Borough of Oswestry

52.861°N 3.055°W / 52.861; -3.055

Borough of Oswestry
Oswestry
Shown within Shropshire non-metropolitan county
History
 • OriginOswestry Rural District
 • Created1 April 1974 (1974-04-01)
 • Abolished31 March 2009 (2009-03-31)
 • Succeeded byShropshire
StatusNon-metropolitan district, Borough
ONS code39UD
GovernmentOswestry Borough Council
 • HQOswestry

The Borough of Oswestry was a local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England, from medieval times until its abolition in 2009. Until 1974 the borough just covered the town of Oswestry itself. The borough was enlarged in 1974 to also include the surrounding rural area.[1]

Its council was based in Oswestry, the only town and largest settlement in the borough. Villages in the borough included Morda, St Martin's, Whittington, Gobowen, Pant, Trefonen and Ruyton XI Towns.[2]

The district and its council were abolished on 1 April 2009 when the new Shropshire unitary authority was established, as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England.[3]

History

The town of Oswestry was an ancient borough, governed under the terms of various charters dating back to at least 1398.[4] The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. By the mid-twentieth century some municipal boroughs were considered too small to efficiently provide all the services expected of them, and so the government introduced the concept of rural boroughs under the Local Government Act 1958. This allowed a small municipal borough to merge with a neighbouring rural district, whilst allowing the former municipal borough to retain some of its privileges, such as the ability to appoint a mayor. In other regards, such rural boroughs were comparable to parish councils. Oswestry became a rural borough on 1 April 1967, becoming part of the surrounding Oswestry Rural District.[5]

On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the Oswestry Rural District became a non-metropolitan district, and the borough status which had previously only applied to the town of Oswestry itself was transferred to the larger district, allowing the new district council to take the name Oswestry Borough Council.[6][7]

The borough of Oswestry and its council were abolished on 1 April 2009, when the new Shropshire Council unitary authority was established, as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England.[8]

Political control

The first elections to the enlarged 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:[9][10]

Party in controlYears
Independent1974–1987
No overall control1987–1991
Independent1991–2003
No overall control2003–2007
Conservative2007–2009

Leadership

The last leader of the council was David Lloyd, a Conservative.

CouncillorPartyFromTo
David Lloyd[11][12] Conservativepre-200631 Mar 2009

Council elections
  • 1973 Oswestry Borough Council election
  • 1976 Oswestry Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)[13]
  • 1979 Oswestry Borough Council election
  • 1983 Oswestry Borough Council election
  • 1987 Oswestry Borough Council election
  • 1991 Oswestry Borough Council election
  • 1995 Oswestry Borough Council election
  • 1999 Oswestry Borough Council election
  • 2003 Oswestry Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)[14][15]
  • 2007 Oswestry Borough Council election

By-election results
Llanyblodwel By-Election 1 June 2000
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent 122 43.0
Liberal Democrats 90 31.7
Conservative 72 25.4
Majority 32 11.3
Turnout 284 46.0
Independent hold Swing
Victoria By-Election 28 June 2001
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 291 44.2
Liberal Democrats 266 40.4
Independent 101 15.3
Majority 25 3.8
Turnout 658
Conservative gain from Independent Swing
Gatacre By-Election 6 September 2001
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats 327 53.7 +21.5
Conservative 158 25.9 +25.9
Labour 77 12.6 -12.7
Independent 33 5.4 +5.4
Independent 14 2.3 +2.3
Majority 169 27.8
Turnout 609 26.4
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
Cambrian By-Election 10 June 2004[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Simon Edwards 341 42.8 +20.0
Independent 281 35.3 -1.1
Conservative 174 21.9 -18.9
Majority 60 7.5
Turnout 796 39.0
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Royton & West Felton 29 September 2005
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Castle By-Election 3 November 2005[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frances Burman 255 55.3 +9.9
Liberal Democrats Elaine Channon 206 44.7 +7.0
Majority 49 10.6
Turnout 461 23.2
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Sweeney Trefonen By-Election 3 November 2005[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Joyce Barrow 314 71.0 +32.0
Liberal Democrats Romer Hoseason 128 29.0 +15.6
Majority 186 42.0
Turnout 442 14.5
Conservative hold Swing
Whittington By-Election 30 November 2006[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 314 57.2 +57.2
Labour 121 22.0 -4.1
Liberal Democrats 114 20.7 +20.7
Majority 193 35.2
Turnout 549 30.8
Conservative gain from Independent Swing
Llanyblodwell and Pant By-Election 21 June 2007
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 254 73.6 +41.9
Independent 91 19.8
Independent 81 17.6
Independent 34 7.4
Majority 163
Turnout 460 24.0
Conservative gain from Independent Swing
Sweeney and Trefonen By-Election 1 May 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 684 54.9 -14.8
Liberal Democrats 562 45.1 +14.8
Majority 122 9.8
Turnout 1,246 40.4
Conservative hold Swing
Castle By-Election 2 October 2008[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Romer Hoseason 198 38.7 +0.3
Conservative Phil May 174 34.1 -27.5
Independent Alan Davies 139 27.2 +27.2
Majority 59 4.6
Turnout 511 22.2
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing

References
  1. "Oswestry | England, United Kingdom | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  2. "The Borough of Oswestry (Electoral Changes) Order 2000". legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021.
  3. Andrews, Mark. "'Time to change the way our council works'". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  4. "Oswestry Borough Records". Discovery Catalogue. The National Archives. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  5. "Oswestry Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  6. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 6 September 2022
  7. "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  8. "The Shropshire (Structural Change) Order 2008", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2008/1866, retrieved 18 September 2022
  9. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  10. "Oswestry". BBC News Online. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  11. "Leaders split on shake-up". Shropshire Star. 27 October 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  12. "2009 will see many changes". Oswestry Borough Council. Archived from the original on 1 January 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  13. The Borough of Oswestry (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975
  14. "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  15. legislation.gov.uk - The Borough of Oswestry (Electoral Changes) Order 2000. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.
  16. "Tories make gains in byelections". guardian.co.uk. 18 June 2004. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  17. "Tories claim clean sweep in council byelections". guardian.co.uk. 4 November 2005. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  18. "Lib Dems gain four seats in council byelections". guardian.co.uk. 1 December 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  19. "Lib Dems win their fifth seat". Shropshire Star. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
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