Cheshire West and Chester

Cheshire West and Chester
Borough and Unitary authority
Logo
Cheshire West and Chester shown within Cheshire
Coordinates: 53°12′47″N 2°54′07″W / 53.213°N 2.902°W / 53.213; -2.902Coordinates: 53°12′47″N 2°54′07″W / 53.213°N 2.902°W / 53.213; -2.902
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	North West England
Ceremonial county	Cheshire
Established	1 April 2009
Administrative HQ	Chester (HQ)
Government
• Type	Unitary authority
• Body	Cheshire West and Chester Council
• Leadership	Leader and cabinet
• Executive	Labour
• Leader	Samantha Dixon
• Lord Mayor (Chester)	Angela Claydon
• Chief Executive	Gerald Meehan
Area
• Total	353.9 sq mi (916.7 km2)
Area rank	32nd
Population (mid-2014 est.)
• Total	332,210
• Rank	19th
• Density	940/sq mi (362/km2)
• Ethnicity	98.5% white
• Religion	70.1% Christian
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Postcode areas	CH (1, 2, 3, 4, 33, 34, 64, 65, 66) CW (6, 7, 8, 9) SY (14) WA (4, 6)
Dialling codes	01244 0151 01606 01829 01948
ISO 3166 code	GB-CHW
GSS code	E06000050
NUTS 3 code	UKD63
ONS code	00EW
Motorways	M6 M53 M56
Trunk primary routes	A41 A55 A483 A494 A550
Major railway stations	Chester (B)
GVA (2013)	£7.567bn (56th) 2.25%
- Per capita	£22,860 (37th) 1.99%
Councillors	75
MPs	Chris Matheson (L) Antoinette Sandbach (C) Justin Madders (L) George Osborne (C) Graham Evans (C)
European Parliament	North West England
Police area	Cheshire
Fire service	Cheshire
Ambulance service	North West
Website	www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Cheshire West and Chester is a non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan district^[1] and unitary authority with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It was established on 1 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in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.^[1] It superseded the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal and the City of Chester and its council assumed the functions and responsibilities of the former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.

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.^[2] Chester City Council had proposed the new authority be called 'The City of Chester and West Cheshire' but this was also rejected. The council name is still an area of contention with the district of Northwich and its people as they have argued since 2007 that a more befitting name considering the geographic differences of nearly 20 miles would be 'Cheshire West and Mid Cheshire Council'.

Governance

In line with every other district in Cheshire, the executive is composed of a leader and cabinet composed of elected councillors. From its establishment in 2009, Cheshire West and Chester was governed by the Conservative Party, with Mike Jones as leader. Currently, as of 2015, the borough is 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 Lord Mayor of Chester, but in 2015 these roles were separated and the role of chairman was politicised.^[3]

The executive 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.^[3]

Also upon establishment in 2009, Cheshire West and Chester Council inherited a number of buildings from the local authorities it replaced in every town in the borough. However, despite Cheshire County Council vacating its headquarters (County Hall, Chester), the new authority spent £21 million of taxpayers' money purchasing and furbishing a new headquarters at HQ, also in Chester.^[4] County hall was later sold to the University of Chester, who now use it as a campus, for £10 million.^[4]

Meetings often take place at Chester Town Hall but also are sometimes held at Wyvern House in Winsford.

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, with 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 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.^[5][6]

The 2015 election took place on 7 May, producing the first change of executive in the council's history.^[7]

Council wards, Civil parishes and House of Commons constituencies

The borough is divided into forty-six wards,^[5][6] listed below in alphabetical order.

There are ninety-seven parish councils in the borough,^[8][9] despite there being a total of 166 civil parishes before a community governance review was undertaken by the borough council in 2014^[10] under section 82 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007:^[11]

Ward	Civil parishes[Note 1] and unparished areas	House of Commons constituency
Blacon	Chester	City of Chester
Boughton	Chester
Chester City	Chester
	Chester Castle
Chester Villages	Christleton
	Christleton	Eddisbury
	Guilden Sutton	City of Chester
	Littleton
	Mickle Trafford and District	Ellesmere Port and Neston
	Rowton	Eddisbury
	Waverton
Davenham and Moulton	Bostock
	Davenham
	Moulton
	Northwich	Weaver Vale
Dodleston and Huntington	Dodleston	City of Chester
	Eaton and Eccleston
	Huntington
	Poulton and Pulford
Ellesmere Port Town	Ellesmere Port	Ellesmere Port and Neston
Elton	Croughton
	Elton
	Ince
	Little Stanney
	Stoak
	Thornton-le-Moors
	Wervin
Farndon	Aldersey	Eddisbury
	Aldford and Saighton	City of Chester
	Aldford and Saighton	Eddisbury
	Barton
	Carden
	Clutton
	Coddington
	Edgerley
	Farndon
	Shocklach Oviatt and District
	Stretton
	Tilston
Frodsham	Frodsham	Weaver Vale
Garden Quarter	Chester	City of Chester
Gowy	Alvanley	Weaver Vale
	Ashton Hayes and Horton-cum-Peel	Eddisbury
	Barrow
	Dunham-on-the-Hill and Hapsford
	Manley	Weaver Vale
	Mouldsworth	Eddisbury
Grange	Ellesmere Port	Ellesmere Port and Neston
Great Boughton	Great Boughton	City of Chester
Handbridge Park	Chester
Hartford and Greenbank	Hartford	Weaver Vale
	Northwich
Helsby	Helsby
Hoole	Chester	City of Chester
Kingsley	Aston	Weaver Vale
	Crowton
	Kingsley
	Norley
	Sutton
Lache	Chester	City of Chester
Ledsham and Manor	Ellesmere Port	Ellesmere Port and Neston
Little Neston and Burton	Neston
	Puddington	City of Chester
Malpas	Agden	Eddisbury
	Chidlow
	Chorlton
	Cuddington
	Malpas
	No Man's Heath and District
	Threapwood
	Tushingham-cum-Grindley, Macefen and Bradley
	Wigland
Marbury	Anderton with Marbury	Tatton
	Antrobus
	Barnton
	Comberbach
	Great Budworth
	Little Leigh
	Marston
	Whitley
	Wincham
Neston	Neston	Ellesmere Port and Neston
Netherpool	Ellesmere Port
Newton	Chester	City of Chester
Parkgate	Neston	Ellesmere Port and Neston
Rossmore	Ellesmere Port
Saughall and Mollington	Backford	City of Chester
	Capenhurst
	Lea-by-Backford
	Ledsham
	Mollington
	Saughall and Shotwick Park
Shakerley	Allostock	Tatton
	Byley
	Lach Dennis
	Lostock Gralam
	Sproston
St Paul's	Ellesmere Port	Ellesmere Port and Neston
Strawberry	Ellesmere Port
Sutton	Ellesmere Port
Tarporley	Little Budworth	Eddisbury
	Rushton
	Tarporley
	Utkinton
Tarvin and Kelsall	Clotton Hoofield
	Delamere and Oakmere
	Duddon
	Kelsall
	Tarvin
	Willington
Tattenhall	Broxton
	Burwardsley
	Chowley
	Duckington
	Golborne David
	Handley
	Hargrave and Huxley
	Harthill
	Tattenhall and District
	Tiverton and Tilstone Fearnall
Upton	Bache	City of Chester
	Moston
	Upton-by-Chester
Weaver and Cuddington	Acton Bridge	Weaver Vale
	Cuddington	Eddisbury
	Dutton	Weaver Vale
	Weaverham
Whitby	Ellesmere Port	Ellesmere Port and Neston
Willaston and Thornton	Ellesmere Port
Winnington and Castle	Northwich	Weaver Vale
Winsford Over and Verdin	Whitegate and Marton
	Winsford	Eddisbury
Winsford Swanlow and Dene	Darnhall
	Winsford
Winsford Wharton	Stanthorne and Wimboldsley
	Winsford
Witton and Rudheath	Northwich	Weaver Vale
	Rudheath	Tatton

Notes

Members of Parliament

Constituency	Member of Parliament	Political party		Year first elected	Notes
City of Chester	Chris Matheson		Labour Party	2015	Member of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
Eddisbury	Antoinette Sandbach		Conservative Party	2015
Ellesmere Port and Neston	Justin Madders		Labour Party	2015	Shadow minister for health
Tatton	George Osborne		Conservative Party	2001
Weaver Vale	Graham Evans			2010

MPs in Cheshire West and Chester, 2005 onwards
Election		2005[Note 1] (54th parliament)		2010[Note 2] (55th parliament)		2015 (56th parliament)
City of Chester		Christine Russell		Stephen Mosley		Chris Matheson
Eddisbury		Stephen O'Brien				Antoinette Sandbach
Ellesmere Port and Neston		Andrew Miller				Justin Madders
Tatton		George Osborne
Weaver Vale		Mike Hall		Graham Evans

Notes

Members of the European Parliament

Cheshire West and Chester forms part of the North West England constituency, which elects eight members to the European Parliament using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. The remaining length of their mandate is unclear after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in the membership referendum held in June 2016.

Constituency	Member of the European Parliament	National political party		European political party		Year first elected
North West England	Louise Bours		UK Independence Party		Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe	2014
	Jacqueline Foster		Conservative Party		Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists	1999
	Theresa Griffin		Labour Party		Party of European Socialists	2014
	Sajjad Karim		Conservative Party		Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists	2004
	Afzal Khan		Labour and Co-operative Party		Party of European Socialists	2014
	Paul Nuttall		UK Independence Party		Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe	2009
	Julie Ward		Labour Party		Party of European Socialists	2014
	Steven Woolfe		Independent		None	2014

Demography

Ethnicity

In line with nearly every local government district in England and Wales, the majority of the population describe themselves as 'white'. The exact figure - 97.5% - is comparable with metropolitan counties such as Merseyside, non-metropolitan counties such as Cumbria and principal areas throughout Wales. This would suggest that the figure is not a significant outlier nationwide.

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 registered charity headquartered in Chester.

Nationality

2011 United Kingdom Census[12]
Country of birth	Population
United Kingdom	313,621
Poland	2,117
Ireland	1,932
Germany	1,270
India	895
South Africa	717
United States	481
Australia	343
Philippines	337
Hong Kong	305
Spain	301
Italy	278
France	273
Bangladesh	266
China	256
Zimbabwe	240
Turkey	218
Pakistan	162
Kenya	155
Portugal	140
Nigeria	139
Lithuania	137
Romania	135
Iran	102
Sri Lanka	98
Jamaica	45
Ghana	41

The majority of the population of Cheshire West and Chester is British-born, with the percentage standing at 95.1% (2011), a figure significantly above that of the UK as a whole (88.7%, 2010).^[13] The largest overseas nationality is Polish, which is significant because of the World War II U.S. military base and subsequent Polish refugee camp in Cuddington.

Religion

The overwhelming main religion in Cheshire West and Chester is Christianity, with a percentage figure above the average for England and Wales (59.3%, 2011).^[12] The single largest church is the Church of England, with the borough being served by the Chester Archdeaconry, with six deaneries and an average of twenty parish churches in each deanery. Roman Catholicism also has a significant presence across the borough, with all its churches located in the Diocese of Shrewsbury.

Methodist churches in the borough form groups averaging ten, known as 'circuits' (the four in Cheshire West and Chester are all part of the Chester and Stoke-on-Trent District). More marginal churches include Assemblies of God, Baptist Union, Elim Pentecostal, United Reformed and the English Presbyterian Church of Wales in Chester.

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^[14] and racially aggravated disorder^[15] respectively in 2014.

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]

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 though 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:

• Birkenhead Railway: Contains sections of NCR56 and the Wirral Circular Trail and is now called Wirral Way.
• Chester & Connah's Quay Railway: Contains a section of NCR5 and is now called Chester Millennium Greenway.
• Winsford and Over Branch Line: Contains a section of regional route 71 and is now called Whitegate Way.

In 2009, Chester was awarded the status of 'Cycling Town' by Cycling England. To reflect this, a series of colour-coded signposted routes around the city were devised in 2012.^[17]

Rail

Chester is the hub of the railway network in the borough, with over four million trips recorded annually. Passenger numbers doubled to this figure in the ten years to 2015, making the station the eighth-busiest in North West England.^[18] 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 Arriva Trains Wales.
• Chester-Manchester Line (Wales & Borders): Includes stops at Helsby and Frodsham and is operated by Arriva Trains Wales.
• Ellesmere Port to Warrington Line (Northern): Includes stops at Stanlow & Thornton and Ince & Elton before meeting the Chester-Manchester Line near Helsby and is operated by Northern according to a Department for Transport-set minimum service pattern.
• 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 Arriva Trains Wales and Virgin Trains.
• 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 Arriva Trains Wales and Virgin Trains.
• West Coast Main Line (InterCity West Coast): Aside from stops at Winsford, Hartford and Acton Bridge, the branch line to Liverpool diverges at Weaver Junction - the oldest of its type in Great Britain. It is currently operated by Virgin Trains, however High Speed 2 services to Liverpool using "classic compatible" trains are proposed to run along this section of the line.
• Wirral Line (Merseyrail): Chester is one of the terminus stations of the line which loops clockwise around Liverpool city centre in a tunnel. The line includes stops at Bache, Capenhurst and Hooton, with a branch line from the latter running to another terminus at Ellesmere Port, with stops at Little Sutton and Overpool. The line is operated by Merseyrail with this line and the WCML being the only two electrified railways in the borough.

Direct services between Chester and Liverpool Lime Street are proposed to run via the Halton Curve once it is upgraded to a two-track railway and re-opened to passenger trains in 2018.^[19]

The sections of railway between Chester - Stockport and Chester - Warrington Bank Quay are proposed for electrification during the period 2019-2024.^[20]

Road

Motorways and primary routes in the borough which are maintained by Highways England (trunk roads de jure) include the M6, M53, M56, A55, A483, A494, A550 and a short section of the A41 in Hooton. Other primary routes which are maintained by the council (principal roads de jure) include the A41, A49, A51, A54, A56, A483, A530, A533, A534, A556, A5115, A5116, A5117 and A5268.

Chester and Ellesmere Port - both primary route destinations - form the hub of the road network in Cheshire West and Chester, with routes of national importance carrying traffic in all directions to locations including Flintshire, Halton, Wirral and Wrexham.

European Route E05 is routed via the M6, carrying international traffic between Scotland, North West England, the West Midlands and France via Southampton. European route E22 is routed via the A494 and M56, carrying international traffic between Ireland (the route in fact begins at the Port of Holyhead), North Wales, North West England, Yorkshire and the Netherlands. Both routes meet at Lymm Interchange, which lies in neighbouring Cheshire East.

Two Roman roads exist in Cheshire West and Chester, originating in Chester (Deva Victrix) and running to Northwich (Condate) and Whitchurch (Mediolanum) respectively.

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.^[21]

Three local MPs - Graham Evans, Justin Madders and Chris Matheson - raised safety concerns about the M56 between J12 and J14 in parliament after more than one hundred-and-sixty incidents were recorded since 2011. In response, Andrew Jones, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, confirmed that an upgrade to smart motorway will only take place after 2020.^[22][23]

Water

Navigable waterways in the borough include the Manchester Ship Canal, Shropshire Union Canal, Trent and Mersey Canal and the Weaver Navigation, the latter two being connected together by the Anderton Boat Lift near Northwich, the only caisson lift lock in the United Kingdom.

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
	Museum (free/not free)
	National Trust
	Theatre
	Zoo

Sport

Football

There is only one full-time professional football club in the borough - Chester FC - who play in the National League. Northwich has four semi-professional teams - Barnton, Northwich Victoria, Witton Albion and 1874 Northwich - all of whom play in regional leagues. Winsford is also represented in the non-league pyramid by Winsford United.

Below level ten of the English football league system 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 - most notably Vauxhall Motors, who de-professionalised themselves in 2014. 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 football stadium in Cheshire West and Chester is the Deva Stadium, home to Chester FC, although the ground famously straddles the England-Wales border.

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

References

External links

• Cheshire West and Chester Council website
• Webcasts – Cheshire West and Chester Council meetings
• Cheshire West and Chester Council's videos

Neighbouring ceremonial/preserved counties and principal areas

	Merseyside Wirral	Merseyside/Cheshire Liverpool/Halton River Mersey	Cheshire Warrington
	Clwyd Flintshire		Cheshire Cheshire East
		Cheshire West and Chester
	Clwyd Wrexham	Shropshire	Cheshire Cheshire East