Warwick District

Last updated
Warwick District
Non-metropolitan district
Upper Parade, Leamington 5.23.jpg
Leamington Spa, the largest settlement in the district.
Warwick UK locator map.svg
Shown within Warwickshire
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region West Midlands
Administrative county Warwickshire
Admin. HQLeamington Spa
Government
 •  MPs: Matt Western (L)
Jeremy Wright (C)
Area
 • Total109.2 sq mi (282.9 km2)
 • Rank 124th
Population
 (2021 census)
 • Total148,500
 • Rank 143rd
 • Density1,360/sq mi (524/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 •  Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 •  Religion
List
Time zone UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
ONS code 44UF (ONS)
E07000222 (GSS)

Warwick is a local government district in Warwickshire, England. It is named after the historic county town of Warwick, which is the district's second largest town; the largest town is Royal Leamington Spa, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Kenilworth and Whitnash and surrounding villages and rural areas. Leamington Spa, Warwick and Whitnash form a conurbation which has about two thirds of the district's population. [2]

Contents

The neighbouring districts are Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon, Solihull and Coventry.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district was formed through the merger of four former districts, which were all abolished at the same time: [3]

The new district was named Warwick after the county town. [4]

Proposals to merge the district with neighbouring Stratford-on-Avon District were put forward in 2021 and provisionally agreed, before eventually being abandoned in April 2022. [5] [6]

Governance

Warwick Avon District Council
Warwick District Council logo.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Sidney Syson,
Liberal Democrat
since 17 May 2023 [7]
Ian Davison,
Green
since 17 May 2023
Chris Elliott
Structure
Seats44 councillors
UK Warwick District Council 2023.svg
Political groups
Administration (25)
  Green (14)
  Labour (11)
Other parties (19)
  Liberal Democrats (10)
  Conservative (6)
  Whitnash RA (3)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First past the post
Last election
 4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Leamington Spa Town Hall (1) 5.23.jpg
Town Hall, The Parade, Leamington Spa, CV32 4AT
Website
www.warwickdc.gov.uk

Warwick District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Warwickshire County Council. [8] The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [9]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Following the 2023 election a coalition of the Greens and Labour formed to run the council, led by Green councillor Ian Davison. [10]

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing councils before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows: [11] [12]

Party in controlYears
No overall control 1974–1976
Conservative 1976–1995
No overall control 1995–2007
Conservative 2007–2019
No overall control 2019–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1995 have been: [13]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Ian Dove Labour 199519 Apr 2000
Margaret Begg Liberal Democrats 19 Apr 200013 Jun 2001
Ian Dove Labour 13 Jun 200124 Apr 2002
Bob Crowther Labour 24 Apr 2002May 2007
Michael Coker Conservative May 20072008
Michael Doody Conservative 20084 Dec 2013
Andrew Mobbs Conservative 4 Dec 20135 May 2019
Andrew Day Conservative 15 May 201917 May 2023
Ian Davison Green 17 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was: [14]

PartyCouncillors
Green 14
Labour 11
Liberal Democrats 10
Conservative 6
Whitnash Residents 3
Total44

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 44 councillors representing 17 wards with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [15]

Premises

Council's main offices: Riverside House, Milverton Hill, Leamington Spa, CV32 5HZ Riverside House, Leamington Spa.jpg
Council's main offices: Riverside House, Milverton Hill, Leamington Spa, CV32 5HZ

Council meetings are usually held at Leamington Spa Town Hall on The Parade, which had been built in 1884 for the old Leamington Borough Council. [16] The council has its main offices at Riverside House on Milverton Hill in Leamington, close to the River Leam. That building was completed in 1984 as the headquarters of the Leamington Spa Building Society, and was subsequently bought by the council in the late 1990s. [17] Plans are being considered to move the council's main offices nearer to the town centre of Leamington Spa; various schemes have been proposed since 2016, but none has yet to come to fruition. [18] [19]

The environment

On 27 June 2019 the elected members at the Full Council meeting declared a "climate emergency" in response to ongoing global climate change. The council aims to become carbon neutral by 2025, whilst trying to make the whole district carbon neutral by 2030. [20] On 20 January 2020 it was announced that electric cars would be given free parking in council car parks. [21] On 4 February of that year it was proposed by the council group leaders to increase council tax by around £1 a week on Band D properties to create £3 million per year. This would be ring-fenced for environmental purposes. If this proposal was accepted by the other councillors then a district wide referendum would have been held on 7 May to decide if the public accept it. [22] On 26 February the full council unanimously agreed the proposal, triggering the 7 May referendum, [23] – which was put back to 6 May 2021, due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. As of April 2022 the referendum has not yet occurred and no date has been set.

Demography

Ethnic Group2001 [24] 2011 [25]
Number%Number%
White: British111,04388.19%114,73983.36%
White: Irish2,5252.01%2,1461.56%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller410.03%
White: Other3,4482.74%5,7894.21%
White: Total117,01692.94%122,71589.15%
Asian or Asian British: Indian5,2184.14%6,7454.90%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani2220.18%4800.35%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi220.02%690.05%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese5210.41%1,1550.84%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian4350.35%1,4961.09%
Asian or Asian British: Total6,4185.10%9,9457.22%
Black or Black British: Caribbean3600.29%3890.28%
Black or Black British: African1680.13%4740.34%
Black or Black British: Other Black590.05%1100.08%
Black or Black British: Total5870.47%9730.71%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean5060.40%8610.63%
Mixed: White and Black African930.07%2330.17%
Mixed: White and Asian5030.40%1,0700.78%
Mixed: Other Mixed2810.22%6390.46%
Mixed: Total1,3831.10%2,8032.04%
Other: Arab2310.17%
Other: Any other ethnic group9810.71%
Other: Total5040.40%1,2120.88%
BAME: Total8,8927.06%14,93310.85%
Total125,908100.00%137,648100.00%
Religion2001 [26] 2011 [27]
Number%Number%
Christian89,76371.28%80,18558.25%
Buddhist3470.28%5210.38%
Hindu8480.67%1,6331.19%
Jewish2070.16%2680.19%
Muslim6300.50%1,2990.94%
Sikh4,2393.37%5,3733.90%
Other religion3550.28%5310.39%
No religion20,49416.27%37,85927.50%
Religion not stated9,0517.19%9,9797.25%
Total125,934100.00%137,648100.00%

Travel, education and healthcare

The district has six railway stations – Warwick, Warwick Parkway, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth, Hatton and Lapworth. Regular bus services run between Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth and onwards to Coventry, Stratford upon Avon and the University of Warwick. The Grand Union Canal flows through the district and the M40 motorway also passes through. Right on the edge of the district is Coventry Airport.

National Health Service general healthcare is provided by South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and mental health care by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust. Local hospitals include Warwick Hospital, the Leamington Spa Hospital, [28] St Michael's Hospital and the Warwickshire Nuffield Hospital (non-NHS, part of the Nuffield Health group) [29] Social services is pro On 13 July 2021 a coronavirus "mega lab" was opened in the town. Named after English chemist Rosalind Franklin. The site is expected to be capable of processing "hundreds of thousands of samples a day". The largest laboratory of its kind in the UK, and it is hoped it will create up to 1,500 jobs. It will also play a "key role in responding to new variants of the virus". [30] Historic hospitals included St Michael's Leper Hospital, Warneford Hospital and Central Hospital. Social services and fostering are dealt with on a countywide basis by Warwickshire County Council.

Freedom of district

Towns and parishes

The district is divided into 32 civil parishes, which cover the whole area. The parish councils for Kenilworth, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwick and Whitnash have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". The small parish of Bushwood has a parish meeting rather than a parish council. The parishes are: [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenilworth</span> Market town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England

Kenilworth is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Coventry, 5 miles (8 km) north of Warwick and 90 miles (140 km) north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the River Avon 2 miles (3 km) north-east of the town. At the 2021 Census, the population was 22,538. The town is home to the ruins of Kenilworth Castle and Kenilworth Abbey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leamington Spa</span> Spa town in Warwickshire, England

Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington, is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities. In the 19th century, the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England. It is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southam</span> Human settlement in England

Southam is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Southam is situated on the River Stowe, which flows from Napton-on-the-Hill and joins Warwickshire's River Itchen at Stoneythorpe, just outside the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick</span> Town and the county town of Warwickshire, England

Warwick is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is 9 miles (14 km) south of Coventry, and 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whitnash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Rugby</span> Borough and non-metropolitan district in England

The Borough of Rugby is a local government district with borough status in Warwickshire, England. The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town. At the 2021 census the borough had a population of 114,400, of which 78,125 lived in the built-up area of Rugby itself and the remainder were in the surrounding areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shipston-on-Stour</span> Human settlement in England

Shipston-on-Stour is a town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in southern Warwickshire, England. It is located on the banks of the River Stour, 9 miles (15 km) south-southeast of Stratford-upon-Avon, 10 miles north-northwest of Chipping Norton, 14 miles (22 km) south of Warwick and 14.5 miles west of Banbury. In the 2021 census, Shipston-on-Stour had a population of 5,849.

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

Warwickshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcestershire and the West Midlands county to the west. The largest settlement is Nuneaton and the county town is Warwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stratford-on-Avon District</span> Non-metropolitan district in Warwickshire, England

Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district in Warwickshire, England. The district is named after its largest town of Stratford-upon-Avon, but with a change of preposition; the town uses "upon" and the district uses "on". The council is based in Stratford-upon-Avon and the district, which is predominantly rural, also includes the towns of Alcester, Shipston-on-Stour and Southam, and the large villages of Bidford-on-Avon, Studley and Wellesbourne, plus numerous other smaller villages and hamlets and surrounding rural areas. The district covers the more sparsely populated southern part of Warwickshire, and contains nearly half the county's area. The district includes part of the Cotswolds, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitnash</span> Human settlement in England

Whitnash is a town and civil parish located southeast of, and contiguous with Leamington Spa and Warwick in Warwickshire, England. In 2001, it had a population of 7,760 which increased to 9,129 in the 2011 census, increasing again to 10,489 in the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick and Leamington (UK Parliament constituency)</span> British parliamentary constituency

Warwick and Leamington is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the 2017 general election by Matt Western, of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leamington Spa railway station</span> Railway station in Warwickshire, England

Leamington Spa railway station serves the town of Leamington Spa, in Warwickshire, England. It is situated on Old Warwick Road towards the southern edge of the town centre. It is a major stop on the Chiltern Main Line between London and Birmingham, and is the southern terminus of a branch line to Coventry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stratford-on-Avon (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950 onwards

Stratford-on-Avon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Nadhim Zahawi, a member of the Conservative Party, who briefly served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in mid-2022. The constituency is in Warwickshire; as its name suggests, it is centred on the town of Stratford-on-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare, but also takes in the surrounding areas around the town, including the towns of Alcester and Henley-in-Arden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenilworth and Southam (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2010 onwards

Kenilworth and Southam is a constituency in Warwickshire, England represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Jeremy Wright, a Conservative who served as Culture Secretary until 24 July 2019, having previously served as Attorney General for England and Wales from 2014 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cubbington</span> Human settlement in England

Cubbington is a village and civil parish with a population of 3,929, adjoining the north-eastern outskirts of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England, approximately 3 miles from the town centre. Welsh Road, running through the village crossroads, was an old sheep drovers' route connecting London and Wales. Since the 1950s when the village expanded there have been two parts to the village: Cubbington proper which was the old village core, and New Cubbington which is to the west, although both are referred to as Cubbington. Topographically the highest point of the village sits about 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level while its lowest is about 60 metres (200 ft). For many years the electorate for Cubbington was represented in government by the MP for Warwick and Leamington but for the 2010 UK Elections it moved to the new Kenilworth & Southam constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwickshire County Council</span>

Warwickshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Warwickshire in England. Its headquarters are at Shire Hall in the centre of Warwick, the county town. The council's principal functions are county roads and rights of way, social services, education and libraries, but it also provides numerous other local government services in its area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Warwickshire County Council election</span>

An election to Warwickshire County Council took place on 2 May 2013 as part of the 2013 United Kingdom local elections. 62 councillors were elected from 56 electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office. The electoral divisions were the same as those used at the previous election in 2009. The election saw the Conservative Party lose overall control of the council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Warwick District Council election</span> Local election in Warwickshire, England

The 2023 Warwick District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Warwick District Council in Warwickshire, England. This took place on the same day as other local elections in England. The council remained without control of any party.

References

  1. 1 2 UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Warwick Local Authority (E07000222)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ↑ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Royal Leamington Spa Built-up area (E34004841)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  3. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  4. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  5. ↑ "Plans to merge Warwick and Stratford District Councils into single 'mega authority' have been scrapped". Warwickshireworld. Leamington Courier. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  6. ↑ "Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon councils merger plans scrapped". BBC News. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  7. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 May 2023". Stratford-on-Avon District Council. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  9. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Greens and Labour form a coalition on Warwick District Council". Leamington Observer. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  12. ↑ "Warwick". BBC News Online . Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  13. ↑ "Council minutes". Warwick District Council. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  15. ↑ "The Warwick (Electoral Changes) Order 2018", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2018/1313, retrieved 24 January 2024
  16. ↑ "Councillors move out as renovation begins on Leamington Town Hall". Leamington Observer. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "On the move". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 15 November 1984. p. 5. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Warwick District Council set to agree HQ move". leamingtonobserver.co.uk. Leamington Observer. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  19. ↑ "Latest on plans to relocate council to Leamington town centre - and what could happen next". www.coventrytelegraph.net. Coventry Telegraph. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  20. ↑ "Warwick District Council declares a climate emergency" . Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  21. ↑ "Council to offer free parking for electric vehicles" . Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  22. ↑ "Warwick District's Climate Emergency Action Programme" . Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  23. ↑ "Residents in Warwickshire to vote on council tax rise for climate change fund". 26 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  24. ↑ "Ethnic Group by measures". NOMIS. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  25. ↑ "Ethnic Group by measures". NOMIS. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  26. ↑ "Religion" . Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  27. ↑ "QS208EW - Religion" . Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  28. ↑ "How Leamington Rehab Hospital's friends make the road to recovery smoother for patients". Leamington Courier. 15 August 2012. Archived from the original on 13 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  29. ↑ "Nuffield Hospital Warwick". NHS Choices. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  30. ↑ "Covid-19: Leamington Spa 'mega lab' opens to speed up testing". BBC News. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  31. ↑ "Warwick Freedom Scroll" (JPG). www.calligraphyanddesign.com. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  32. ↑ "Fusiliers granted freedom of Warwick District". BBC News. BBC. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  33. ↑ "Warwick District - parishes". City Population. Retrieved 22 January 2024.

52°17′22″N1°32′37″W / 52.2894°N 1.5435°W / 52.2894; -1.5435

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