Cheshire West and Chester Council
Cheshire West and Chester Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 2009
Preceded byCheshire County Council
District councils:
  • Chester City Council
  • Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council
  • Vale Royal Borough Council
Leadership
Louise Gittins, Labour
since 21 May 2019
Chairman
Robert Bisset, Labour
since 18 May 2023
Chief Executive
Delyth Curtis
since 22 May 2023
Structure
Seats70
Political groups
  Labour (37)
  Conservative (23)
  Green (2)
  Independent (2)
  Winsford Salt of the Earth (3)
  Liberal Democrats (1)
  Unaligned Independent (3)
Committees13 (excluding the cabinet)
Joint committees
Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership
Cheshire Fire Authority
Cheshire Police and Crime Panel
Shared Services Joint Committee (with Cheshire East Council)
Elections
First past the post (single-member wards)
Plurality-at-large (multi-member wards)
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
May 2027
Meeting place
Wyvern House, The Drumber, Winsford, CW7 1AH
The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BA
Website
www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
Footnotes
[1][2]

Cheshire West and Chester Council is the local authority for Cheshire West and Chester. It is a unitary authority created on 1 April 2009, succeeding the non-metropolitan districts of Chester City Council, Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council, and Vale Royal Borough Council, and the non-metropolitan county of Cheshire County Council. The council was first elected on 1 May 2008, a year before coming into its legal powers on 1 April 2009.

Premises

When created in 2009, the council inherited several administrative buildings from its predecessors, notably including Chester Town Hall and the adjoining offices at The Forum from Chester City Council, the Council Offices at 4 Civic Way in Ellesmere Port from Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council, and Wyvern House on The Drumber in Winsford from Vale Royal Borough Council. The abolished Cheshire County Council's former headquarters at County Hall passed jointly to both Cheshire West and Chester Council and its neighbour Cheshire East Council. County Hall was sold to the University of Chester in 2010, and Cheshire West and Chester Council moved its main offices to a new building called HQ Chester at 58 Nicholas Street in Chester, whilst retaining the other buildings as local offices and additional accommodation.[3][4][5][6]

The HQ Chester building did not contain a council chamber, and most full council meetings were held at Wyvern House in Winsford, except the annual council meeting which was usually held at Chester Town Hall. Committee meetings were held at various venues. This pattern continued until March 2020 when in-person meetings were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the resumption of in-person meetings in May 2021, most committee meetings have been held at Ellesmere Port Library, whilst larger venues have been hired for full council meetings.[7] In 2022, the council moved its main offices to a new building called The Portal on Wellington Road in Ellesmere Port, and vacated most of the space it had formerly occupied at HQ Chester.[8]

Political control

Since the 2023 election, the council has been under Labour control, with Louise Gittins serving as leader of the council. The next election is due in 2027.

Council seats since 2008
Election Conservative Independent Green Labour Liberal Democrats Unaligned Independent Winsford Salt of the Earth Total
2008 55 0 0 13 4 0 0 72
2011 42 0 0 32 1 0 0 75
2015 36 1 0 38 0 0 0 75
2019 28 4 1 35 2 0 0 70
2023 23 5 2 39 1 0 0 70
Current 23 2 2 37 1 3 2 70

Councillors

Councillors[1]
Ward Councillor Council profile Year first elected
Blacon Carol GahanProfile2015
Sheila LittleProfile2019
Alan SmithProfile2023
Central and Grange Robert BissetProfile2015
Karen ShoreProfile2015
Chester City and The Garden Quarter Paul ChamberlainProfile2023
Katrina KerrProfile2023
Ben WalkerProfile2023
Christleton and Huntington Stuart Parker MBEProfile2008
Mark WilliamsProfile2008
Davenham, Moulton and Kingsmead Dan MarrProfile2023
Gaynor SinarProfile2011[lower-alpha 1]
Farndon Adrian WaddeloveProfile2023
Frodsham Michael GarveyProfile2023
Lucy SumnerProfile2023
Gowy Rural Graham HeatleyProfile2011[lower-alpha 2]
Margaret ParkerProfile2011
Great Boughton Steve CollingsProfile2019
Elizabeth MacGlashanProfile2023
Handbridge Park Matt CarterProfile2023
Razia DanielsProfile2008
Hartford and Greenbank Martin LoftusProfile2023
Patricia ParkesProfile2015
Helsby Chris CopemanProfile2023
Lache Alex TateProfile2008[lower-alpha 3]
Ledsham and Manor Christine WarnerProfile2019
Peter WheelerProfile2019
Little Neston Louise GittinsProfile2011
Malpas Rachel WilliamsProfile2019
Marbury Lynn GibbonProfile2015
Phil MarshallProfile2019
Norman WrightProfile2008
Neston Keith MillarProfile2021
Netherpool Katie KendrickProfile2023
Newton and Hoole Richard BeachamProfile2015
Adam LanganProfile2019
Gill WatsonProfile2015
Northwich Leftwich Andrew CooperProfile2019
Northwich Winnington and Castle Felicity DaviesProfile2023
Arthur NeilProfile2023
Northwich Witton Sam NaylorProfile2014
Parkgate Martin BarkerProfile2015
Rudheath Olwyn DeanProfile2023
Sandstone Hugo DeynemProfile2008
Saughall and Mollington Simon EardleyProfile2019
Shakerley Mark StocksProfile2008
Strawberry Gareth GouldProfile2019
Sutton Villages Paul DonovanProfile2008
Caroline EllisProfile2023
Tarporley Charles HardyProfile2023
Tarvin and Kelsall Tom CooperProfile2023
Ted LushProfile2023
Tattenhall Mike JonesProfile2008
Upton Sherin AkhtarProfile2023
Matt BryanProfile2015
Weaver and Cuddington Gillian EdwardsProfile2019
Phil RimmerProfile2023
Lynn StocksProfile2023
Westminster Lisa DensonProfile2019
Whitby Groves Jimmy ShannonProfile2023
Whitby Park John RoachProfile2023
Willaston and Thornton Myles HoggProfile2008
Winsford Dene Mandy ClareProfile2019
Winsford Gravel Martin BeveridgeProfile2023
Winsford Over and Verdin Stuart BinghamProfile2023
Tommy BlackmoreProfile2011
Gina LewisProfile2019
Winsford Swanlow Simon BooneProfile2023
Winsford Wharton Nathan PardoeProfile2019
Wolverham Michael EdwardsonProfile2018

  Conservative
  Green
  Independent
  Labour
  Liberal Democrats
  Winsford Salt of the Earth


Cabinet and committees

Cabinet (Labour)[lower-alpha 4]

As of 9 November 2023

Website
  Louise Gittins (Chair, Leader of the Council, Culture and Arts)
  Lisa Denson (A Fairer Future (Poverty, Public Health and Mental Health))
  Paul Donovan (Democracy, Workforce and Communities)
  Carol Gahan (Finance and Legal)
  Adam Langan (Children and Young People)
  Sheila Little (Adult Social Care)
  Nathan Parode (Inclusive Economy, Regeneration and Digital Transformation)
  Karen Shore (Deputy Leader of the Council, Environment, Highways and Transport)
  Christine Warner (Homes, Planning and Safer Communities)

Shadow cabinet (Conservative)[lower-alpha 4]

As of 16 July 2023

  Margaret Parker (Conservative group leader, Fairer Futures, Poverty and Mental Health)
  Simon Eardley (Environment, Highways and Transport, Climate Emergency, Energy and Green Spaces)
  Lynn Gibbon (Deputy Conservative group leader, Inclusive Economy, Regeneration and Digital Transformation)
  Charles Hardy (Leisure, Culture and the Visitor Economy)
  Mike Jones (Finance and Legal)
  Martin Loftus (Homes, Planning and Safer Communities)
  Phil Marshall (Democracy, Workforce and Communities)
  Lynn Stocks (Children and Young People)
  Rachel Williams (Adult Social Care)

Other parties

As of 16 July 2023

  John Roach (Green group leader)
  Gillian Edwards (Independent group leader)
  Simon Boone (Winsford Salt of the Earth group leader)

Committees

Cheshire West and Chester Council committees
Committee Membership
(Cheshire West and Chester) Overview and Scrutiny
As of 24 July 2023
  Martin Barker (Chair),   Steve Collings (Deputy chair),   Sherin Akhtar,   Stuart Bingham,   Hugo Deynem,   Keith Millar,   Mark Stocks,   Lucy Sumner,   Adrian Waddelove
 Website
Planning
As of 23 July 2023
  Gina Lewis (Chair),   Michael Edwardson (Deputy chair),   Stuart Bingham,   Tommy Blackmore,   Gilian Edwards,   Myles Hogg,   Katrina Kerr,   Stuart Parker,   Gaynor Sinar,   Alex Tate,   Norman Wright
 Website
Shared Services[lower-alpha 5]
As of 23 July 2023
  Paul Donovan,   Carol Gahan,   Karen Shore
 Website


Notes

  1. ↑ Not elected in 2019, elected in 2023.
  2. ↑ Not elected in 2015, elected in 2019.
  3. ↑ Did not stand in 2015 and 2019, elected in 2023.
  4. 1 2 Portfolios listed in paranthses.
  5. ↑ Joint committee with Cheshire East Council.

References

  1. 1 2 "Your Councillors". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  2. ↑ "Chief Executive and directors". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  3. ↑ Holmes, David (23 September 2010). "Cheshire West and Chester Council HQ is 21st century workplace". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Chester West & Chester Council to sell County Hall to University of Chester and move into HQ building". Cheshire Live. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. ↑ Holmes, David (3 March 2011). "Cheshire's County Hall sale 'rushed', says auditor, but was still value for money". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Customer service centres". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  7. ↑ "Council minutes". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  8. ↑ Porter, Gary (5 April 2022). "New Cheshire West and Chester Council HQ in Ellesmere Port to open in May". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
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