Cheshire West and Chester
53°12′47″N 2°54′07″W / 53.213°N 2.902°W
Cheshire West and Chester | |
|---|---|
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | North West England |
| Origin | 2009 structural changes |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Area | [convert: needs a number] |
| • Rank | of 48 |
| • Rank | of 48 |
| Density | [convert: needs a number] |
| Ethnicity | 98.5% White |
Cheshire West and Chester[1][2][3] is a unitary authority area with borough status,[4] 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.[5] It replaced the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Vale Royal and Chester District and its council took over the function of the former Cheshire County Council within its area. 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.[6] Chester City Council had proposed the new authority be called "The City of Chester and West Cheshire" but this was also rejected.[7]
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 councillors.[8] The first elections to the authority took place on 1 May 2008,[9] with the Conservatives gaining control with a majority of 38 councillors.[10] When first contested there were 72 elected councillors in the authority led by Councillor Mike Jones.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
Details of the current councillors can be found using this link: http://cmttpublic.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx? [11] .[12] There was a by-election in October 2011 following the death of Labour Party Leader Derek Bateman in July 2011. Cllr Lynn Clare was duly elected to represent the Ellesmere Port Town ward.[citation needed]
Council wards
| No Picture Available | |
| Administration | Conservative |
| Leader | Cllr Mike Jones |
| Political Party | Conservative |
| Deputy | Cllr Les Ford |
| Predecessor | None |
| Leader of Opposition | Cllr Justin Madders |
| Father of the House | Cllr Brian Crowe (includes service on Chester City Council) |
| Chairman | Cllr Pamela Booher |
| chief executive | Steve Robinson |
The District is divided into 30 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
Local nature reserves
Cheshire West and Chester Council maintains six Local Nature Reserves: 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).[16]
References
- ^ Vale Royal Borough Council – Minister's announcement is welcomed
- ^ Chester City Council – Two new councils for Cheshire
- ^ Cheshire West and Chester Council Shadow Authority
- ^ http://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/your_council/press_releases/2009_press_releases/april/history_in_the_making.aspx
- ^ Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008
- ^ BBC News, 25 July 2007 – County split into two authorities. Retrieval Date: 25 July 2007.
- ^ Chester City Council proposals. Retrieval date: 3 July 2010.
- ^ "People and Places" proposed electoral wards. Retrieval Date: 9 August 2007.
- ^ Proposals for new City of Chester and West Cheshire Local Authority. Chester District website. Retrieval Date: 25 October 2007.
- ^ Cheshire West and Chester election Results, 2 May 2008
- ^ [Members of Cheshire West and Chester District Council Councillors by Party Affiliation] Cheshire West and Chester District Council, Accessed 4 April 2009
- ^ Cheshire West and Chester 2011 Election Results 5 May 2011
- ^ Cheshire West and Chester Council Wards Cheshire West and Chester Council, Accessed 4 April 2009
- ^ Cheshire West and Chester 2011 Elections: Result by Ward 5 May 2011
- ^ Cheshire West and Chester Member Index: Your Councillors by Ward 6 May 2011
- ^ "Statutory Sites". Cheshire West and Chester council. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
External links
- Cheshire West and Chester Council website
- Webcasts – Cheshire West and Chester Council meetings
- Cheshire West and Chester Council's videos
