Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status in Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 local government changes, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. It superseded the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Vale Royal and the City of Chester. The remainder of the ceremonial county of Cheshire is composed of Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington. Cheshire West and Chester has three key urban areas: Chester, Ellesmere Port and Northwich/Winsford.
The decision to create the Cheshire West and Chester 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.
Governance
The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. Full council meetings are held at Wyvern House in Winsford and the council has its main offices at The Portal in Ellesmere Port.
Subdivisions As of 2019, the borough is divided into forty-five wards:
There are ninety-seven parish councils in the borough, despite there being a total of 166 civil parishes before a community governance review was undertaken by the borough council in 2014 under section 82 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. + Subdivisions in Cheshire West and Chester Ward Civil parishes House of Commons constituency Population (ward) Area (ward, km2) Density (ward, /km2) Population (civil parish) Area (civil parish, km2) Density (civil parish, /km2) Parish council website Postcode(s) Dialling code Blacon (E05012209) Unparished areas (E43000272) City of Chester 13,719 4.532 3,027 129,607 81.13 1,598 CH1 01244 Central and Grange (E05012210) Ellesmere Port and Neston 11,038 3.146 3,509 CH65, CH66 0151 Chester City and the Garden Quarter (E05012211) City of Chester 18,164 4.307 4,217 CH1, CH2, CH3 01244 Chester Castle (E04011062) 0 0.0433 0 CH1 Christleton and Huntington (E05012212) Christleton (E04012578) 11,103 55.46 200.2 2,454 6.154 398.8 Christleton Parish Council CH3 Eaton and Eccleston (E04012584) 246 10.72 22.95 Eaton and Eccleston Parish Council CH4 Huntington (E04011117) 4,134 5.855 706 Huntington Parish Council CH3 Littleton (E04012550) 672 1.111 604.6 Littleton Parish Council Poulton and Pulford (E04012585) 607 10.46 58.06 Poulton and Pulford Parish Council CH4 Rowton (E04012557) 460 2.389 192.5 Rowton Parish Council CH3 Waverton (E04012580) Eddisbury 1,497 5.973 250.6 Waverton Parish Council Davenham, Moulton and Kingsmead (E05012213) Bostock (E04011049) 10,752 16.37 656.9 201 4.526 44.41 Bostock Parish Council CW10 01606 Davenham (E04012536) 2,897 8.224 352.3 Davenham Parish Council CW9 Kingsmead (E04012165) Weaver Vale 4,935 1.357 3,638 Kingsmead Parish Council Moulton (E04011144) Eddisbury 2,719 2.262 1,202 Moulton Parish Council Farndon (E05012214) Aldersey (E04011034) 4,576 72.98 62.7 118 9.001 13.11 Coddington and District Parish Council CH3 01829 Aldford and Saighton (E04012566) City of Chester/Eddisbury 469 19.05 24.62 Aldford and Saighton Parish Council 01244 Barton (E04011046) Eddisbury 211 5.92 35.64 Coddington and District Parish Council SY14 01829 Carden (E04012532) No data 3.667 No data CH3 Churton (E04012579) 351 8.609 40.77 Churton Parish Council Clutton (E04012533) 357 5.91 60.39 Coddington and District Parish Council Coddington (E04011075) No data 5.763 No data Farndon (E04012581) 2,096 4.324 484.7 Farndon Parish Council Shocklach Oviatt and District (E04012576) 298 15.33 19.44 Shocklach Oviatt and District Parish Council SY14 Stretton (E04011171) No data 3.788 No data Coddington and District Parish Council Tilston (E04012587) 662 4.835 136.9 Tilston Parish Council Frodsham (E05012215) Frodsham (E04012539) Weaver Vale 9,231 21.26 434.3 9,231 21.26 434.3 Frodsham Town Council WA6 01928 Gowy Rural (E05012216) Barrow (E04011045) Eddisbury 9,213 49.06 187.8 943 12.33 76.49 Barrow Parish Council CH3 01829 Croughton No data 1.140 No data CH2 01244 Elton Ellesmere Port and Neston 3,513 4.614 761.3 01928 Guilden Sutton City of Chester 1,484 3.963 374.5 CH3 01244 Ince Mickle Trafford and District Stoak Thornton-le-Moors Grange Ellesmere Port Ellesmere Port and Neston Great Boughton Great Boughton City of Chester Handbridge Park Chester Hartford and Greenbank Hartford Weaver Vale Northwich Helsby Helsby Hoole Chester City of Chester Kingsley Aston Weaver Vale Crowton Kingsley Norley Sutton Lache Chester City of Chester Ledsham and Manor Ellesmere Port Ellesmere Port and Neston Little Neston and Burton Neston Puddington City of Chester Malpas Agden Eddisbury Chidlow Chorlton Cuddington Malpas No Man's Heath and District Threapwood Tushingham-cum-Grindley, Macefen and Bradley Wigland Marbury Anderton with Marbury Tatton Antrobus Barnton Comberbach Great Budworth Little Leigh Marston Whitley Wincham Neston Neston Ellesmere Port and Neston Netherpool Ellesmere Port Newton Chester City of Chester Parkgate Neston Ellesmere Port and Neston Rossmore Ellesmere Port Saughall and Mollington Backford City of Chester Capenhurst Lea-by-Backford Ledsham Mollington Saughall and Shotwick Park Shakerley Allostock Tatton Byley Lach Dennis Lostock Gralam Sproston St Paul's Ellesmere Port Ellesmere Port and Neston Strawberry Ellesmere Port Sutton Ellesmere Port Tarporley Little Budworth Eddisbury Rushton Tarporley Utkinton Tarvin and Kelsall Clotton Hoofield Delamere and Oakmere Duddon and Burton Kelsall Tarvin Willington Tattenhall Beeston Broxton Burwardsley Chowley Duckington Golborne David Handley Hargrave and Huxley Harthill Tattenhall and District Tiverton and Tilstone Fearnall Upton Bache City of Chester Moston Upton-by-Chester Weaver and Cuddington Acton Bridge Weaver Vale Cuddington Eddisbury Dutton Weaver Vale Weaverham Whitby Ellesmere Port Ellesmere Port and Neston Willaston and Thornton Ellesmere Port Winnington and Castle Northwich Weaver Vale Winsford Over and Verdin Whitegate and Marton Winsford Eddisbury Winsford Swanlow and Dene Darnhall Winsford Winsford Wharton Stanthorne and Wimboldsley Winsford Witton and Rudheath Northwich Weaver Vale Rudheath Tatton Footnotes: Geographic codes, area and population statistics
Notes
Members of Parliament
Demography
Ethnicity
In line with nearly every local government district in England and Wales, the majority of the population describe themselves as 'white'. The exact figure – 95.3% – is comparable with metropolitan counties such as Merseyside, non-metropolitan counties such as Cumbria and principal areas throughout Wales. This would suggest that the figure is not a significant outlier nationwide.
The next largest ethnic group in the borough is Asian, who along with other ethnic minorities are supported by the Cheshire Asian & Minority Communities Council, a registered charity headquartered in Chester.
Religion
The main religion in Cheshire West and Chester is Christianity, with a percentage figure above the average for England (46.3%, 2021). The single largest church is the Church of England, with the borough being served by the Chester Archdeaconry, with six deaneries and an average of twenty parish churches in each deanery. Roman Catholicism also has a significant presence across the borough, with all its churches located in the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
Methodist churches in the borough form groups averaging ten, known as 'circuits' (the four in Cheshire West and Chester are all part of the Chester and Stoke-on-Trent District). More marginal churches include Assemblies of God, Baptist Union, Elim Pentecostal, United Reformed and the English Presbyterian Church of Wales in Chester.
Aside from churches, there are two mosques in Cheshire West and Chester – one each in Chester and Ellesmere Port – which were subjected to property theft and racially aggravated disorder respectively in 2014.
Geography +Neighbouring council areasLocal authorityIn relation to the districtCity of LiverpoolNorth (over the river)HaltonNorthWarringtonNorth eastCheshire EastEast ShropshireSouthWrexham South westFlintshireWestWirralNorth west
Local nature reserves Cheshire West and Chester Council maintains six Local Nature Reserves: Burton Mill Wood, Helsby Quarry, Marshall's Arm, Rivacre Valley, Stanney Wood, and Whitby Park.
Transport
Air There are no passenger airports in the borough; only a grass airfield exists in Little Budworth, with the nearest being Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport.
Cycling National routes which pass through the borough include NCR5, NCR45 (Mercian Way), NCR56, NCR562, NCR563, NCR568 and NCR573. Regional routes include 70 (Cheshire Cycleway) and 71.
Three disused railways in the borough have been converted to off-road cycleways, including: Birkenhead Railway: Contains sections of NCR56 and the Wirral Circular Trail and is now called Wirral Way. Chester & Connah's Quay Railway: Contains a section of NCR5 and is now called Chester Millennium Greenway. Winsford and Over Branch Line: Contains a section of regional route 71 and is now called Whitegate Way.
The Shropshire Union Canal towpath between Waverton and the National Waterways Museum is paved with asphalt; it is a shared-use route between cyclists and pedestrians for a distance of .
In 2009, Chester was awarded the status of Cycling Town by Cycling England. To reflect this, a series of colour-coded signposted routes around the city were devised in 2012. The total length of new signposted routes created by the project was , bringing the overall total in the borough to . The total funding received from the cycling town project, which ended in 2011 when Cycling England was disbanded, was £4.4 million. A similar network of over of cycle routes branded the Ellesmere Port Grenway has been proposed by the town's development board.
Park and Ride Chester has four park and ride sites located adjacent to radial routes on the city's outskirts: Boughton Heath, Sealand Road, Upton and Wrexham Road; they run on two lines which intersect at Chester Bus Interchange. A fifth site is proposed near Hoole Village.
+ Chester Park and Ride services Route Terminus Intermediate stop Chester city centre Intermediate stop Terminus Blue (PR1) Upton (Zoo) Countess of Chester Hospital Delamere Street Chester Bus Interchange Foregate Street Pepper Street Grosvenor Road Wrexham Road Green (PR2) Sealand Road Sealand Road (Greyhound Park) Canal Street Boughton Boughton Heath
Hooton station is designated as a park and ride facility for railway services on the Wirral Line; it contains a 418-space car park.
Railway
Chester railway station is the hub of the railway network in the borough, with around 4.7 million passengers annually. Passenger numbers doubled to this figure in the ten years to 2015, making the station the eighth-busiest in North West England.
Railway lines, and their associated train operating companies in the borough, include: Borderlands line: Services between Bidston and Wrexham Central are provided by Transport for Wales Rail and call at Neston. Chester–Warrington line: Includes stops at Frodsham and Helsby, with services provided by Northern Trains and Transport for Wales Rail. Ellesmere Port to Warrington Line (Northern): includes stops at Stanlow & Thornton and Ince & Elton before meeting the Chester-Manchester Line near Helsby; it is operated by Northern Trains according to a Department for Transport-set minimum service pattern. Mid-Cheshire line: Leaves the Chester–Warrington line near Mickle Trafford and includes stops at Cuddington, Delamere, Greenbank, Lostock Gralam, Mouldsworth and Northwich, with services between Chester and Manchester Piccadilly provided by Northern Trains. A single-track railway exists between Northwich and Sandbach, but it is only used for freight.