Warrington Borough Council | |
---|---|
Whole council elected every four years | |
Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Steven Broomhead since June 2012 [3] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 58 councillors [4] |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
Elections | |
Plurality-at-large | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 4 May 2028 |
Meeting place | |
Town Hall, Sankey Street, Warrington, WA1 1UH | |
Website | |
www |
Warrington Borough Council is the local authority of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority.
The town of Warrington was made a municipal borough in 1847, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Warrington", generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council. [5] This first incarnation of the borough council replaced an earlier body of improvement commissioners which had governed the town since 1813. [6] From its creation in 1847 the borough straddled Lancashire and Cheshire, with the county boundary being the River Mersey; the town centre and most of the built-up area was on the north bank of the river in Lancashire, but the borough also included the built-up parts of Latchford on the south bank of the river in Cheshire. [5]
In 1889 boroughs which straddled county boundaries were placed entirely in the county which had the majority of the population, and so the part of the borough south of the Mersey was transferred from Cheshire to Lancashire. [7] The borough boundaries were subsequently enlarged on several occasions, notably in 1890, 1933 and 1954. [8] [9]
In 1900 Warrington was made a county borough, making it independent from Lancashire County Council, whilst remaining part of Lancashire for ceremonial purposes. [10]
The borough was substantially enlarged in 1974, taking in a number of surrounding parishes from both Lancashire and Cheshire, including Lymm, which had been a separate urban district. The enlarged borough was transferred from Lancashire to Cheshire and was redesignated as a non-metropolitan district, with Cheshire County Council providing county-level services. [11] The borough regained control of county-level functions 24 years later in 1998 when it was made a unitary authority. It remains part of Cheshire for ceremonial purposes. [12] [13]
As a unitary authority, Warrington Borough Council has the functions of a county council and district council combined. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal. [14] Parts of the borough are also covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government for their areas. [15]
The council has been under Labour majority control since 2011.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: [16]
Non-metropolitan district
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 1974–1979 | |
No overall control | 1979–1983 | |
Labour | 1983–1998 |
Unitary authority
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 1998–2006 | |
No overall control | 2006–2011 | |
Labour | 2011–present |
The role of Mayor of Warrington is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1985 have been: [17]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mike Hall | Labour | 1985 | 1992 | |
John Gartside | Labour | 1992 | 23 May 2002 | |
Mike Hughes [18] | Labour | 23 May 2002 | 23 Feb 2004 | |
John Joyce | Labour | 23 Feb 2004 | 22 May 2006 | |
Ian Marks | Liberal Democrats | 22 May 2006 | 23 May 2011 | |
Terry O'Neill [19] | Labour | 23 May 2011 | 17 Dec 2018 | |
Russ Bowden | Labour | 17 Dec 2018 | 4 Dec 2023 | |
Hans Mundry | Labour | 4 Dec 2023 |
Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 42 | |
Liberal Democrats | 12 | |
Independent | 3 | |
Conservative | 1 | |
Total | 58 |
The next elections are due in May 2028.
Since the last boundary changes in 2016 the council has comprised 58 councillors representing 22 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [20]
The council generally meets at Warrington Town Hall on Sankey Street. The building was originally built in 1750 as a large house, and was formerly called Bank Hall. It was bought by the borough council in 1870 and converted into a town hall, with its grounds becoming a public park. [21]
The council's main offices are at 1 Time Square which was completed in 2020, replacing earlier offices at New Town House on Scotland Road which have since been demolished. [22] [23]
Elected members have approved a number of significant commercial investments by the local authority. In September 2016, Warrington Borough Council became one of the first local councils in the UK to buy clean-tech bonds in Swindon Solar Park through its owner, specialist investment management firm Rockfire Capital. [24]
In September 2019, the council acquired a 50% shareholding in Clydebank-based energy retailer Together Energy for £18m. [25] [26] In September 2020, Bristol Energy's brand and residential accounts – 155,000 meter points – were sold by Bristol City Council to Together Energy for £14 million. [27] In August 2021, Warrington Council's total financial exposure to Together Energy was reported to be £41.2m. [28] In October 2021, Ofgem issued a provisional order to several suppliers, including Together Energy, who had not made Renewables Obligation payments; Together Energy's obligation was over £12m. [29] Following sharp increases in wholesale gas and electricity prices which began in autumn 2021, [30] Together Energy Retail Ltd announced on 18 January 2022 that it was ceasing to trade. [31] [30]
Other loans and investments include almost £30 million paid in stages between 2017 and 2019 for a 33% stake in Redwood Bank, a "challenger bank" which has a Warrington office. [32] In 2021 a £202m loan facility, secured against commercial property, was provided to Matt Moulding, founder of Cheshire-based e-commerce business The Hut Group. [33] [34]
In September 2021, the council confirmed that its borrowing had reached £1.7 billion, but that the current value of its investment assets were £2.173 billion. [35]
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.
Crewe and Nantwich was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It had a population of 111,007. It contained 69 civil parishes and one unparished area: the town of Crewe. It now forms part of the unitary authority of Cheshire East.
The counties of England are divisions of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are two main legal definitions of the counties in modern usage: the 84 counties for the purposes of local government, and the 48 counties for the purposes of lieutenancy, also termed the ceremonial counties.
Ceremonial counties, formally known as counties for the purposes of the lieutenancies, are areas of England to which lord-lieutenants are appointed. They are one of the two main legal definitions of the counties of England in modern usage, the other being the counties for the purposes of local government legislation. A lord-lieutenant is the monarch's representative in an area. Shrieval counties have the same boundaries and serve a similar purpose, being the areas to which high sheriffs are appointed. High sheriffs are the monarch's judicial representative in an area.
Halton is a unitary authority district with borough status in Cheshire, North West England. It was created in 1974 as a district of the non-metropolitan county of Cheshire, and became a unitary authority area on 1 April 1998 under Halton Borough Council. Since 2014, it has been a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The borough consists of the towns of Runcorn and Widnes and the civil parishes of Daresbury, Hale, Halebank, Moore, Preston Brook, and Sandymoor. The district borders Merseyside, the Borough of Warrington and Cheshire West and Chester.
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.
Congleton was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It included the towns of Congleton, Alsager, Middlewich and Sandbach. The headquarters of the borough council were located in Sandbach.
A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a subdivision of England used for local government.
Lancashire County Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England, which occupies most of the ceremonial county of the same name. The council is based in County Hall, Preston, and consists of 84 councillors.
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.
Halton Borough Council elections are generally held three years out of every four, with a third of the council being elected each time. Halton Borough Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Halton in Cheshire, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2020, 54 councillors have been elected from 18 wards.
Warrington Borough Council elections are held every four years. Warrington Borough Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Warrington in Cheshire, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2016, 58 councillors have been elected from 22 wards.
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.
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.
A combined authority (CA) is a type of local government institution introduced in England outside Greater London by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. CAs are created voluntarily and allow a group of local authorities to pool appropriate responsibility and receive certain devolved functions from central government in order to deliver transport and economic policy more effectively over a wider area. In areas where local government is two-tier, both must participate in the combined authority.
The Borough of Warrington is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The borough is centred around the town of Warrington, and extends out into outlying villages of Lymm and Great Sankey and the town of Birchwood.
Blackpool Council is the local authority of the Borough of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a county council and district council combined.
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.
The Borough of Blackpool is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. It is named after the seaside town of Blackpool but covers a wider area which includes Anchorsholme, Bispham, Layton, Marton and Squires Gate. As well as the suburbs of Grange Park, North Shore, South Shore and Starr Gate. The borough also forms the core of the wider Blackpool conurbation.