates of station usage | Office of Rail and Road". orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "Chester Railway Station sees passenger numbers double in 10 years". www.chesterchronicle.co.uk. Chester Chronicle. 29 January 2016. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ "Electrification Task Force Final Report Revealed". www.railnorth.org. Rail North. 5 March 2015. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- High Speed Two (HS2) Limited. 17 July 2017. Archived(PDF) from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
- ^ "Chester Road one of most congested outside London". www.chesterstandard.co.uk. The Standard. 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Weaver Vale MP raises M56 issues in House of Commons". www.chesterchronicle.co.uk. Chester Chronicle. 18 November 2015. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ "M56 Smart Motorway won't happen". www.chesterchronicle.co.uk. Chester Chronicle. 21 November 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.