Congleton (borough): Difference between revisions

Borough of Congleton
Borough of Congleton
	; Shown within Cheshire;
History
• Origin	Congleton Municipal Borough; Alsager Urban District; Middlewich Urban District; Sandbach Urban District; Congleton Rural District.
• Created	1 April 1974
• Abolished	31 March 2009
• Succeeded by	Cheshire East
Status	Non-metropolitan district
ONS code	13UC
• HQ	Westfields, Sandbach

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Revision as of 00:52, 20 December 2023

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.

History

The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 by the merger of the former borough of Congleton, the urban districts of Alsager, Middlewich and Sandbach, and the Congleton Rural District. The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chairman of the council to take the title of mayor.^[1]

In 2006 the Department for Communities and Local Government considered reorganising Cheshire's administrative structure as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England. The decision to merge the boroughs of Congleton, Macclesfield, and Crewe and Nantwich to create a single 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]

The Borough of Congleton was abolished on 31 March 2009, with the area becoming part of the unitary authority of Cheshire East on 1 April 2009.^[3]^[4]

Civil parishes

Congleton was divided into 23 civil parishes and included no unparished areas. Of the 23 civil parishes, four were administered at this level of local government by town councils: Alsager, Middlewich, Sandbach, and Congleton; with the remainder having parish councils.^[5] There are two pairs of civil parishes that are grouped together so that they share a parish council. These are Hulme Walfield and Somerford Booths, whose single parish council is called "Hulme Walfield and Somerford Booths Parish Council", and Newbold Astbury and Moreton cum Alcumlow, whose single parish council is called "Newbold Astbury-cum-Moreton Parish Council".^[5]

The following civil parishes were included in the borough:

Demographics

The resident population of the borough, as measured in the 2001 Census, was 90,655, of which 49 per cent were male and 51 per cent were female.

Religion

The percentage of people of each religion in the borough (trom the Census 2001):^[6]

Stated religion	Prozentualer Anteil
Christian	81.46%
Buddhist	0.12%
Hindu	0.11%
Jewish	0.06%
Muslim	0.17%
Sikh	0.04%
Other religions	0.16%
No religion	11.46%
Religion not stated	6.43%

Political control

The town of Congleton had been a municipal borough from 1836 to 1974 with a borough council.^[7] The first elections to the new Congleton Borough created under the Local Government Act 1972 were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 2009 was held by the following parties:^[8]

Party in control		Years
	No overall control	1974–1976
	Conservative	1976–1982
	No overall control	1982–1983
	Conservative	1983–1986
	No overall control	1986–1991
	Liberal Democrats	1991–1992
	No overall control	1992–1994
	Liberal Democrats	1994–2002
	No overall control	2002–2003
	Conservative	2003–2009

Leadership

The leaders of the council from 1987 were:

Councillor		From	To
Dennis Round^[9]	Liberal	1987	14 July 1987
Linda Short^[10]^[11]	Liberal Democrats	1987	14 December 2000
Rod Fletcher	Liberal Democrats	2001	2002
Roland Domleo^[12]^[13]	Conservative	2002	31 March 2009

Composition

The political composition of the council at its abolition in 2009 was:^[14]

Party		Councillors
	Conservative	25
	Liberal Democrat	13
	Middlewich First	6
	Independent	4

Premises

The council was based at Westfields on Middlewich Road in Sandbach. This was a large nineteenth century house which had been bought in 1960 by the Congleton Rural District Council, one of the council's predecessors.^[15] In 2005–2007 a replacement headquarters building, also called Westfields, was built in front of the old house, which was then demolished.^[16] The new building was formally opened on 25 January 2008.^[17] After Congleton Borough Council's abolition, Westfields became the headquarters for the new Cheshire East Council.^[18]

Alderman and Freeman of the Borough

The following people and military units received the Freedom of the Borough of Congleton or were an Alderman of the Borough of Congleton.

Individuals

C. W. Harrison (Alderman 4 October 1984)^{[nb 1]}
A. G. Smith (Alderman 4 October 1984)^{[nb 1]}
C. H. Kelly (Alderman 25 September 1986)^{[nb 1]}
L. Yarwood (Alderman 29 September 1988)^{[nb 1]}
J. M. Telfer (Alderman 28 September 1989)^{[nb 1]}
F. Bowers (Alderman 5 November 1992)^{[nb 1]}
W. Vickers Q.P.M. (Alderman 5 November 1992)^{[nb 1]}
E. Henshall MBE. BA. Dip. Ed.(Alderman 22 September 1994)^{[nb 1]}
R. Tomlinson (Alderman 29 October 1998)^{[nb 1]}
R. C. Parry (Alderman 29 January 2004)^{[nb 1]}
K. A. Hemsley (Alderman 29 January 2004)^{[nb 1]}
K. A. Thompson (Alderman 29 January 2004)^{[nb 1]}
M. J. Cooper (Alderman 2009)^[19]
T. Farrell (Alderman 2009)^[19]
R. A. Giltrap (Alderman 2009)^[19]
L. Morris (Alderman 2009)^[19]
F. Walton (Alderman 2009)^[19]
D. Brown (Alderman 2009)^[19]
R. M. Domleo (Alderman 2009)^[19]
P. J. Edwards (Alderman 2009)^[19]
R. I. Fletcher (Alderman 2009)^[19]
D. I. Hough (Alderman 2009)^[19]
G. Chambers (Freeman 2009)^[19]

Military Units

The Cheshire Yeomanry: 1906.^[20]
The Cheshire Regiment: 1969.^[20]
First Battalion of the Mercian Regiment:???^[19]
First Battalion of the Mercian Regiment (Freeman ???)^[19]

Council elections

1973 Congleton Borough Council election
1976 Congleton Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)^[21]
1979 Congleton Borough Council election
1980 Congleton Borough Council election
1982 Congleton Borough Council election
1983 Congleton Borough Council election
1984 Congleton Borough Council election
1986 Congleton Borough Council election
1987 Congleton Borough Council election
1988 Congleton Borough Council election
1990 Congleton Borough Council election
1991 Congleton Borough Council election (Borough boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)^[22]^[23]
1992 Congleton Borough Council election
1994 Congleton Borough Council election
1995 Congleton Borough Council election
1996 Congleton Borough Council election
1998 Congleton Borough Council election
1999 Congleton Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)^[24]
2000 Congleton Borough Council election
2002 Congleton Borough Council election
2003 Congleton Borough Council election
2004 Congleton Borough Council election
2006 Congleton Borough Council election
2007 Congleton Borough Council election

By-election results

Congleton North By-Election 10 August 2000
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Atkin	303	50.9	+9.6
	Liberal Democrats		156	26.2	−24.9
	Conservative		136	22.9	+15.3
Majority			147	24.7
Turnout			595	21.6
	Labour gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing

Congleton North West By-Election 10 August 2000
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sue Appleton	275	37.2	+11.3
	Liberal Democrats		251	34.0	−8.3
	Labour		213	28.8	−3.0
Majority			24	3.2
Turnout			739	24.6
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing

Congleton North By-Election 26 August 2004 (2)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative		191
	Conservative		174
	Labour		142
	Labour		133
	Liberal Democrats	Simon Davey	111
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Jones	108
Turnout			859	15.6
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Congleton West By-Election 28 October 2004
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative		491	53.7	−1.5
	Liberal Democrats	Simon Davey	275	30.1	+6.2
	Labour		148	16.2	−4.8
Majority			261	23.6
Turnout			914	20.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

Alsager Central By-Election 17 February 2005
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Julian Burgess	532	56.1	−14.2
	Conservative	Warwick Till	365	38.5	+8.8
	Labour	William Howell	52	5.5	+5.5
Majority			167	17.6
Turnout			949	34.5
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Congleton North West By-Election 24 November 2005
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Simon Davey	341	54.8	+54.8
	Conservative	Matthew Carey	191	30.7	−13.3
	Labour	Lisa Bossons	90	14.5	−9.2
Majority			150	24.1
Turnout			622	21.0
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

Sandbach West By-Election 18 October 2007
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stella Furlong	445	45.1	+3.6
	Liberal Democrats	Patrick Darnes	382	38.7	−3.1
	Labour	Keith Haines	160	16.2	−0.5
Majority			63	6.4
Turnout			987	19.2
	Conservative hold		Swing

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Source Borough of Congleton roll of honorary Alderman plaque photo

References

^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
^ BBC News, 25 July 2007 – County split into two authorities. Retrieval Date: 25 July 2007.
^ Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008 Archived 17 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Home". Congleton.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Parish Councils". Congleton Borough Council. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
^ "Key Figures for 2001 Census: Census Area Statistics". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2008.
^ "Congleton Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
^ "Sad council mourns chief, 42". Crewe Chronicle. 22 July 1987. p. 2. Retrieved 8 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "The end of an era in local politics". Warrington Guardian. 10 April 2003. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
^ "Leader steps aside". Congleton Borough Council. 15 December 2000. Archived from the original on 24 April 2001. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
^ "List of council membership". Congleton Borough Council. Archived from the original on 12 August 2002. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
^ Jackson, Matt (19 September 2019). "'He was the best friend I had...' – Tributes paid to 'dedicated' Roland, 73, who served as council leader for years". Stoke on Trent Live. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
^ "Your Councillors". Congleton Borough Council. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
^ "£12,000 conversion of Westfields". Crewe Chronicle. 16 July 1960. p. 18. Retrieved 8 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Fight to save historic home". Cheshire Live. 10 November 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
^ "New council HQ formally opened". North Wales Live. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
^ "Westfields Council HQ". Cheshire East Council. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m "CIVIC SUB COMMITTEE ITEM 6 HONORARY ALDERMEN AND FREEMAN" (PDF). cheshireeast.gov. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
^ ^a ^b Alcock, Joan P (15 March 2014). Congleton Though Time. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 1445609762.
^ legislation.gov.uk – The Borough of Congleton (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975. Retrieved on 19 November 2015.
^ legislation.gov.uk – The Cheshire, Derbyshire, Hereford and Worcester and Staffordshire (County Boundaries) Order 1991. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.
^ legislation.gov.uk – The Cheshire, Derbyshire, Hereford and Worcester and Staffordshire (County Boundaries) (Variation) Order 1992. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.
^ legislation.gov.uk – The Borough of Congleton (Electoral Changes) Order 1998. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.

53°9′N 2°18′W / 53.150°N 2.300°W / 53.150; -2.300

[plaque-19] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Source Borough of Congleton roll of honorary Alderman plaque photo

[1] "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 3 September 2022.

[2] BBC News, 25 July 2007 – County split into two authorities. Retrieval Date: 25 July 2007.

[3] Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008 Archived 17 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine

[4] "Home". Congleton.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2022.

[parishcouncils-5] "Parish Councils". Congleton Borough Council. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2008.

[6] "Key Figures for 2001 Census: Census Area Statistics". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2008.

[7] "Congleton Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 5 September 2022.

[electionscentre-8] "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.

[9] "Sad council mourns chief, 42". Crewe Chronicle. 22 July 1987. p. 2. Retrieved 8 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "The end of an era in local politics". Warrington Guardian. 10 April 2003. Retrieved 5 September 2022.

[11] "Leader steps aside". Congleton Borough Council. 15 December 2000. Archived from the original on 24 April 2001. Retrieved 5 September 2022.

[12] "List of council membership". Congleton Borough Council. Archived from the original on 12 August 2002. Retrieved 5 September 2022.

[13] Jackson, Matt (19 September 2019). "'He was the best friend I had...' – Tributes paid to 'dedicated' Roland, 73, who served as council leader for years". Stoke on Trent Live. Retrieved 5 September 2022.

[14] "Your Councillors". Congleton Borough Council. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2008.

[15] "£12,000 conversion of Westfields". Crewe Chronicle. 16 July 1960. p. 18. Retrieved 8 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[16] "Fight to save historic home". Cheshire Live. 10 November 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2022.

[17] "New council HQ formally opened". North Wales Live. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2022.

[18] "Westfields Council HQ". Cheshire East Council. Retrieved 5 September 2022.

[Aldermen/Freemen-20] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m "CIVIC SUB COMMITTEE ITEM 6 HONORARY ALDERMEN AND FREEMAN" (PDF). cheshireeast.gov. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2023.

[ThoughTime-21] Alcock, Joan P (15 March 2014). Congleton Though Time. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 1445609762.

[22] slation.gov.uk – The Borough of Congleton (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975. Retrieved on 19 November 2015.

[23] slation.gov.uk – The Cheshire, Derbyshire, Hereford and Worcester and Staffordshire (County Boundaries) Order 1991. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.

[24] slation.gov.uk – The Cheshire, Derbyshire, Hereford and Worcester and Staffordshire (County Boundaries) (Variation) Order 1992. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.

[25] slation.gov.uk – The Borough of Congleton (Electoral Changes) Order 1998. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.

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v t e Council elections in Cheshire
Cheshire East Council	2008 2011 2015 2019 2023
Cheshire West and Chester Council	2008 2011 2015 2019 2023
Halton Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Warrington Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2021 2024
Cheshire County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 Abolished
Chester City Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 Abolished
Congleton Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 Abolished
Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 Abolished
Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 Abolished
Macclesfield Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 Abolished
Vale Royal Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 Abolished
See also: Wards, Boundary changes