North Warwickshire is a local government district with borough status in Warwickshire, England. The borough includes the two towns of Atherstone (where the council is based) and Coleshill, and the large villages of Hartshill, Kingsbury, Mancetter, Polesworth and Water Orton along with smaller villages and surrounding rural areas.
Borough of North Warwickshire | |
---|---|
Atherstone, the administrative centre of the borough and one of the two towns | |
Shown within Warwickshire | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | West Midlands |
Administrative county | Warwickshire |
Founded | 1 April 1974 |
Admin. HQ | Atherstone |
Government | |
• Type | Non-metropolitan district |
• MPs: | Craig Tracey Marcus Jones |
Area | |
• Total | 110 sq mi (284 km2) |
• Rank | 123rd |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 65,946 |
• Rank | Ranked 288th |
• Density | 600/sq mi (230/km2) |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
Postcode | |
ONS code | 44UB (ONS) E07000218 (GSS) |
The area historically had a large coal mining industry, but the last coal mine in the area, Daw Mill at Arley, closed in 2013.[2] The borough's landscape is primarily of the mildly undulating agricultural variety, with the North Warwickshire plateau rising to 177 m (581 ft) above sea-level at Bentley Common, 2.5 miles southwest of Atherstone. The most significant bodies of water within North Warwickshire are Kingsbury Water Park, Shustoke Reservoir, the River Blythe and the mid-section of the Coventry Canal.
The neighbouring districts are Nuneaton and Bedworth, Coventry, Solihull, Birmingham, Lichfield, Tamworth, North West Leicestershire and Hinckley and Bosworth.
History
editThe district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of one previous district with part of another, these were:[3]
- Atherstone Rural District
- Meriden Rural District (remainder split between Solihull and Coventry in the new West Midlands county)
The new district was named North Warwickshire, reflecting its position in the wider county.[4] The district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[5]
Governance
editNorth Warwickshire Borough Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Steve Maxey since March 2019[7] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 35 councillors |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
Elections | |
First past the post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
Meeting place | |
Council House, South Street, Atherstone, CV9 1DE | |
Website | |
www |
North Warwickshire Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Warwickshire County Council.[8] The whole borough is also covered by civil parish, which form a third tier of local government.[9]
Political control
editThe council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, being led by a Conservative minority administration with informal support from two of the three independent councillors.[10]
The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[11]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 1974–1976 | |
No overall control | 1976–1979 | |
Labour | 1979–2003 | |
No overall control | 2003–2007 | |
Conservative | 2007–2011 | |
Labour | 2011–2015 | |
Conservative | 2015–2023 | |
No overall control | 2023–present |
Leadership
editThe role of mayor is largely ceremonial in North Warwickshire. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2009 have been:[12]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Colin Hayfield | Conservative | pre-2009 | 18 May 2011 | |
Mick Stanley | Labour | 18 May 2011 | 20 May 2015 | |
David Humphreys | Conservative | 20 May 2015 | 20 May 2020 | |
David Wright | Conservative | 20 May 2020 |
Composition
editFollowing the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[13]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 17 | |
Labour | 15 | |
Independent | 3 | |
Total | 35 |
Two of the three independent councillors sit together as the "Dordon Independents" group, which supported the Conservatives in forming a minority administration in May 2023.[10] The next election is due in 2027.
Elections
editSince the last boundary changes in 2003 the council has comprised 35 councillors representing 17 wards with each ward electing two councillors except the Arley and Whitacre ward, which elects three. Elections are held every four years.[14]
The boundaries of North Warwickshire are similar to those of the North Warwickshire parliamentary constituency. The constituency also includes the town of Bedworth, but does not include the villages of Hartshill and Arley.[9] The local MP is Craig Tracey.
Premises
editThe council is based at the Council House on South Street in Atherstone.[15] The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1979.[16]
Towns and parishes
editThe whole district is covered by 33 civil parishes. The parish councils for Atherstone and Coleshill have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Some of the parishes share a grouped parish council. The parishes are:[17]
- Ansley
- Arley
- Astley
- Atherstone
- Austrey
- Baddesley Ensor
- Baxterley
- Bentley[a]
- Caldecote
- Coleshill
- Corley
- Curdworth
- Dordon
- Fillongley
- Great Packington[b]
- Grendon
- Hartshill
- Kingsbury
- Lea Marston
- Little Packington[c]
- Mancetter
- Maxstoke
- Merevale[d]
- Middleton
- Nether Whitacre
- Newton Regis[e]
- Over Whitacre
- Polesworth
- Seckington[f]
- Shustoke
- Shuttington
- Water Orton
- Wishaw
Media
editTelevision
editNorth Warwickshire is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central with television signals received from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter.[18]
Radio
editRadio stations for the area are:
Coat of arms
editThe council was granted a coat of arms in 1976.[19]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – North Warwickshire Local Authority (E07000218)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Daw Mill: Hundreds of jobs go at fire-hit mine". BBC News. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan District (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 17 November 2023
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 3 January 2024
- ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
- ^ "Council minutes, 9 May 2024". North Warwickshire Borough Council. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ "Borough council names solicitor as chief executive". Local Government Lawyer. 23 August 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ a b "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Full Council 17th May - Conservatives ensure a majority". North Warwickshire Borough Council. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "Council minutes". North Warwickshire Borough Council. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
- ^ "The Borough of North Warwickshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2000", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2000/1675, retrieved 20 January 2024
- ^ "Contact us". North Warwickshire Borough Council. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Council on the move". Atherstone Herald. 7 September 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Parish and Town Councils and Clerks". North Warwickshire Borough Council. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Warwickshire Civic Heraldry". Civic heraldry. Retrieved 19 August 2021.