Cheshire West and Chester Council

Last updated

Cheshire West and Chester Council
Cheshire West and Chester Council.svg
Type
Type
History
Founded 1 April 2009
Leadership
Rob Bisset,
Labour
since 18 May 2023 [1]
Louise Gittins,
Labour
since 21 May 2019
Del Curtis
since 2023 [2]
Structure
Seats70 councillors
Political groups
Administration (37)
  Labour (37)
Other parties (33)
  Conservative (23)
  Independent (6)
  Green (2)
  Liberal Democrats (1)
  Party of Women (1)
Elections
First past the post (single-member wards)
Plurality-at-large (multi-member wards)
Last election
 4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Wyvern House, Winsford.jpg
Wyvern House, The Drumber, Winsford, CW7 1AH
Website
www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Cheshire West and Chester Council is the local authority for Cheshire West and Chester, a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. It has been under Labour majority control since 2023. Full council meetings are held at Wyvern House in Winsford, and the council's main offices are at The Portal in Ellesmere Port.

Contents

History

The council and district were created in 2009, covering the combined area of the former districts of Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal. The new council also took on the functions of the abolished Cheshire County Council in the area. Cheshire West and Chester is both a non-metropolitan district and a non-metropolitan county, but there is no separate county council; instead the district council performs both district and county functions, making it a unitary authority. [3] For the purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty, Cheshire West and Chester remains part of the ceremonial county of Cheshire. [4]

The new district was awarded borough status from its creation on 1 April 2009. The council's full legal name is therefore Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council, although it styles itself Cheshire West and Chester Council. [5] As a borough, the chair of the council is allowed to take the title of mayor. Until 2015 the role of chair of the council was combined with the ceremonial position of Lord Mayor of Chester. The roles were then separated, with the chair of the council becoming a separate position but not taking the title of mayor. [6]

Governance

The council provides both district-level and county-level functions. [7] Most of the borough is covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government for their areas. [8] The exceptions are Chester and Ellesmere Port which are unparished, with the Cheshire West and Chester councillors for those areas instead serving as charter trustees. [9] [10]

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election. [11]

The first election to the council was held in 2008, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 2009. [3] Political control of the council since 2009 has been as follows: [12] [13] [14] [15]

Party in controlYears
Conservative 2009–2015
Labour 2015–2019
No overall control 2019–2023
Labour 2023–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since its creation in 2009 have been: [16]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Mike Jones Conservative 1 Apr 200921 May 2015
Samantha Dixon Labour 21 May 201521 May 2019
Louise Gittins Labour 21 May 2019

Composition

Following the 2023 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2024, the composition of the council was as follows: [17]

PartyCouncillors
Labour 37
Conservative 23
Independent 6
Green 2
Liberal Democrats 2
Party of Women1
Total70

Two of the independent councillors sit together as the "Independent Group"; the other four independents do not form part of a group. [18] The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

Full council meetings are held at Wyvern House on The Drumber in Winsford. [19] The council's administrative offices and other committee meetings are spread across several buildings. The official registered headquarters office is at The Portal on Wellington Road in Ellesmere Port. [20]

When created in 2009, the council inherited several administrative buildings from its predecessors, notably including Chester Town Hall and the adjoining offices at The Forum from Chester City Council, the Ellesmere Port Council Offices at 4 Civic Way in Ellesmere Port from Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council, and Wyvern House on The Drumber in Winsford from Vale Royal Borough Council. The abolished Cheshire County Council's former headquarters at County Hall passed jointly to both Cheshire West and Chester Council and its neighbour Cheshire East Council. County Hall was sold to the University of Chester in 2010, and Cheshire West and Chester Council moved its main offices to a new building called HQ Chester at 58 Nicholas Street in Chester, whilst retaining the other buildings as local offices and additional accommodation. [21] [22] [23] [24]

HQ Chester: Council's main offices 2010-2022 HQ - geograph.org.uk - 3642113.jpg
HQ Chester: Council's main offices 2010–2022

The HQ Chester building did not contain a council chamber, and most full council meetings were held at Wyvern House in Winsford, except the annual council meeting which was usually held at Chester Town Hall. Committee meetings were held at various venues. This pattern continued until March 2020 when in-person meetings were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [25]

In 2022, the council moved its main offices to a new building called The Portal on Wellington Road in Ellesmere Port, and vacated most of the space it had formerly occupied at HQ Chester. Since 2022 full council meetings have been held at Wyvern House. [26]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 70 councillors representing 45 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheshire</span> County of England

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shropshire to the south; to the west it is bordered by the Welsh counties of Flintshire and Wrexham, and has a short coastline on the Dee Estuary. Warrington is the largest settlement, and the city of Chester is the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frodsham</span> Town and civil parish in England

Frodsham is a market town, civil parish, and electoral ward in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Its population in 2021 was 9,300. It is 16 miles (26 km) south of Liverpool and 28 miles (45 km) southwest of Manchester. The River Weaver runs to its northeast and on the west it overlooks the estuary of the River Mersey. The A56 road and the Chester–Manchester railway line pass through the town, and the M56 motorway passes to the northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellesmere Port</span> Town in Cheshire, England

Ellesmere Port is a port town in the Cheshire West and Chester borough in Cheshire, England. Ellesmere Port is on the south eastern edge of the Wirral Peninsula, six miles north of Chester, on the bank of the Manchester Ship Canal. The town had a population of 61,090 in the 2011 census. Ellesmere Port also forms part of the wider Birkenhead urban area, which had a population of 325,264 in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellesmere Port and Neston</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale Royal</span> Former borough in Cheshire, England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester (district)</span>

Chester was a non-metropolitan local government district of Cheshire, England from 1974 to 2009. It had the status of a city and a borough, and the local authority was called Chester City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddisbury (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 to 1950 and 1983 onwards

Eddisbury was a constituency in Cheshire last represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Edward Timpson, a Conservative who left office at the dissolution of parliament in advance of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, at which this former constituency was replaced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellesmere Port and Neston (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983-2024

Ellesmere Port and Neston was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Justin Madders of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weaver Vale (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997-2024

Weaver Vale was a constituency in Cheshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheshire County Council</span> Former local authority in England

Cheshire County Council was the county council of Cheshire. Founded on 1 April 1889, it was officially dissolved on 31 March 2009, when it and its districts were superseded by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheshire West and Chester</span> Borough in England

Cheshire West and Chester is a local government district 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. It superseded the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Vale Royal and the City of Chester; its council is a unitary authority, having also 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halton Borough Council</span>

Halton Borough Council is the local authority for Halton, a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. Since 2014 the council has been a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheshire East Council</span> Local authority in Cheshire, England

Cheshire East Council is the local authority for Cheshire East, a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. It has been under no overall control since 2019, being run by a coalition of Labour, local parties and independent councillors, led by Labour councillor Sam Corcoran. The council's main offices are in Sandbach, but there are plans to move them to Crewe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Cheshire West and Chester Council election</span> 2011 UK local government election

The 2011 elections to Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council were the first elections to this Council after it had been re-warded into a mixture of single-, two- and three-member wards. They took place on 5 May alongside the 2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum. The previous election held for 2008 were based on the old Cheshire County Council electoral divisions each of which returned 3 members. The 2008 elections elected 72 members to serve first on the shadow authority and then, with effect from 1 April 2009, the new Council when it took over responsibility for the delivery of local government services.

Cheshire West and Chester Council elections are held every four years. Cheshire West and Chester Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester in Cheshire, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2019, 70 councillors have been elected from 45 wards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wokingham Borough Council</span> Local authority of the Borough of Wokingham

Wokingham Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wirral Council</span> Local authority in England

Wirral Council, or Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority since 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Cheshire West and Chester Council election</span> 2015 UK local government election

The 2015 Cheshire West and Chester Council election took place on 7 May 2015, electing members of Cheshire West and Chester Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections across the country as well as the general election.

The ceremonial county of Cheshire, which comprises the unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington, has returned 11 MPs to the UK Parliament since 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellesmere Port Council Offices</span> Municipal building in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England

Ellesmere Port Council Offices is a municipal building in Civic Way in Ellesmere Port, a town in Cheshire, in England. The building served as the headquarters of Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council but is now disused.

References

  1. ↑ "Council minutes, 18 May 2023". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "Council to consider new Chief Executive appointment". Cheshire West and Chester Council. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 "The Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2008/634, retrieved 8 May 2024
  4. ↑ "Lieutenancies Act 1997: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1997 c. 23 (sch.1), retrieved 7 May 2024
  5. ↑ Bulletin of changes to local authority arrangements, areas and names in England (PDF). London: Department for Communities and Local Government. 2009. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Holmes, David (26 May 2015). "Cheshire West and Chester Council have bad-tempered first meeting under Labour control". Chester Chronicle . Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on 31 July 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70
  8. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  9. ↑ "City of Chester Charter Trustees". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Ellesmere Port Charter Trustees". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  11. ↑ "Labour celebrate council victories and seat gains across Cheshire". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  13. ↑ "Cheshire West & Chester Council Elections 2019". The Standard. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  14. ↑ "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "Cheshire West and Chester". BBC News Online . 10 May 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  16. ↑ "Council minutes". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  17. ↑ "Local elections 2023: full council results for England". The Guardian. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Your councillors by party". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "Caldendar". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "Registered office address". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  21. ↑ Holmes, David (23 September 2010). "Cheshire West and Chester Council HQ is 21st century workplace". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  22. ↑ "Chester West & Chester Council to sell County Hall to University of Chester and move into HQ building". Cheshire Live. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  23. ↑ Holmes, David (3 March 2011). "Cheshire's County Hall sale 'rushed', says auditor, but was still value for money". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  24. ↑ "Customer service centres". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  25. ↑ "Council minutes". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  26. ↑ Porter, Gary (5 April 2022). "New Cheshire West and Chester Council HQ in Ellesmere Port to open in May". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  27. ↑ "The Cheshire West and Chester (Electoral Changes) Order 2018", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2018/741, retrieved 9 May 2024
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