Crewe and Nantwich

Crewe and Nantwich was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It had a population (2001 census) 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.

This article is about the borough. For the constituency, see Crewe and Nantwich (UK Parliament constituency).

Borough of Crewe and Nantwich
Crewe and Nantwich
Shown within Cheshire
History
 • OriginCrewe Municipal Borough
Nantwich Urban District
Nantwich Rural District
 • Created1 April 1974
 • Abolished31 March 2009
 • Succeeded byCheshire East
StatusNon-metropolitan district
ONS code13UD
 • HQCrewe
The Municipal Buildings in Crewe, head office of the Borough Council.

History

The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 by the merger of the borough of Crewe (an industrial town), the urban district of Nantwich (a smaller market town), and Nantwich Rural District.[1] The new district was proposed to be called just "Crewe", but the shadow authority elected in 1973 to oversee the transition to the new system successfully petitioned the government to change the name to "Crewe and Nantwich" before the district came into being.[2][3][4] The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chairman of the council to take the title of mayor.[5]

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 Crewe and Nantwich, Congleton and Macclesfield 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.[6]

The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich was abolished on 1 April 2009, when the new Cheshire East unitary authority was formed.[7]

Civil parishes

The former Crewe Municipal Borough was unparished, but the rest of the Crewe and Nantwich district included the following civil parishes:

Demographics

From the Census 2001:

  • Average age: 39.1 (England and Wales: 38.6)
  • Marital status:
    • Never married: 26% (30.1%)
    • Married or remarried: 55.2% (50.9%)
    • Separated: 2.1% (2.4%)
    • Divorced: 8.2% (8.2%)
    • Widowed: 8.5% (8.4%).
  • Ethnicity:
    • White: 98.0% (90.9%)
    • Mixed: 0.7% (1.3%)
    • Asian/Asian British: 0.5% (4.6%)
    • Black/Black British: 0.4% (2.1%)
    • Chinese or other: 0.4% (0.9%)
  • Religion:
    • Christian: 80.2% (71.8%)
    • Buddhist: 0.1% (0.3%)
    • Hindu: 0.1% (1.1%)
    • Jewish: 0.0% (0.5%)
    • Muslim: 0.4% (3.0%)
    • Sikh: 0.0% (0.6%)
    • Other religion: 0.2% (0.3%)
    • No religion: 11.9% (14.8%)
    • No religion stated: 6.9% (7.7%).
  • Economic activity:
    • Employed: 62.2% (60.6%)
    • Unemployed: 2.8% (3.4%)
    • Economically active full-time student: 2.6% (2.6%)
    • Retired: 15.0% (13.6%)
    • Economically inactive student: 3.6% (4.7%)
    • Looking after home/family: 6.1% (6.5%)
    • Permanently sick or disabled: 5.1% (5.5%)
    • Other economically inactive: 2.6% (3.1%).
  • Crime levels (per 1000 population)
    • Violence against the person: 5.7 (England and Wales: 11.4).
    • Sexual offences: 0.2 (0.7).
    • Robbery: 0.4 (1.8).
    • Burglary from a dwelling: 7.2 (7.6).
    • Theft of a motor vehicle: 2.4 (6.4).
    • Theft from a motor vehicle: 7.8 (11.9).

According to 2003 figures, Crewe had the lowest crime rate and highest detection levels in Cheshire.

Political control

The first elections to the council 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 controlYears
Labour1974–1976
No overall control1976–1990
Labour1990–2002
No overall control2002–2009

Leadership

The leaders of the council from 1974 were:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Donald Holt[9] Labour19741976
Anne Blacklay[10] Conservative align=right|19761979
Donald Holt[11] Labour align=right|197911 Mar 1983
Anne Blacklay[12][13] Conservative align=right|18 May 1983May 1984
Brian Silvester[14] Conservative align=right|May 1984May 1990
Peter Kent[15] LabourMay 19907 May 2006
Brian Silvester[16][17][18] Conservative17 May 200614 May 2008
John Hammond[19][20] Conservative14 May 200831 Mar 2009

On 4 May 2006 a referendum was held to decide whether the "Leader and Cabinet" form of local government would be replaced by an elected mayor. The proposal was rejected by 18,768 (60.8%) votes to 11,808 (38.2%) on a 35.3% turnout.

Twin towns

Crewe and Nantwich was twinned with:

Council elections
  • 1973 Crewe Borough Council election
  • 1976 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1979 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)[22]
  • 1980 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1982 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1983 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1984 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1986 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1987 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1988 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1990 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1991 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1992 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1994 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1995 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1996 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1998 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 1999 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)[23]
  • 2000 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 2002 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 2003 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 2004 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 2006 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election
  • 2007 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council election

By-election results
Barony Weaver By-Election 24 October 1996
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill McGinnis 786 50.8
Conservative Joyce Stockton 684 44.2
Liberal Democrats Bernadette Baker 77 5.0
Majority 102 6.6
Turnout 1,547
Labour hold Swing
Minshull By-Election 9 October 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Christian Iliff 198 37.0 -25.9
Conservative David Martin 179 33.5 -3.6
Independent Byron Evans 158 29.5 +29.5
Majority 19 3.5
Turnout 535
Labour hold Swing
Shavington By-Election 4 December 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Margaret Jones 361 46.8 -5.2
Conservative Irene Fox 318 41.2 +7.9
Liberal Democrats Andrew Brown 92 11.9 -2.9
Majority 43 5.6
Turnout 771 14.0
Labour hold Swing
St John's By-Election 4 December 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Halligan 307 47.7 -31.5
Liberal Democrats Robert Parker 304 47.3 +26.4
Conservative Frederick Fox 32 5.0 +5.0
Majority 3 0.4
Turnout 643 18.4
Labour hold Swing
St Barnabas By-Election 2 March 2000
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour 405 53.4 -23.8
Conservative 353 46.6 +23.8
Majority 63 6.8
Turnout 758 19.2
Labour hold Swing
St Mary's By-Election 2 March 2000
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 423 58.5 +0.2
Labour 230 31.8 -9.9
Liberal Democrats 70 9.7 +9.7
Majority 197 26.7
Turnout 723 22.8
Conservative hold Swing
St Johns By-Election 22 June 2000
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats 405 42.1 -7.3
Labour 323 33.5 -3.4
Conservative 235 24.4 +15.1
Majority 82 8.6
Turnout 963 26.2
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

References
  1. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 5 September 2022
  2. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 5 September 2022
  3. "New council asks for change of title". Crewe Chronicle. 6 December 1973. p. 8. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  4. "It's Crewe and Nantwich Council". Crewe Chronicle. 24 January 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 5 September 2022. The Secretary of State for the Environment has consented to the name of Crewe District Council being changed to Crewe and Nantwich District Council...
  5. "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  6. BBC News, 25 July 2007 - County split into two authorities. Retrieval Date: 25 July 2007.
  7. Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008 Archived May 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  9. "Borough mourns Don". Warrington Guardian. 8 October 1998. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  10. "Chronicle's notes were 'misleading'". Nantwich Chronicle. 25 November 1976. p. 3. Retrieved 8 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Bombshell over rates struggle". Crewe Chronicle. 17 March 1983. p. Front page. Retrieved 8 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Conservative group elect leaders". Crewe Chronicle. 19 May 1983. p. 5. Retrieved 8 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Mayor's wildest dreams come true". Nantwich Chronicle. 24 May 1984. p. 5.
  14. "Highs and lows of life on council...". Crewe Chronicle. 16 May 1990. p. 10. Retrieved 8 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Leader of 20 years ousted by 18-vote margin". Cheshire Live. 10 May 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  16. "Triumphant Tory takes council reins". Crewe Chronicle. 24 May 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  17. "Council minutes, 17 May 2006". Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  18. "Board minutes, 21 February 2008". Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  19. "Board minutes, 19 June 2008". Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  20. Ryan, Belinda (13 November 2018). "Tributes paid to Cheshire East councillor who has died". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  21. "British towns twinned with French towns". Archant Community Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  22. The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977
  23. legislation.gov.uk - The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich (Electoral Changes) Order 1998. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.

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