Wikipedia

North Warwickshire

This article is about the district. For the parliamentary constituency, see North Warwickshire (UK Parliament constituency).

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
Borough and non-metropolitan district
Atherstone, the administrative centre of the borough and one of the two towns
Atherstone, the administrative centre of the borough and one of the two towns
Shown within Warwickshire
Shown within Warwickshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionWest Midlands
Administrative countyWarwickshire
Founded1 April 1974
Admin. HQAtherstone
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district
 • MPs:Rachel Taylor
Jodie Gosling
Area
 • Total
110 sq mi (284 km2)
 • Rank123rd
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
65,946
 • RankRanked 288th
 • Density600/sq mi (230/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
Postcode
B46 ,B79 ,B78, CV7, CV9, CV10
ONS code44UB (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

edit

The 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]

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

edit
North Warwickshire Borough Council
 
Type
Type
Leadership
Colin Hayfield,
Conservative
since 9 May 2024[6]
David Wright,
Conservative
since 20 May 2020
Steve Maxey
since March 2019[7]
Structure
Seats35 councillors
 
Political groups
Administration (17)
  Conservative (17)
Other parties (18)
  Labour (15)
  Independent (3)
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.northwarks.gov.uk
 
Coleshill, the other town of the borough

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

edit

The 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

edit

The 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

edit

Following 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

edit
See also: North Warwickshire Borough Council elections

Since 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

edit

The 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

edit
See also: List of civil parishes in Warwickshire

The 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]

Media

edit

Television

edit

North Warwickshire is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central with television signals received from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter.[18]

Radio

edit

Radio stations for the area are:

Coat of arms

edit

The council was granted a coat of arms in 1976.[19]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Shares grouped parish council with Merevale
  2. ^ Shares grouped parish council with Little Packington
  3. ^ Shares grouped parish council with Great Packington
  4. ^ Shares grouped parish council with Bentley
  5. ^ Shares grouped parish council with Seckington
  6. ^ Shares grouped parish council with Newton Regis
  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – North Warwickshire Local Authority (E07000218)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Daw Mill: Hundreds of jobs go at fire-hit mine". BBC News. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  3. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan District (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 17 November 2023
  4. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 3 January 2024
  5. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Council minutes, 9 May 2024". North Warwickshire Borough Council. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Borough council names solicitor as chief executive". Local Government Lawyer. 23 August 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  9. ^ a b "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Full Council 17th May - Conservatives ensure a majority". North Warwickshire Borough Council. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Council minutes". North Warwickshire Borough Council. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  14. ^ "The Borough of North Warwickshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2000", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2000/1675, retrieved 20 January 2024
  15. ^ "Contact us". North Warwickshire Borough Council. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Council on the move". Atherstone Herald. 7 September 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Parish and Town Councils and Clerks". North Warwickshire Borough Council. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Full Freeview on the Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Warwickshire Civic Heraldry". Civic heraldry. Retrieved 19 August 2021.

52°34′34″N 1°32′43″W / 52.5760°N 1.5454°W / 52.5760; -1.5454

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=North_Warwickshire&oldid=1248580815"